Ta 
It’s true about that dude tho…Same thing ALL the time.
yeah he’s continuously referring to the same bashing thread every time someone asks about firewalls or Comodo. There are things I don’t admit/like about Comodo but I hate the systematic nagging. And when he added that CIS was a resource hog… : OK, you got the idea.
: for real
Since my last reply within this post, I have replaced Comodo Firewall (I had not installed the AV part of it) and replaced it with PC Tools Firewall. I had been happy with Comodo but I was getting tired to be interrupted by my spouse wondering what to answer to the barage of messages coming from Comodo. I also removed Avast and replaced with AVG. AVG might not be as good as Avast but at least it does not slow my computer down. I don’t know if PC Tools Spyware Doctor is/was a resource glutton but that is irrelevant to my problem since the exact same configuration worked one day and not the next.
debw, avast shouldn’t be a resource hog. On contrary. Take into account that the web protection of avast is far superior from AVG.
+1 on both assessments Tech 
Really bad move I would strongly advise you to reconsider as out of AVG and Avast there is only one winner. As Avast has AVG beat in many many ways.
I understand that there are many opinions in regard to the “best” free AV products. Some people recommend Avira AntiVirus; others recommend Avast or AVG. Apparently each of these three products have their pros and cons as well as fervent supporter.
I had been happily using Avast for the last couple of years at least until the ‘false positive’ problem that occurred a couple of weeks ago. Prior to that Wednesday, my computer (2.80 GHz, 3MB RAM, Windows XP SP3, dual-core processor) with Ad-Aware, Avast, Comodo Firewall, PC Tools Spyware (no AV), Prevx and Immunet Protect loaded was working fairly well and fast.
After the ‘false positive’ debacle, I had to reformat my drive and reinstall everything. As soon as I was done reinstalling everything (to the exact same configuration then before), I noticed a great degradation in my computer’s performance in terms of speed as long as Avast was running. With Avast disabled, everything would once again work well and fast. I don’t know what the cause of the problem is but I know that with Avast running my computer slows to a crawl.
I tried Avira but I did not like their ‘upgrade’ message constantly popping up. I was then ‘forced’ to switch to AVG. Even with its limitations, AVG is better than no protection.
If anybody has a better solution, let me know.
Let me add my two cents (change welcome ), as a long time user of avast. Totally aside from its protection, one of avast’s greatest features is its top-notch support here on the forums. Don’t know if it’s still true, but at one time AVG and avira were both notorious for almost total lack of support.
Spotted this thread re’ Avast apparently slowing things up and wondered if my experiences had any bearing on the problem. My pc had slowed to frustrating levels (see http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=52167.0 ) and eventually found that it was Windows Defender and Avast that were not playing nicely together. I have subsequently removed Windows Defender and replaced it with Malwarebytes as an on call scanner. After removing WD my pc speed returned to very acceptable levels.
Just thought that if any slowed up pc’s are also using WD it could be worth checking out.
Thanks for the tip.
I checked. Unfortunately, I do not have Windows Defender installed. In my case, it has to be something else.
Ad-Aware: not good anymore…
Comodo Firewall: from time to time, issues with avast. For me, it’s not a stable firewall or, at least, does not work well with avast (from time to time).
PC Tools Spyware (no AV): ok, but I think it does not improve avast detection significantly.
Prevx: hmmm… won’t opinion. I only have tested a long time ago.
Immunet Protect: don’t know.
Anyway, your system seems overloaded with security programs. I won’t be surprised of hangs and freezes, and “driving me nuts” issues. I think your protection balance is not good, I mean, too much.
Ad-Aware: not good anymore… its not worth the hard disk space it consumes and has not kept up with the times
Comodo Firewall: from time to time, issues with avast. it does slow down a system
PC Tools Spyware (no AV): ok, but I think it does not improve avast detection significantly. is OK but it can slow down a system
Prevx: hmmm… won’t opinion. I only have tested a long time ago. is not needed with avast! and will slow down a system
Immunet Protect: don’t know. is OK
Anyway, your system seems overloaded with security programs. I agree.
@ debw
What are your system specifications as to CPU type and speed and amount or RAM?
I am running Windows XP SP3 on a Pentium D at 2.8 GHz. I have 3GB of RAM.
I would say, do what I do: I USED to have Spyware Blaster, AdAware, Windows Defender, and Avast. Got rid of all the other stuff. I just have the built in Windows Firewall XP, Avast 4.8, and Spyware Blaster, which is NOT a scanner, but a protective shield that does not use memory.
I also clean my browsers cache, history, and temp files often, and try to remember to run check-disk and disk defrag. Disk clean up is good.
MS Config is a great tool that you can use to stop programs that you don’t need running at boot up. Internet consultant and computer trainer Patrick Crispin shows how to use it here:
It will really help your computer! Be sure to select the correct OS!
http://netsquirrel.com/msconfig/index.html
Jack
MSConfig is a diagnostic tool not a startup manager:
http://www.blackviper.com/AskBV/XP25.htm
Best Free Startup Manager:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-startup-manager.htm
I vote for WinPatrol:
http://www.winpatrol.com
Wait, if I’m not mistaken MSConfig can be used to manage start up programs… ???
Either way, here’s another vote for WinPatrol. Its a must have on my computers.
Hi…
I have found that sometimes a given AV will work better on one system as opposed to another. In terms of speed and impact on system resources along with the “feel” of how it operates, Avira has always worked the best on my system. On my mother’s laptop, Avast (in the past) and MSE have performed superbly, while Avira did not. It just depends.
MSE is a light(er) weight option that does not include advertisements in case you are interested.
May God bless you