VirusScan 8.5: Slowdown; First restart can be longer than usual

Users are reporting some issues with VirusScan 8.5 -- the replacement for Virex -- developed by McAfee.

Slowdown Some users are reporting dramatic slow-down after installing the software, generally when the "On Access Scanning" functionality -- which scans every file being accessed from or written to the machine -- is turned on.

One user writes:

"When I saw that McAfee had released a beta of Virus Scan I was hoping for a quality product like their PC version is. I installed it and was greeted with the slow downs and beachballs that I had with Virex. I was hoping for some new code and not just new graphics. I kept using it for a few days and the problem became worse and worse. When I uninstalled it with the handy terminal script I restarted the Mac and was greeted with a kernel panic! Deja Vu! Once uninstalled my computer was back to its speedy self."

A poster to VersionTracker's feedback system adds:

"Normally I use Virex v7.2. Switching to VirusScan 8.5 caused the G5 processors to work much harder - all the time. Using Backup v3 to do a full backup to an external firewire disk became painfully slow. The activity monitor indicated a lot of virus checking activity. I've gone back to Virex v7.2 and the G5 has calmed down."

If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.

First restart can be longer than usual As stated in VirusScan's documentation, the first restart after installing the software can be longer than usual.

The ReadMe file states:

"When you reboot your system after a fresh VirusScan for Mac installation, the system might take several minutes to restart while VirusScan configures itself."

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