Spyware, viruses, & security forum: Avast too large for my pc?

Why not switch to a product that doesn't do this? AVG works nicely!

My PC Old/ P3 Title RAM min 512 Avast WONDERFUL RUNNING processor clock Avast non critical/ hard disc mass storage BIOS/Avast registration/

70,000k ??? wtf?

His post has got to be a prank.

AlWIL are a fantastic team of people, who have gone to great lengths to provide (FREE OF CHARGE) an Anti-Virus program, which is second to none! There is NO OTHER FREE AV program that provides the same thorough coverage as AVAST does, not even those mentioned in this thread.
The millions of end-users that have AVAST on their computers, do not have any problems with it, IF, they read the ?Help documentation that comes with it.

Anyone who tries to operate anything for the first time, without reading the operating instructions, tend to wind up with problems.

Esther, there is nothing wrong with your AVAST that a little familiarity with its documentation won't resolve.

THAT IS A VERY SERIOUS SECURITY THREAT!
Avast should have few modules loaded in RAM, but what you described is an infected system. I STRONGLY recommend that you download Kaspersky Internet Security 2008 (released) as it can install itself on infected system, do a scan with maximum settings [update while installing, don't just go next next next...] and clean everything that he rates as dangerous! I have tested that brilliant product and is so lighter than version Kaspersky 7, more likely as ESET NOD32.
Do what I told you and report back what are the results...

Probably a poor/ partial uninstall of AVG.
Get "Hijackthis" and go to a "hijackthis" spyware forum like
spywareinfo dot com, there are others too.

I find it tough to believe any of what your saying as far as Avast goes.Far as your CPU as well,this isn't a small unit by any means.
I have the same system as you but a tad less memory but--have had Avast AV since it first came out in a beta type form,years ago,never once any problems with it and wouldn't take it off if I was promised a new high-end Computer for free.
I'm also not one to criticize either,don't recall ever doing so on this forum or any other.Something may definitely be wrong with your system but it certainly has nothing to do with Avast.
Avast has 7 different engines at work,have you brought up the settings screen and made sure you haven't got these engines set at HIGH?,this will slow things down,make it harder for you to get some things.The NORMAL setting is plenty.Also,you can shut down both the Outlook/Exchange and Internet mail engines as they won't allow some computers to send and recieve.I only run 5 of 7 engines in mine.Depends on the type of email client you are using.You need to look deeper,include more info as your system is more than capable of handling the Avast.

THINK MAN!

70000K is only 70MB. That IS perfectly normal for a modern AV program.

He does not say 70000 instances at all. READ IT AGAIN.
There is a "k" in there!

appears to be the combined total of in use RAM observed for the various AVAST modules. He didn't name them but Avast has 7 "On Access Protections that can be loaded in memory (Outlook/Exchange, P2P Shield, Standard Shield, Web Shield, Network Shield, Internet Mail, and Instant Messaging Shield) or disabled and each can be set for Normal, High, or a Custom "sensitivity". Anything loaded in memory uses RAM and 68 meg isn't that much and default settings do not use that much (more like 56 meg). RAM is there to be used and wasted if it isn't used.

Avast also checks for updates and definitions every few hours and that process also uses additional RAM.

In addition Avast offers VRDB ("Virus Recovery Database") stores information about the actual state of the files, doing it three versions back for each file. The database creation/maintenance is performed either when the computer is idle, or when the screen-saver is running (any screen-saver, not only the avast! one). Depending on how the user configures it this can consume additional RAM and can even affect performance or it can be disabled.

NOTHING in the post indicates and "Security Problem" or any problem with Avast - it indicates that the user hasn't familiarized themselves with the product. That is something you too should consider doing before insinuating there is any problem with Avast.

There IS NOT ONE, that will be "good enough" in every situation.
USE AVAST!

He said he checked TASK MANAGER and saw he has over 70K Processes...
Not files on his hard drive, but processes. Something that eats your RAM and say that each process is 1500KB, that would be 1500*70000=10500000KB, or 105000000/1024=102539.0625MB, or 100GB... That's too much even for a hard drive... :-|
Wait, that is impossible for RAM, maybe with virtual memory, but still... Something is not right, his question or me...

I did, especially second and third sentence, and I still understand it as he has background processes of Avast and other ones in his operating memory...

I did, you are right... I guess I learned something new...
If that is the case, then I guess no worries for him....

which leads me to observe and wonder how some replies conclude the author of the post is a "he"... may be... just wondering as I see no reference to gender in "its" post.

Ohhh well... now that is off my chest.

Glenn