Microsoft Security Essentials is pissing me off

I've been using MSE on all my computers ever since it got a good review at Maximum PC. However, I've been noticing that the HD is extra busy during and right after an update. It gets to the point the entire computer almost freezes up and doesn't let me do anything until it is done. This happens on my Studio 1537 (Core 2 Duo w/ 4GB DDR2) in Vista 32-bit, as well as my gaming rig (AMD Phenom II X3 720 w/ 4GB DDR3 in Vista 64-bit). I can't say that I noticed it on my netbook (Atom N280, 2GB DDR2, Windows 7) though.

Any ideas?

 

Hmmm...just moved to MSE recently leaving behind Avira. But I can't say that I have noticed the symptoms that you have described. I am on Win 7 Pro 64-bit. I notice that you are not noticing this on your Win 7 machine. Can this have something to do with MSE being more "friendly" to Win 7?

 

MSE does use more CPU during its update. I have also noticed lags during the update process sometimes, and I am running Windows 7 Pro 64-bit.

 

I spoke too soon - My netbook bogged down big time during and right after a MSE update.

 

Schedule a daily update at a time convenient to you, so the update doesn't freeze any other process.
Use Task scheduler to do this. This is the path : C:\Program Files\Microsoft Security Essentials\MpCmdRun.exe -signatureupdate (under argument).
You can change the owner to "SYSTEM", so the task runs invisible.

 

Been using MSE for about a week now. No issues here.

 

MSE does bog down a netbook horribly. It also has an issue where it somehow gets in a loop checking the Security Essentials directory which needs to be excluded. The process msmpeng.exe can use 100% of CPU cycles when this happens.

Try this to resolve it:

Microsoft Security Essentials MsMpEng.exe using high CPU Time - 1st Byte Solutions

If you do a google search for "Microsoft Security Essentials CPU hog" or something like that, lots of people have the issue.

 

I checked my event logs and noticed that at the exact moment my computer "freezes" is when it is updating the antimalware signature AND when it is making a system restore point.

 

I noted this quite some time ago, but I see it most often in Windows XP machines.

The problem seems most apparent with Windows XP with Windows Defender loaded--removing one or the other tends to clear it up. (both programs share the same malware engine)

 

Actually, I have configured it NOT to make a system restore point. Maybe this is the reason why Ihave not experienced this thus far.

 

Check again, MSE will not allow you to disable system restore points for signature updates. The only option I found was for making a restore point prior to a system scan.

 

See attached pic. Is this what you are referring to?

 

Check it again, it's for scans. I had it unchecked for months but it creates a restore point automatically before applying each signature update.

 

If you have the "System restore" disabled (from system protection), MSE won't create one, every time it updates. But, creating system restore doesn't slow down a system. It's is the MSE's high CPU usage which shows signs of lagging.

 

I tried MSE a couple of times, differnet installs of windows, and both times it liked to use atleast 50% cpu for minutes after boot.. It really hogged the system. I read someone else had the same problem but i dont remember a fix.. Been in either avast or avira ever since, which both are great.

 

I switched from MSE to Avast as I found MSE does not warn of website threats. The most recent was a forum website (games and sports) i've gone to for the last 10 years and their Host got hijacked and infected with Scareware. I and others went to the site and their AV warned of the threat. MSE did not warn me and I decided I could no longer trust MSE.

Avast was able to flag the threat and did not allow access to the site.

 

Compared to MSE does Avast use less resources (i.e., CPU usage)? I am on a 64-bit OS and would like an free AV that is configured for that.

 

I find Avast to use less resources over MSE but generates more processes because it's scanning mail, web etc. So there is a trade off. i do like Avast better.

Btw this message is being typed on a Linux system where you don't need AV.

 

The scanning of mail works in the context of Outlook and Thunderbird etc. right? Since I exclusively use Gmail, this would not be of any use to me, I am guessing. Please correct me if I am wrong.

The only thing that worries me about MSE is the inability to scan webpages, which apparently Avast and Avira can do. Or, am I wrong in this too?

Thanks

PS: Linux-based machines are not an option for me. I have to use MS Office and Open Office will not work. I have tried it. Moreover, I think I will spend a lot of time tinkering with the OS and will mess things up. I did try Ubuntu a while back (at that time I used to use a Sony Viao) and a lot of the stuff did not work and I made a mess of things when I tried to fix them. But from the little I read about these things, I think those days are gone. Distros like Ubuntu etc are more compatible with more modern machine.

 

You are correct but I would rather have my AV with a frequently updated definitions and database over what is scanned from Outlook or Thunderbird, just a personal preference. You can always turn off any of the Avast services you don't want.

That's my biggest issue with MSE. I was a big fan of it up until that point.

I'm running Linux Mint 9 and it's setup for the ultra noob which includes me and you can always ask questions in the Linux forum.

 

@Rodknee...

Thanks. So, I now have MSE on my machine. I will download Avast 5 (its the latest, I think). Then I should uninstall MSE and then install Avast. This is the correct procedure right?

I don't use utilities like CCleaner or any uninstaller utilities except for the uninstall facility built into Windows 7 (64-bit). Should I?

Btw, Avast works for both 32 and 64 bit right? But there is no dedicated 64-bit installer, right?

When I get a second machine (or, if I can ever get to fixing my ancient ThinkPad A-series), I might try out Mint. Can't do it on my work-machine.

 

Yes, that's how I would do it. Sometimes having two active AV's can give you unpredictable results.

It's up to you ! I've use CCleaner on my Windows 7 x64 system and it does a nice job. Keep in mind CCleaner is not an aggressive registry scanner. Most of the stuff it finds is borderline whether you want to get rid of it or not.

According to Avast support it is ! There's only one installer package both for 32 and 64 bit.

avast! 5.0 FAQ - General

What are the supported operating systems for avast! 5.0?


Answer: The supported operating systems for avast! Free Antivirus 5.0 and avast! Pro Antivirus 5.0 are Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Service Pack 4, Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 or higher (any Edition, 32-bit or 64-bit), Microsoft Windows Vista (any Edition, 32-bit or 64-bit) or Microsoft Windows 7 (any Edition, 32-bit or 64-bit)."[/I]

 

OK. Thanks. I did look up the Avast info on the 64-bit part. I'll be downloading Avast now and trying it soon.

Cheers!

 

Avast 5 uses more CPU then MSE when downloading files and Web browsing. The UI is not that great.

MSE also scans all downloaded files when browsing the web. Web scanning in Avast 5 significantly uses more CPU (I moved to MSE because of this).

 

It's a personal choice but I like the new UI in A5. It's a huge improvement over their previous offering.

No one is questioning MSE while downloading files. MSE's major flaw IMO is it doesn't warn you of hacked sites and such. I've been burned several times (and I wasn't out looking for trouble) by MSE's inability to warn me of potential problems. Avast OTOH does a nice job and disconnects you from such problems. That one issue caused me to use Avast instead.

 

You are not going to get infected my malware, just by visiting a hacked site. You need to click OK for everything, the browser the pops up, to actually install malware in your system.
Avast 5 reset my network connection (because of an infected web page), when I was downloading a large file. I had to download that file again. MSE is not over intrusive as Avast.

 

I prefer over intrusive. Also most individuals who are non technical will not know to call up task manager and shut down the process then boot Firefox into safe mode and disable javascript and clear out all cookies and cache, then run a malware scanner followed by and AV scan.

Nope most unsuspecting individuals will press OK on the box, then it shuts down your AV, then uninstalls it, then infects it with a virus, then it holds your computer ransom until you pay them.

This is where MSE gets a poor score because you and I and most who come to this site has a pretty good idea what to and what not to do. It's those that have no clue or are not tech savy. I'll still take the school fire alarm drill approach any day over what MSE should be doing.

Other than that I like MSE a lot. It's a huge step up from the woeful Defender.

 

I use MSE and run firefox with the noscript plugin. I dont have to worry about stuff installing from websites. The best setup I have used.

 

I'll second the noscript plugin. I've found that a combination of NoScript, FlashBlock, and AdAware keep me clear of just about everything. Oh, and I generally disable Java completely unless absolutely necessary. That last one is probably a bit too far on the paranoia side of things, but it has worked for me thus far. The only thing I'm really missing is a firewall other than the Windows default. I just can't bring myself to use something like ZoneAlarm or Comodo. They always seem just far too heavy when it comes to resources.

 

where can i change the owner to "SYSTEM" in task scheduler ? the command windows opens up when it update the mse.

 

In the Task scheduler > Action > Create Task > General tab > Change User or group (under Security options) to SYSTEM.