Need new answers to "High CPU" usage questions

[Guest]

[aparman]

Time for some new feedback about the high CPU usage problem!  All the old posts that I can find deal with outdated versions.

Ever since update to latest Firewall version 5.0.163652.1142 (BTW can you make the "about" screen copy-able? what a long version number!) I have had very high cpu usage from cfp.exe.  Happens if I'm using IE or FF, or neither.  Right now I am browsing the forum and have 5 tabs open, but only the forum tab has been changed in like 10 minutes.  CPU usage by cfp.exe is between 50 and 90%, computer is darn near unusable.  Help?!

XP sp3, P4 2Ghz, 1 gig ram

[mchain]

aparman,

There are a couple of threads here re High CPU usage.  Look for Metalfyre's post, it is quite extensive and dates back to at least October 6th of this year.  There is also a second thread started by Metalfyre as well.  In any case, you should file a bug report so the developers will see the problem, and thus be able to do something about it.  Bug report should be done exactly in the same format using .txt copy/paste and answering all questions that apply to you.  See the first forum page on how to do this.  Look for the mouse1 entry under bug reports.

If you are running CIS V5 (stable), which is the version you are running, and Avast! antivirus, this is the thread you want to see and read.  

In short, a confilict between Avast! real-time scanning and the logging functions of CIS cfp.exe are the reasons for your system slow-down.  Cfp.exe is the red icon in your systray.

There are several work-arounds you could use, such as disabling Defense + entirely, turning off the Defense + logging in More\Preferences, and/or setting both CIS and Avast! to not scan the CIS database, or the Avast! service.

Of the three, the last is the least intrusive, as it goes to the core of the problem.  See Metalfyre's post on how to do this.

CIS is aware of the problem, and it is a known and verified bug.

Hope this helps.

mchain

[aparman]

Thanks, will try metalfyres post interesting that my search didn't bring it up.  I do not however use avast.  I use avg.  Any hint on a thread about AVG? My search on that also turned up nothing recent.

[aparman]

Sorry to bother again.  Just tried an entire site search for "metalfyre".  No hits.  Can you maybe help with an url, or message number or something?
Thanks.

[mchain]

Sorry to bother again.  Just tried an entire site search for "metalfyre".  No hits.   Can you maybe help with an url, or message number or something?
Thanks.

aparman,

Sure.

As of the moment, Metalfyre's thread can be found as the last entry on page three in the firewall help section. Tomorrow I am sure, it will be on page four, as the last entry is for October 6, 2010.  Seems there has not been any activity there since October 6, and, as you may know, forum posting policy places the newest entries first and oldest ones last.  So, if your thread is two weeks old, but gets a reply, it will jump to the top of the list.

Look for Metalfyre under "Started By", am sure you will find it.

Look for workarounds Metalfyre and others found in this thread to ease the workload on the CPU re cpf.exe resource hogging (also known as stealing CPU cycles) to get your computer running better.  Please note that even Metalfyre said she went back to CIS V4 and will wait for the bugs to be worked out.

Just a suggestion...

I have followed the workarounds, and my computer, while not running quite as fast as with V4, is more than acceptable in performance.  Using the workarounds as specified means that V5 runs with minimal modification to its basic function:  Protecting your computer from outside intrusion.

Workarounds I have applied deal with the interaction of Avast! and CIS HIPS real-time modules, changing permissions for an Avast! service in CIS V5, and excluding the database in CIS from Avast! scanning.

Here is a thought.  It sometimes happens to an XP system that the indexing log file becomes damaged, and causes the indexing service to run almost continuously.  How much depends on the extent of corruption, and can result, in the worst case, in an extreme slowdown in computer performance.  Indexing service will, even with a good and intact log file, when it is running, cause your computer to slow down. Corruption will cause the indexing service to work even harder.

Once you read the thread, you will see references to extremely large CIS log files in V5, which did not occur with V4.  My thinking is, since indexing operations take a lot of CPU cycles when it is running, why not turn it off temporarily, and see what happens?  You can always restart the service if you want to. Cpf.exe should then have more headroom for CPU cycles when it needs it and thus should not slow down your computer as much when it is running and/or when the indexing service is running.  Both cpf.exe and indexing service make log files all the time, why have them compete for priority time in the CPU?

In case I did not make it clear, the function of the indexing service is to index all files on your computer, so as to make a file search faster than it would otherwise be.

Now, having said all this, it is possible that there are some third-party programs that utilize the indexing service to run properly, so pay attention to what may happen to some programs you may have running on your computer.  It is possible disabling index search may have an unintended adverse effect on those programs. You may find you should not do this.

Again, you can always turn it back on, if needed.  I do not have programs that require the indexing service to be running.

This would, in any case, be the final tweak you could make.  Apply the workarounds first.

As for threads about AVG and CIS V5 High CPU usage, I am sure there must be something somewhere, but I am not aware of them.

Hope this helps.

mchain    

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