AV update only when idle

[Guest]

[SilentMusic7]

I find the full CIS v3.12 very lightweight in general, but the AV updates make my PC useless for 10 minutes.  This is unacceptable when the PC is not idle.  I am talking about the AV update after bootup (I turn the PC off at night), not the initial update after installation.  During this 10 minutes, the disk is used 100% and the CPU is often 100%.  My PC has the maximum RAM supported by hardware, which is 288MB, and CIS takes 200MB during update!  My router activity light indicates that the internet download is only a few seconds, so the problem is not the size of the update.  It happens every day.  I did a fresh install of CIS v3.12, I have no other security software resident/running, I uninstalled all Comodo software before installing, Windows firewall is disabled, and pagefile.sys is excluded (though unnecessary since the AV doesn't scan files larger than 20MB).  I read in the forums about how a lot of other CIS users are experiencing exactly the same problem (and many of them are uninstalling CIS because of it), so I would rather not add noise to this thread with suggestions that my setup is at fault.

Other AV companies solve this problem by giving the user the option of updating only when the CPU is idle for X minutes.  Since CIS doesn't have this option, I would like to try to use Task Scheduler, which does have this option.  I can disable auto-update in the real-time AV, enable auto-update for the manual AV, and create a scan profile that only scans one small file.  My question is... what is the command-line syntax for running a manual AV scan with a particular scan profile (that I can use with the Task Scheduler)?

[patrice58]

If you already know this then sorry but have you tired this
Alternatively, you can manually download the latest bases.cav file from http://download.comodo.com/av/updates311/sigs/bases/BASE_END_USER_v2456.cav and replace the old bases.cav with this version.  In saying that that is a very short term fix for a bad problem you have as you don't wanna really do that every half an hour.

[SilentMusic7]

If you already know this then sorry but have you tired this
Alternatively, you can manually download the latest bases.cav file from http://download.comodo.com/av/updates311/sigs/bases/BASE_END_USER_v2456.cav and replace the old bases.cav with this version.  In saying that that is a very short term fix for a bad problem you have as you don't wanna really do that every half an hour.

Thanks for the kind offering.

I also have the option of using the CIS menu to manually update the AV database, which works while I am on a limited user account (I only use the admin account for installing software).  I am looking for an automated method to update so I don't have to remember to do it.

[patrice58]

Hmmmmmm well it updates (by default) every time you run a scan so all you have to try I guess every half hour run a scan then cancel that it if you don't want to scan to run.

[HeffeD]

I am looking for an automated method to update so I don't have to remember to do it.

It's currently not able to update only when idle, but you can use a bit of a kludgey workaround to at least get it to only update when you want it to. (Lunch break perhaps?)

Go to the AV scanner settings and go to the real-time scanning settings. Un-check the option to automatically update prior to running a scan. This is the setting that causes the updates every 30 minutes.

Leave the setting checked on both the scheduled and manual scans. (Unless you don't want it checking for updates when initiating a right-click scan. In that case, also un-tick on the manual settings)

Then create a new scan profile that only scans a single .txt file or something small so the scan finishes almost instantly. Then create a new scheduled scan that runs this "dummy" profile and in effect, what you now have is a scheduled update.

[SilentMusic7]

Hmmmmmm well it updates (by default) every time you run a scan so all you have to try I guess every half hour run a scan then cancel that it if you don't want to scan to run.

When CIS is updating, my PC takes several minutes to respond to a mouse click or keystroke.  Thus, if I am watching a movie when the update occurs, the movie would stop for several minutes until my PC responds to me clicking Cancel as you suggest.  Not acceptable.

Manual update is most practical so far, but security is reduced because I may forget to update at least once a day.

[SilentMusic7]

It's currently not able to update only when idle, but you can use a bit of a kludgey workaround to at least get it to only update when you want it to. (Lunch break perhaps?)

Go to the AV scanner settings and go to the real-time scanning settings. Un-check the option to automatically update prior to running a scan. This is the setting that causes the updates every 30 minutes.

Leave the setting checked on both the scheduled and manual scans. (Unless you don't want it checking for updates when initiating a right-click scan. In that case, also un-tick on the manual settings)

Then create a new scan profile that only scans a single .txt file or something small so the scan finishes almost instantly. Then create a new scheduled scan that runs this "dummy" profile and in effect, what you now have is a scheduled update.

I saw your suggestion to another forum member, and it gave me the idea to use a manual scan of one file to trigger the update.  Unfortunately, with both my spouse and I using the PC, there is no predictable time when the PC is not in use.  But your idea would be a good work-around for many single-user PCs.

Instead of having Task Scheduler initiate a manual scan (which triggers an update), I could have it initiate an update directly if there is an executable for updating.  cfpudat.exe updates the application, not the virus signature database.  I don't see any executable for this.

Avira provides an executable for updating the virus signature database.  Unfortunately, Avira takes significantly more memory and CPU than CIS' AV, given that I already have CIS installed for the firewall and HIPS.  So far, it looks like I am stuck with manually updating unless Comodo adds the feature of updating during idle, unless Comodo adds an executable for virus signature database update, or unless someone else has a clever idea.

[patrice58]

I'll keep thinking for you.

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