How To Keep your Anti-Virus Software from Slowing Down Your Computer

Hey there! If you’re not planning on cutting off all connections to the internet, you’ll definitely need to have some kind of antivirus protection. The online world is full of dangers like viruses and worms that can wreak havoc on your system. So, it’s crucial to shield yourself from these digital threats.

Here’s the catch: some antivirus programs can be quite heavy on your computer’s memory. They gobble up so much space that they can render older systems completely useless. It’s like trading one problem for another. You may as well leave your computer open to viruses if that’s the case, right? They’d probably have the same effect.

So how can you rein in your antivirus and reduce the memory usage without sacrificing productivity? How can you have the best of both worlds?

Uninstall and Find a Lighter Option

Here’s what I suggest. If you’re using Norton or McAfee, uninstall them. These antivirus programs are notorious for hogging memory and slowing down your computer. I’ve yet to see a computer that doesn’t suffer a bit with them installed.

Fortunately, there are lightweight and free antivirus options available online. One option is Panda, and another is Microsoft Security Essentials. If you choose this route, you won’t have to worry about excessive memory usage anymore. In that case, you can ignore the rest of this guide.

Disable Real-Time Protection

One reason some antivirus programs use up so much memory is because they constantly scan for threats. They scrutinize every file you download or access to check for known viruses.

Disabling this feature can greatly improve performance. However, it also leaves you vulnerable to potential threats if you’re not careful. Proceed with caution if you choose to turn it off.

Customize Your Antivirus

Most antivirus applications have various options for customization. Explore the settings page of your antivirus and see if there’s a way to reduce the amount of processing power it uses during crucial moments.

Some platforms even allow you to tone things down at specific times of the day or when you’re working on something important. In more advanced suites, you can disable individual functions and processes that you don’t need. But remember, proceed at your own risk. You might accidentally mess up your system if you’re not careful.

Adjust Processor Priority

If you’re truly desperate, you can use the task manager (CTRL+ALT+DEL or CTRL+Shift+ESC) to find the processes associated with your antivirus and change their processor affinity to ‘low.’ This ensures that when your system requires a significant amount of processing power, the antivirus platform won’t hog resources.

Keep in mind that this isn’t an ideal solution, and I don’t generally recommend it. It may cause issues with functionality, and some antivirus platforms don’t allow you to modify their properties in the task manager. It’s likely a defense mechanism against viruses trying to shut down the antivirus. This method is usually nullified as a result.

Honestly, the easiest solution is to just get a lightweight antivirus and be done with it.

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One opinion on “How To Prevent Your Anti-Virus From Devouring Your System Memory”

*Sharron Field* (@Shazzalive) says:

In my experience, I would be cautious about using Panda Antivirus. However, I would still choose it over Norton. As you mentioned, Norton uses so much of your system’s resources and isn’t highly efficient either. One antivirus you did mention, which I do recommend, is Microsoft Security Essentials. I’ve been using it for almost 5 years, and it’s been good (though not infallible). It has only missed a few viruses on my computer during that time, and it has successfully detected, quarantined, and deleted several as well. Just make sure you run a weekly scan and use the full-scan option regularly, at least six times a year or more.