Antivirus is perhaps the most important program on Windows, but since it must always remain active in the background, it can also be the cause of computer slowdowns . The worst moment, where the PC can slow down significantly if you are doing something that takes up resources, is the scan that is usually done every day or every week by the antivirus to check that there is no malware on the system.
Fortunately, today's computers are much more powerful than in the past and antiviruses have also been optimized not to be heavy on computers (the times of the old mammoth Norton Antivirus that had all computers planted in offices are long gone).
In addition, it is also possible to configure any antivirus so as not to cause slowdowns of Windows and programs, without giving up real-time protection and virus control.
1) The first thing to do to make the antivirus lighter is to configure exclusions and exceptions .
Antiviruses normally scan each file before allowing them to open.
If you use a file often and are sure that there are no dangers, you can exclude it from this check.
There are no great advantages in excluding small files, but for large files (such as the installation file of a program or a virtual machine) or large groups of files (such as the photo collection), exclusions, both from the control that from the scan, it can help.
To configure exclusions in antivirus like Microsoft Security Essentials in Windows 7 or Windows Defender in Windows 8 open the application and click on the Settings tab.
You can exclude specific files or folders, exclude all files with a particular extension or exclude processes.
In another article a more in-depth guide to exclude paths and folders from the antivirus check
2) Use the game mode
Some antivirus offer the possibility to activate the " game mode " (or Game mode ) which does not increase the performance of the computer, but prevents the antivirus from disturbing the user when he is playing a video game or using a full application. screen.
"Game Mode" turns notifications and other alerts off so that it doesn't disturb you while watching a movie or playing games.
In some antivirus it is also called " silent mode ".
In game mode, the antivirus will delay scheduled scans and automatic updates so as not to commit computer resources.
Some antivirus programs activate game mode automatically when they recognize the execution of a game or program that opens full screen.
In other cases it can always be configured in the settings (there is no game mode in MSE and Windows Defender).
3) Adjust the scheduled scans
Antiviruses require you to check your computer automatically every now and then.
Generally they are intelligent enough to start scans when nothing is done on the computer, but it can also happen that the control starts while working on something, actually slowing down operations.
In the settings of each antivirus you can decide when to perform the scheduled scan and it is important to choose a day of the week and a time when you are sure that the computer is turned on.
In fact, if the antivirus found the computer turned off, the scan would be postponed to the next restart and may not be the best time.
4) Exclude removable drives
Some antivirus programs automatically scan USB drives, CDs and DVDs when they are inserted into the computer.
This way you can identify the units infected with malware, avoiding that the infection infects the system, but this causes a certain wait.
Still in the antivirus settings, the control of removable units can be excluded which is recommended if on the home PC and on the laptop, if it is always used by the same person.
5) Choose the realtime protection settings
In some antiviruses it is possible to choose the level of protection between normal, aggressive or permissive.
The aggressive one uses more computer resources while the permissive one is lighter.
What is present in every antivirus is the possibility to exclude from the check the .zip files and other archives that would be recommended.
6) Fast manual scans
With any antivirus you can do a manual check to see if the computer is clean.
In general, however, it is useless to check the entire system because there are areas of the PC where a virus cannot really be present.
For example the collection of images, the music folder, archives etc.
Furthermore, it is not necessary to check all the disks or partitions because viruses affect the central system, that is where Windows is installed, the C: drive.
We therefore recommend avoiding too long and unnecessary scans.
7) Use a light antivirus: What are the lightest antivirus "> Windows Defender included in Windows 8 .
With XP and Windows 7, the lightest antivirus is Microsoft Security Essentials.
The other antiviruses are generally more complex and powerful programs that collect several protection tools together: antivirus, firewall, antimalware, antiphishing, website control, Email control, etc.
The important thing, however, is only the real-time protection of the antivirus while the other tools are already integrated (at a minimum) in Windows and in web browsers and can be superfluous if you use the PC with common sense.
In my experience, in addition to Microsoft Security Essentials, the other lighter (free) antiviruses are:
- Panda Cloud Antivirus
- Avira Free
- Convenient Antivirus Free Edition
- Avast Free Antivirus Home Edition
