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cpallum
Former Member
Message 1 of 4

How much Virtual Memory should Mcshield use?

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What is the usual amount of virtual memory Mcshield.exe should use?

When I start up my computer my mcshield usage is >230,000k and the CPU reaches 80%. After that is settles at around 196,000k with the CPU at around 1-5%.

Is this normal?

If not, what could be wrong?

If it is normal, is there something I can do to lower the usage? I often get "Your Virtual Memory is Low" messages.

Mcshield is by far the biggest user of virtual memory I have. I even managed to tame Firefox's usage by turning off plug-ins and arranging for a more frequent clean-out of my browsing history.

My computer is old. I run XP SP3 and have 1GB RAM and my virtual Memory is set to 2GB.

I have thought about changing my settings for Real-Time scanning from "All Files" to "Programs and Documents only." Will this help? Is it safe? It was a recommendation by another community subscriber who appeared to have much more computer knowledge than I do.

Thanks.

1 Solution

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Hayton
Reliable Contributor
Reliable Contributor
Message 2 of 4

Re: How much Virtual Memory should Mcshield use?

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Moved out of Community interface Help into Home & Home Office General Discussion section

Using Process Explorer I can see what mcshield uses on mine -

mcshield memory usage.JPG

It's a resource-hungry program in terms of memory and demands on the processor; this is the program that constantly monitors which files are being opened and read (and, more importantly, updated) by other running programs. There are long-running threads full of people protesting that mcshield grabs 100% of cpu, but that is (apparently) not what you're posting about. Which is a relief .

The problem is that older machines, predominantly those running XP, are memory- and cpu speed-constrained compared to the current generation. Single-core processors don't, as a rule, support multi-threading, and I have a very strong suspicion that mcshield is now designed to run on multi-core processors using multi-threading. That would seem to be the case with the scans as well, judging by the response to a question about skipping files during a scan (and here I summarise, from memory) : not possible because in a multi-thread process it's not easy to tell which thread is stuck on a particular file, so there's no easy way to kill one thread or another.

One practical step I can suggest is to add in an extra memory stick or, if you have 2x512Mb, swap one or both of them for a 1Gb stick. The more the better. The system should automatically increase your VM space accordingly.

Restricting files scanned to Programs & Documents only will speed up a scan, but leaves you more open to possible infection. If you're not an adventurous web user, you could try it for a while.

Message was edited by: Hayton, adding png - on 14/01/12 22:12:00 GMT

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3 Replies
Hayton
Reliable Contributor
Reliable Contributor
Message 2 of 4

Re: How much Virtual Memory should Mcshield use?

Jump to solution

Moved out of Community interface Help into Home & Home Office General Discussion section

Using Process Explorer I can see what mcshield uses on mine -

mcshield memory usage.JPG

It's a resource-hungry program in terms of memory and demands on the processor; this is the program that constantly monitors which files are being opened and read (and, more importantly, updated) by other running programs. There are long-running threads full of people protesting that mcshield grabs 100% of cpu, but that is (apparently) not what you're posting about. Which is a relief .

The problem is that older machines, predominantly those running XP, are memory- and cpu speed-constrained compared to the current generation. Single-core processors don't, as a rule, support multi-threading, and I have a very strong suspicion that mcshield is now designed to run on multi-core processors using multi-threading. That would seem to be the case with the scans as well, judging by the response to a question about skipping files during a scan (and here I summarise, from memory) : not possible because in a multi-thread process it's not easy to tell which thread is stuck on a particular file, so there's no easy way to kill one thread or another.

One practical step I can suggest is to add in an extra memory stick or, if you have 2x512Mb, swap one or both of them for a 1Gb stick. The more the better. The system should automatically increase your VM space accordingly.

Restricting files scanned to Programs & Documents only will speed up a scan, but leaves you more open to possible infection. If you're not an adventurous web user, you could try it for a while.

Message was edited by: Hayton, adding png - on 14/01/12 22:12:00 GMT
cpallum
Former Member
Message 3 of 4

Re: How much Virtual Memory should Mcshield use?

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Thanks for the quick response. Your mcshield virtual Memory usage is similar to mine and my friends, so I'm assuming it's normal.

I've tried adding more RAM, but had trouble getting the computer to recognize it, so I believe I'm stuck at 1GB RAM (unless I want to try a different brand and try and reach my computer's max of 2GB RAM). However, knowing that McAfee is running properly will free me to work on other solutions. I think I probably have a year left in the old desktop.

I do have a dual core 6GB RAM laptop, I'm just fond of using the desktop and the software it runs is not compatible with the newer system on the laptop.

Thanks again for your help.

cpallum

dougf
Former Member
Message 4 of 4

Re: How much Virtual Memory should Mcshield use?

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I use XP Pro and solved the problem of mschield excessive cpu usage is by changing the system properties, Performance Options as follows:

Adjust for best performance of

Processor scheduling : programs

Memory usage: System Cache

Reduction in mcschield cpu usage was dramatic.

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