Vipre using 100% of CPU, update 5024

Sorry - the problem is STILL not fixed. Based on the initial eval version, we actually made the mistake of replacing all of our corporate licenses of ESET NOD32 with Vipre Enterprise, and I personally did the same (using the personal version of Vipre) on half a dozen machines at home. The results were fine until a few weeks ago. The product start failing overnight and having to be restarted. Then, this past week, we ran into the 100% CPU issue. We applied the recommended fix -- but the first fix failed, and Sunbelt posted revised directions 3 hours later. This second fix seemed OK until yesterday, March 6, when the problem started once more!

I truly wanted to see this product work, but I'm incredibly disappointed. This is a disgrace, and the cost to my company and to my entire family in wasted time is literally close to 100 person hours so far. It seems that Sunbelt must have skimped on their QA, test and software release process, and I have lost all confidence in this product and Sunbelt's software process.

I will be replacing the product in the immediate future.

- Jon

BUT (two questions for support)
doesn't the solution proposed only get us back to definitions
5022? And, if so, wouldn't VIPRE then update and bring the problem back?
If not, please reassure us on this.
Also, if the programs that are supposed to be used are VBscript programs,
please give people whose file associations avoid running VB for security
reasons (so that VB files, including with exe extensions, open in notepad)
a place to find what they need to do. Thanks

Eric, another question (to add to the two I just posted).
I had totally uninstalled and then reinstalled VIPRE yesterday
on three machines (along with other processes such as safe mode
scans and following poor advice -- I won't detail it here). I lost the
whole day. Isn't what you're suggesting the equivalent of uninstalling
and reinstalling? Or, maybe the more recent definition updates
fix the problem? Personally, it would be much nicer to be reassured
than to just follow instructions, and wind up with the same non-result.
I hope you take this in the spirit I'm saying it -- I'm just being straight,
and not meaning to offend. Thanks.

WAIT A MINUTE. I just read Eric's statement more carefully.
Eric is talking about high CPU usage during the APPLICATION
of files:
"some customers are experiencing high CPU usage during the application of the definition files."
This is not the main problem. The main problem is
that AFTER the application of the updates we get 100 percent
CPU usage, some of us, as well as other problems (Thunderbird
functioning, and a quirky miscellany of phenomena).
So, I guess that answers all my questions. This is NOT A SOLUTION
to the main problem.
Tell me if I'm missing something. Thanks.

I just checked, and Definitions 5027 doesn't solve the problem.
If active protection is enabled and files are checked when opened,
then even VIPRE itself (click on icon in systray, then click on "open
VIPRE) has trouble opening, due to the 100 percent CPU problem.

So, as of now, the choice is between
crippling VIPRE
(not having it check files when opened or copied -- in active protection)
or being crippled by it.
(Or, ultimately, getting rid of VIPRE, alas.)
====
In sum, it looks like the 100 percent CPU usage problem has not
been solved at all.

Thank you for your post! We are aware of this issue and working to get this resolved asap. This is a known issue with the new definitions and will be fixed very shortly. In the mean time if you go to File>Settings>Active Protection Tab> Uncheck "Check when Files and Folders are Opened or Copied">Apply>Ok and then reboot your computer this should correct the issue. Once the new definitions updates with the fix it will ok to recheck this feature.

Jacob,
Many thanks. Please let us know as soon as the fix is available
and which definitions contain it. I hope the recent Thunderbird
SMTP port problem is also fixed (I'm aware that Sunbelt doesn't
fully support non-MS mail programs, but the fact that this problem
has emerged just now should get some attention, and I assume
it is getting some.)
================
Note that Jacob's suggestion is precisely what I mentioned in my
post, but it's really nice that he gave a step-by-step for clarity,
that doesn't assume any knowledge on the part of the reader.
I appreciate the spirit.

Additional question: How urgently is this being addressed,
and any estimate of when the healing definitions update
might be available? I did lose a whole day yesterday,
and much of it was following irrelevant/oblivious suggestions
from tech support, and some staff still thought that the problems
were only in Tuesday's (or Monday's) defs 5019.
Even four hours ago, employee Eric posted here, and formulated
it as a problem that only occurred during the updating process
(and posted an elaborate fix that was not a fix, because it was
only an alternative method of updating.).
So, there is a certain amount of obliviousness or disconnect.
And so, Sunbelt is aware of the issue now and are working on it,
but, it would be helpful for those of us whose patience has been
stretched by wasted time and bum steers,
and whose machines are now much less protected
to have some estimate of how things are going with the fix,
and how soon it's hoped we'll get a solution.

No reply to my last two posts. A new definitioins set
has come in, number 5028. I can report that it does NOT
solve the problem.

Hello Gideon,

We understand your frustration and we are currently working on more definitions to correct these issues. I cannot give a specific eta for the definitions we plan on releasing. I suggest keeping your definitions up to date so that you are able to receive our definition(s) that correct your particular issue. Let us know if there are any other issues you're experiencing and we appreciate your patience as we are working on getting these issues corrected.

Sincerely,

Eric Milliot

Eric, thanks. I'm keeping my definitions up to date.
And I've let you know about other issues (The email port
assignment is not functioning properly).
But, I remember that a Thunderbird mishandling problem took 2
(or was it 3) months for Sunbelt to fix, last Fall.
Whether this problem takes a day, a week, or a month
makes a big difference in the risks involved
the daily time drainage, and PC security planning.
So, a response is nice (really), but a totally noncommital
response is, in a way, rather bad news.

I notice at the top of this thread it says
"2 people have this problem".
Anyhow, 5028 made no difference,
but 5029, tentatively, makes things
snappy and normal for me, even when
newly opened and copied files are
checked.
(If that's so, only the broken email
port assignment problem persists.)
At this point, I can't be confident,
but it looks good.

Actually, now the PC's behavior is
even snappier than it was before all this!
That is a pleasure.
At first, I wondered if I were imagining the
speed, on account of the contrast with
the last day and a half. But, checking
on how programs start up
(including the VIPRE interface), I'm sure it's real.

Does anyone know? On the "home" VIPRE package, you right click
on the vipre icon in system tray, and when the interface panel appears,
at the upper left, near the title bar, there are the few menus, starting
with File.
Does anyone know where to go in kmann041's case?

Hi,

I have the same problem. 100% CPU load on dual core notebook when the option "Active Protection Tab> "Check when Files and Folders are Opened or Copied">" is enabled.

It happens if files of gigabyte-size are accessed (read or write). In my case, I have 2 dekart private disk virtual drives (25gb and 5gb). If i run my email program (seamonkey), files on the 5gb drive are accessed. Then SBamsvc.exe tops at 100%. FOR HOURS.

The virtual drives reside as 2 files in the filesystem, and their extension doesnt match any of those found in the Active protection tab setting!

In addition to that, the files themselves are marked as "Always allowed" in the manage tab.

I guess other people were accessing their videos or their gigabyte-size mail folders ...

So basically, please fix your software fast. disabling the "Check when Files and Folders are Opened or Copied" option defeats the purpose of the software, and you guys know that.

Greeting
Amanjit Gill

We found a VIPRE detection that was released in version 5024 that could, with some files, case the CPU to run at 100% for very long periods of time.

This detection problem was fixed in def version 5030, which is scheduled to release Saturday March 7, 2009 in the evening.

Apparently this did not happen on all computers. Users of Thunderbird mail client were especially affected. Other file types could be affected too.

*VIPRE has two different threat detection engines. The scan engine and Active protection. When that feature is checked the scan engine will look at the file when it is copied or opened, much like right clicking on the file and choosing scan now. With this feature turned off, VIPRE's active protection will still monitor for suspicious behavior and known bad programs when the program or file is launched.

If the problem persists please email us here at support@sunbeltsoftware.com so that we can open a support ticket for you.

Some folks who have the 100 percent CPU problem
have apparently updated their definitions but not the core version,
aka the engine. When you do help/about, there are two numbers
One reflects the definitions version, which starts at 3.1. (3.1.2483 now,
and they call this "software version"). The other is the engine,
"VIPRE version", for which I have
VIPRE Version = 3.2.1875.2 . If you don't have 3.2,
you need to upgrade the VIPRE engine, aka core.
Get it from
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/suppo...
and update from it.
With that one, plus the latest definitions, it seems that you never use
more than 50 percent of core, and therefore things don't get stuck.

SO
the problems I still see are
a) The port assignment problem: I have to set SMTP port as 25
in order to send any mail out, though I use 587 (on Eudora and Thunderbird).
As a result, I think my outgoing mail doesn't get filtered at all by VIPRE.
b) The problem I had when conducting a deep scan in Safe Mode:
Scan seemed to get stuck at a folder that contained 8 files, totaling
3 gigabytes. At this point, the "status" didn't name a file being scanned,
but rather only the folder, which was not its normal behavior.
(I have XPH SP3 with Pentium4, 2.6GHz, and 1G of RAM)

I found out about this site while following a thread on "Tech Support Forums."
http://www.techsupportforum.com/secur...

I seem to be the only one here who has my problem. I understand what this "Tech Support Forums" member is saying to do, but I am reluctant to try it. Thank you all for your help that you provided with this situation, and I wish you success with your problem-solving.

kmann041,

Unfortunately, you're using an Avanquest product which we are not trained to support. You'll want to contact their support team as they'll be able to better assist you with your problem. The area of this website you're posting in is for Sunbelt Software and this particular thread is for our VIPRE product.

I am cautiously optimistic that Sunbelt has solved my problem. Things seem okay now, running defs 3035. At times it still seems to be using too much processor to match the claims made when I purchased it but it is no longer rendering my computer unusable. Hopefully, we won't have a repeat of the problem with future updates. Thanks for getting it handled this time.

Avanquest is what I have too... but it is your software that is causing the problem. Please tell me where or who in Avanquest I need to go to to find the solution to this problem!!

My problem was not solved by using this update. I have gone to the Avanquest site and there is NO information on this problem! This is a real concern since this problem appears to have been around for a while now.

MacGregg,

If you're using Avanquest's product you'll need to contact their support team about the problem as we're unable to support their products. Do you also have CounterSpy or VIPRE installed on the system?

I started having this same problem after I mistakenly installed TurboTax 2008 on my system with Vipre running. My system would take 5 minutes to delete an email in TBird. It would take 10 minutes to open Control Panel. My son is a computer wiz and he looked at the system monitor and we saw that it was Vipre that was hogging 100% resources. We removed Vipre from the system and did a new install of TurboTax and things are running back at "normal". I have not yet reinstalled Vipre, but will try that shortly to see if it will continue to run properly. By the way, I am running a Vista machine with Dual Core processor.

Looks like there is still some wisdom in the old commandment to shut down security software before installing major programs. I think that is what trashed things temporarily.

Galen, Thank you for posting your problem.
If you continue to have trouble with Vipre using to much CPU with Turbo tax please let us know and we can investigate to see what is causing the program. Its generally a good idea to turn off active programs when installing programs to make sure they don't block anything associated with them, Its possible this might not have occurred if you the active protection disable

If you have any other questions please let us know.
Thanks,
Peter