Endpoint Protection

Very slow performance opening Excel spreadsheet after upgrade to SEP v11 (from v10).

This is similar to the locked thread (https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/excel-2007-sow-after-upgrading-ru6a) for Excel 2007.

Windows XP SP3

Office 2003

Excel 2003

The Excel security option for macros is Prompt. This might be a clue to what is going on.

In Windows Task Manager I see Smc.exe high utilization (25-35%) when opening spreadsheet file, EXCEL.EXE also doing 5-6% CPU and small number of I/Os. The workstation is otherwise idle. 

Endpoint Protection auto protect scan statistics show EXCEL.EXE.123456.pf upon first openin the spreadsheet, then several other files, all seem to be related (Program Files\Symantec Antivirus\SerState.dat, or files in the SYSTEM VOLUME INFORMATION system folder).

Symantec Endpoint Protection

Help > About

Version 11.0.6300.803

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

After waiting 30 minutes for the spreadsheet to open, I set Tools > Macro > Security from "Medium" (Prompt) to "Low" (not recommended). This did not speed up opening a spreadsheet.

I can open the spreadsheet without a performance problem from other computers without SEP v11.

also check out the microsoft fix for the recent microsoft file validation patch, affects office 2003 products.  you can change it.  fixed the problem for me.

Thanks for replying Robert, you hit the nail on the head! It was the new office file validation add-in. Microsoft even has a KB article explaining that the add-in will cause Office 2003 to load very slowly for any file opened from a network share.  (Personally I wonder if that is a tactic to "encourage" people to upgrade to Office 2007/2010).

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2570623

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/2501584.mspx

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2501584

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg985445(office.12).aspx?ppud=4

I fixed my issue by removing this add-in. Our organization "drinks the Microsoft Kool-Aid", so most of our PCs are using Office 2007. It just a few backwards-compatible machines kept running Office 2003 that have the issue.

Apologies to Symantec for blaming Endpoint Protection. (But you gotta admit, seeing 25% CPU utilization while Excel was hung in limbo validating a large spreadsheet file from a network location did look mighty suspicious.)

You should mark Robert's answer as the solution.

I did the first time around, replied, it reset when I saved. I just tried again.