which Anti-Virus App. is lighter on resources?

[New_Age]

hi, yes... i use AVAST! but this isn't about me and my comp. it's about my GF's Comp. that i currently just finished up. i installed all MS-Updates, installed AVG anti-Spyware, SUPERAnti-Spyware, etc. i need to know which is lighter on resources as topic says.

 

Computer is running Windows Xp Professional Sp2, has a 500mhz Intel Celeron Processor, total of 320MB 256MB/64MB SDRAM, and a 28.6GB Maxtor HDD. Graphics is onboard at 11MB.

[rridgely]

AVG, no contest.

[New_Age]

i thought so. thx rridgely. you've been helpful everytime(though i rarely come here for help hehe)

[Andavari]

This is just how small AVG AV Free is on resources (click image to enlarge):

[Anthony A]

This is just how small AVG AV Free is on resources (click image to enlarge):

 

Could kill the email scanner and make AVG even lighter.

[CeeCee]

This is just how small AVG AV Free is on resources (click image to enlarge):

I have got this info from Avast! forum (from the Global Moderator):

 

The AVG scanning engine actually runs in the kernel (in the kernel-mode driver avgcore.sys) so you won't see its memory usage in the Task Manager.

 

and...

 

Well, it has its pros and cons.

 

The advantage is that it makes the filesystem scanner (that needs to run in kernel-mode anyway) slightly faster (avoiding the need of transitions between kernel- and user- mode).

 

The disadvatange is that any error in the engine usually means instant computer crash (or instant reboot).

Also, porting most stuff to kernel-mode is quite hard - so e.g. unpacking support is harder to implement in this case (especially if you want/need to use 3rd party code). That's one of the reasons you cannot enable archive unpacking in AVG's on-access scanner, by the way...

[DennisD]

That's nice to know CeeCee as I was quite staggered at those figures compared to Avast.

 

Would have stayed with Avast regardless, but that's still interesting, as AVG is the only one of the main 3 Free AV's I haven't tried.

[Anthony A]

I have got this info from Avast! forum (from the Global Moderator):

 

 

 

The disadvatange is that any error in the engine usually means instant computer crash (or instant reboot).

 

Never had a crash from AVG on 4 machines here. It is the most trouble free program I have. It is literally set and forget.

[Andavari]

Never had a crash from AVG on 4 machines here. It is the most trouble free program I have. It is literally set and forget.

Same here. It runs without problems in my WinXP machine.

 

However it really slows down my old Win98 system which is due to the specifications of that old PC which is why I only run an on-demand DOS scanner (the old F-Prot Antivirus for DOS) on that old system which I happened to integrate into the shell.