Intego Virrusbarrier problems 10.6.2

Ok, so since i installed virus barrier, the program has been a resource hog. I mean at times it is taking up to 600 MB, but typically when i'm having issues it's around 370MB. That is a crazy amount of memory!

So that is not the issue. When i'm working in pretty much ll the applications i use daily. (word, excel, powerpoint, photoshop, inDesign etc) All of a sudden i'll get the spinning beach ball and program become non responsive.

I force quit virusbarrier and problem solved. (at least for 5-10 minutes, then it does exactly the same thing.

I've added indesign, photoshop etc to the trusted list not to scan, but it doesnt help. (I will not add microsoft crap because that's the reason i have the antivirus software. Adding it to the trusted list defeats the purpurse)

So I contact intego several times. The send new update, doesn't work. Send a program to run a report when it happens and I've sent them like 6 reports and have not heard back from them... I'm pisssed with this software.

It is just so buggy, that I don't know how they can let it out of their testing?

Someone please tell me how to fix it. I have to have anti virus because i'm on a network with PCs. So please don't tell me mac never get viruses etc. I've had them.

any help is appreciated.

pcampagna said:

Someone please tell me how to fix it. I have to have anti virus because i'm on a network with PCs. So please don't tell me mac never get viruses etc. I've had them.

Click to expand...

No you haven't. It's not that Macs "don't get viruses", it's that no viruses currently exist for Mac OS X. That's not to say there won't ever be one, but there aren't any today. The fact that you are on a network with other PCs has no bearing on that whatsoever. Although you could theoretically forward an infected file that would have no effect on your Mac, but could be a threat on the PC, in my opinion, the onus is on the vulnerable user to protect their own system.

Anti Virus programs work in two ways. Firstly, they scan for traces of malware by comparing against a database of all known malware. Since there are no viruses for Mac OS X, programs like VirusBarrier are really scanning for Windows viruses (which your Mac is immune from since it won't run Windows software of any kind). If you happen to have had a file that has a known Windows malware associated with it, Virusbarrier could have given you a hit, leaving you with the impression that you had a virus - the reality is that the file is innocuous (but of course could be harmful if run on a Windows machine).

The second way these programs work is by employing heuristics. Heuristic analysis uses artificial intelligence to monitor system behavior and examine processes for virus-like behavior. Unfortunately, heuristics are rarely effective and mostly result in massive slowdowns and resource hogging. That's exactly what you're running into here.

The long and the short of it is that as of right now, there is no good reason to have an anti-virus program hogging up resources. If you feel paranoid, do an occasional scan with something like ClamXAV (free).

Another wonderful article that illustrates my point is here:

Mac OS X anti-virus software: More trouble than it's worth? | MacFixIt - CNET Reviews

Well I wont mention "You Dont Need It On Your Mac" then

From what i have read about it, which wasnt a great deal, nd your post @  is most people are ****** as you are with this version. I cant offer advice but might want to take a read of a few posts HERE. There is a lot of mixed emotion about it ...

Good luck with it

Cheers

TattooedMac said:

Well I wont mention "You Dont Need It On Your Mac" then

From what i have read about it, which wasnt a great deal, nd your post @  is most people are ****** as you are with this version. I cant offer advice but might want to take a read of a few posts HERE. There is a lot of mixed emotion about it ...

Good luck with it

Cheers

Click to expand...

Thanks for that lol

I've read lots of mixed reviews, but my issues seem to be a little different than most?? I'm not entirely sure. I hate the program so far, but I have to have something. I'm waiting to hear back from intego after sending them many reports. I will keep people posted, but I wanted to at the least ask for opinions on possible fixes.

pcampagna said:

Thanks for that lol

I've read lots of mixed reviews, but my issues seem to be a little different than most?? I'm not entirely sure. I hate the program so far, but I have to have something. I'm waiting to hear back from intego after sending them many reports. I will keep people posted, but I wanted to at the least ask for opinions on possible fixes.

Click to expand...

As I said, if you absolutely must have something, ClamXAV is unobtrusive, free and does pretty much the exact same thing. Make it a habit to run a manual scan now and then and you'll be fine.

A link to the download site is in my previous post.