Endpoint Protection

I inherited an XP-Pro workstation that's running Symantec Antivirus 10. I'm using it as a standalone computer.

I'm trying to figure out where all the automatic scanning is coming from - which is slowing things down quite a bit.

It seems like everytime I start the computer, or start the Sym. Antivirus service (rtvscan.exe) - if it's been stopped - AutoProtect starts scanning a lot more files than are being currently accessed or modified. Last time it was 35,000 files.
If I uncheck Auto Protect, the scanning stops.

>> Does "File System Auto Protect" scan the whole drive when initiated ?

I don't have any Startup Scans or Scheduled scans set up anywhere, either within Symantec Antivirus, or the system's Scheduled Tasks.

I was under the impression that Auto Protect only scans "all files accessed by the system during the boot process" or "whenever you access, copy, save, move, or open a file."

Thanks if you have an idea.

The first problem is that SAV is EOL:

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/be-aware-symantec-antivirus-corporate-edition-10x-and-symantec-client-security-3x-has-reached

You will want to move to SEP 11.x or 12.1

Next, what version of SAV are you running? It's possible that it is just old and buggy.

Autoprotect will generally only scan when files are accessed or modified.

How long does the scan appear to last? What happens if you let it sit for awhile? Do you have many compressed files on the machine?

HI, 

I will suggest you can Upgrade SAV 10 to SEP 12.1

Upgrading or migrating to Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH163602

Frequently asked questions about Symantec AntiVirus 10.x End of Support Life

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH184999

Symantec recommends that you upgrade to the latest version of Symantec Endpoint Protection, which currently is version 12.1 RU1.

There is no cost to upgrade for customers with a current maintenance contract. Read the System requirements document to determine whether Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1 is supported on your hardware. For information on licensing Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1, read the document Overview of Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1 licensing

lol - I guess I should have known I'd get a bunch of upgrade replies - yes, indeed I'm aware of that.  ;-)

But my question is really about the basic functionality of "File System Auto Protect" - whether it does a big scan when initiated from startup, or is enabled - whatever gets it going.

@Brian81

what version of SAV are you running? It's possible that it is just old and buggy.

I have v10.1.8.8000 with scan engine 121.2.0.79

How long does the scan appear to last? What happens if you let it sit for awhile?

Typically at least 30min, maybe an hour. But some time after 30min or so I disable it so I can actually get some work done. Some times when I've started up the computer it appears to scan the whole drive, but I've never let it run that long because I usually run out of patience.

Do you have many compressed files on the machine?

No.

But as far as you know, Autoprotect will generally only scan when files are accessed or modified - that's how it's intended ?

Thanks a lot.

Yes, auto-protect will only act when a file is accessed, modified, executed. It's simply real time protection.

How are the hardware specs of your machine? Plenty of RAM? What OS are you running?