Throttling back CPU for scans

emmjay · 27. Dec 2010, 06:35 PM

I have noticed that MSE2.0 gives you the option to throttle back the CPU when you run a scan. The recommended setting it 50% (MSE gets to use 50% of your CPU cycles for the scan and you get the other 50% to do other work). I suppose if you had an older PC with limited RAM and a slow processor, this would be a good thing. How low can you go, 10%, 20% ?

I was wondering if there was any real reason for MS to do this other than the above. Maybe it is to control spikes. This can be a nuisance on older systems. Newer PCs with a minimum config. should be able to deliver good response times even if a full scan was consuming 50% of the CPU cycles. Gaming or a movie running at the same might be an exception, but you can preset your PC for these events.

I assume other AVs throttle back too (written into the code), so we may not know it is happening. I have run other AV quick, flash or full scans and some run quite quickly and I pretty much do not notice them running. My cloud based AV scans on my W7 system runs the fastest and I do see rather high CPU spikes at times, but there is little to no impact to other work I am doing. My XP/SP3 laptop is a slow bunny at times, but MSE 1.0 scans run OK there (quick scans run pretty much unnoticed). I am not sure that MSE 2.0 will do the same. I may have to do some throttling when it arrives.

Has anybody been down this road already?

J_L · 27. Dec 2010, 10:07 PM

You could use Process Lasso or Process Tamer to lower the priority of your AV scan.

30. Dec 2010, 04:23 AM

You can also use a little app called Prio -Process Priority Saver. It's free for personal use.
http://www.prnwatch.com/prio.html

emmjay · 31. Dec 2010, 03:09 PM

Tnx guys. Good to know.

I am still waiting for MSE2 to arrive in WU. I will definitely try it out on W7.
If my XP laptop grinds with it, I'll try their solution first (50%, then 40,30,20,10). Guess a full scan will take hours at 10%, but worth a try to see just what effect it has. If it is unbearable, I can always run it when I have no other work to do on the system. Or .... go back to Avast.

I have been reading posts on the MS answers forum and the XP community is not too happy with MSE2. However, some are happy (maybe they found the best %).

Concerned User · 31. Dec 2010, 05:33 PM

Hi,

I'm back to XP after a disastrous gaming experience with Windows 7

MSE's new version does seem to have improved a lot...

One thing: I noticed the CPU throttling option when I had Windows 7 yesterday.

However, I do not notice such an option now? I think that this is an option only in Vista and Windows 7 and not for XP.

Taurus · 31. Dec 2010, 06:23 PM

FWIW, on XP, you can throttle back CPU use on scheduled scans only. I've hung in there with MSE 2.0 on my xp machine now for a few days and I'm not seeing the cpu spikes anymore. But it was a rough start to begin with when MSE 2.0 was first installed, so I can understand the complaints from XP users, especially those with limited memory of 512 megs or less. I have 1 Gig of ram on my machine and that may be the difference.

Taurus · 31. Dec 2010, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emmjay

I have been reading posts on the MS answers forum and the XP community is not too happy with MSE2. However, some are happy (maybe they found the best %).

You've got a lot of patience emmjay for taking the time to make sense out of anything posted to the MSE support forums.

Maybe you can serve as an interpreter for us, or maybe it's just me.

emmjay · 02. Jan 2011, 02:17 PM

Hi Taurus,
I would be glad to serve as an interpreter ... my chance to muddle the mind of others, in the same manner in which mine is muddled.

27. Dec 2010, 06:35 PM	#1 (permalink)
emmjay Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 226	Throttling back CPU for scans I have noticed that MSE2.0 gives you the option to throttle back the CPU when you run a scan. The recommended setting it 50% (MSE gets to use 50% of your CPU cycles for the scan and you get the other 50% to do other work). I suppose if you had an older PC with limited RAM and a slow processor, this would be a good thing. How low can you go, 10%, 20% ? I was wondering if there was any real reason for MS to do this other than the above. Maybe it is to control spikes. This can be a nuisance on older systems. Newer PCs with a minimum config. should be able to deliver good response times even if a full scan was consuming 50% of the CPU cycles. Gaming or a movie running at the same might be an exception, but you can preset your PC for these events. I assume other AVs throttle back too (written into the code), so we may not know it is happening. I have run other AV quick, flash or full scans and some run quite quickly and I pretty much do not notice them running. My cloud based AV scans on my W7 system runs the fastest and I do see rather high CPU spikes at times, but there is little to no impact to other work I am doing. My XP/SP3 laptop is a slow bunny at times, but MSE 1.0 scans run OK there (quick scans run pretty much unnoticed). I am not sure that MSE 2.0 will do the same. I may have to do some throttling when it arrives. Has anybody been down this road already?

31. Dec 2010, 06:23 PM	#6 (permalink)
Taurus Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Northeast US Posts: 422	FWIW, on XP, you can throttle back CPU use on scheduled scans only. I've hung in there with MSE 2.0 on my xp machine now for a few days and I'm not seeing the cpu spikes anymore. But it was a rough start to begin with when MSE 2.0 was first installed, so I can understand the complaints from XP users, especially those with limited memory of 512 megs or less. I have 1 Gig of ram on my machine and that may be the difference. __________________ T

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27. Dec 2010, 10:07 PM	#2 (permalink)
J_L Co-Author, Best Free Security List Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,475	You could use Process Lasso or Process Tamer to lower the priority of your AV scan.

30. Dec 2010, 04:23 AM	#3 (permalink)
Abandoned Guest Posts: n/a	You can also use a little app called Prio -Process Priority Saver. It's free for personal use. http://www.prnwatch.com/prio.html

31. Dec 2010, 03:09 PM	#4 (permalink)
emmjay Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 226	Tnx guys. Good to know. I am still waiting for MSE2 to arrive in WU. I will definitely try it out on W7. If my XP laptop grinds with it, I'll try their solution first (50%, then 40,30,20,10). Guess a full scan will take hours at 10%, but worth a try to see just what effect it has. If it is unbearable, I can always run it when I have no other work to do on the system. Or .... go back to Avast. I have been reading posts on the MS answers forum and the XP community is not too happy with MSE2. However, some are happy (maybe they found the best %).

31. Dec 2010, 05:33 PM	#5 (permalink)
Concerned User Editor Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: இந்தியா, सिन्धु, India Posts: 324	Hi, I'm back to XP after a disastrous gaming experience with Windows 7 MSE's new version does seem to have improved a lot... One thing: I noticed the CPU throttling option when I had Windows 7 yesterday. However, I do not notice such an option now? I think that this is an option only in Vista and Windows 7 and not for XP.

02. Jan 2011, 02:17 PM	#8 (permalink)
emmjay Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 226	Hi Taurus, I would be glad to serve as an interpreter ... my chance to muddle the mind of others, in the same manner in which mine is muddled.