uses too much hard drive space usage

Hi, I’m new at this. Avast claims it uses 89 MB but on my computer it using 320 MB . Can someone explain to me why the big difference and how to fix it, if it is fixable?

Downloaded installation file is about 80-105mb (there’s difference between free,pro and IS)
When avast is installed of course it will use more space
All antiviruses use about 200-700mb of hard disk space when they’re installed. :slight_smile:
btw. Why do you care ? We’re in 2012 , so using 320 mb of hard disk space on today’s computers is nothing :smiley:
I have internet security and it uses 440mb of space

Also here too. :wink:

The installation file alone is that size or larger depending on avast version and that is a highly compressed file. When installed these files are unpacked so it is much larger. This is common to all AV installations they are greater than the size of the installation file.

Depending on at what time you look at how much space is taken up there can be a variation of 80MB or more. The virus definitions take up a lot of space and they are in their own unique defs sub-folder. The current definitions folder on mine it 86MB and generally you will have the current version and normally the previous version also until avast does its housekeeping when it will clear out old versions.

Currently my avast folder is 248MB.

So I don’t know where you get this thing that avast claims it is only 89MB ?

Sounds like your installation is in the right “ballpark” for space taken, judging both by others’ replies and my own system. I’ve got the free version, and that takes up 334 megs under Program Files plus a little over 9 megs under Docs & Settings. I’ve got an antique 40 gig drive (35 GB main partition) which is typically around 60 pct free space, so even if I totally removed avast (and didn’t replace it with whatever) it would only make about 1 pct difference.

To DavidR:

I downloaded avast from Cnet where it states that it is an 89MB download. I didn’t invent this figure.

Thanks to all for your response. I guess it is not important or significant all that space taken by avast. I haven’t notice any slowdown of the system, so i’m gonna stop worrying about this. It’s a good product, and free to boot. I have no problems with it.

Just for comparisons sake, check the attachments. :wink:

Yes that is correct, Cnet they are reporting the file size of the download and not the size it will be on the hard disk when installed.

I never believed you made it up, just wanted to know where the figure was reported.

The setup/installer’s compressed. When you install, it decompresses and that’s why the size on the hard disk is greater. Avast bloat just keeps creeping up and up. At this rate, soon there won’t be much difference between it and AVG.

I don’t know of what bloat you are talking about, but I don’t see any on my installation.

???
There is not a file that is not necessary… Nobody takes space just for fun…

+1
Also, I’ve tested comparable Internet Suites/Ant Virus software and have found no ‘significant’ difference in disk space used to relative products :wink: :slight_smile:

Well, don’t stand back and persuade the malware authors to stop creating new malware. We’d be happy not to have to grow the size by adding new detections…

It seems to me to be more than the definitions. I’ve got 128 MB in the Setup folder. Why is it so big?

Another thing, when I updated to 1466 from the interface, Programs and Features told me Avast was 350 MB, but I uninstalled and did a clean install and only had 238 MB. So some of the large disk usage may not be totally accurate. Or maybe updating from the interface is simply causing bloat, I don’t know. My laptop with Vista normally reads disk usage accurately, so I tend to think the latter.

Total size isn’t what I would call bloat, that is features getting added that don’t really have a security purpose for a security based application.

The windows Programs and Features and Add Remove Programs have been notoriously inaccurate in the past. In my Win7 Programs and Features doesn’t even give a figure on winXP Pro is gives 336MB which is correct. But this figure will fluctuate as the defs folder contains the current VPS folder and the previous one, before avast does its housekeeping and prunes the oldest one.

Currently these virus definition sub-folders are 86.5MB, this gives you an idea of just how many signatures are in the database. So that would essentially match the difference between a clean install and one which has two defs sub-folders before avast housekeeping when it would drop by 86MB.

Basically your understanding of how avast works is giving you the wrong impression on calling it bloat.

As mentioned earlier, with today’s Hard Drives; 300-400mb (whatever) is nothing. Just a hiccup!
I’m only running 60 GB HD and have never given 400mb a second thought.
Just saying. :wink: :slight_smile: