Optimization of update processes

Nunzio77 · March 2023

Hi,

in Bitdefender Home is it possible to optimize the "Bitdefender Update Downloader" process and later the "Bitdefender Test Engine" process?

Because they use a lot of hard disk resources for many minutes, around 5 minutes every time you start your PC and every time Bitdefender is updated (see image). Obviously this is particularly evident for older generation PCs.

It would be important to at least reduce the execution times by making them faster.

Thanks! 😉

Scott · March 2023

I haven't tried it on a re-start. Here is an update, first of the morning. Disk was at 0% before the update. That's as high as it got. It's a SSD drive.

My PC specs.

Gjoksi · March 2023

Hello.

Just did a test:

Laptop: Asus X551CA

Purchased: April 2014

Specs: Intel Core i3-3217U 1.8GHz, Intel HD Graphics 4000, 4GB DDR3

Hardware change: November 2018, 500GB HDD -> 120GB SATA-III SSD

OS: Windows 10 Pro 22H2 64-bit with the latest updates installed

I had slowdowns when i had HDD installed on my laptop, but when i changed the HDD to SSD, the laptop started working without any slowdowns, even when the program did an update. Also, i still don't experience any slowdowns when the program updates. Maybe, the SSD is the key for no slowdowns.

Regards.

Nunzio77 · March 2023

Thanks for your feedback and data. 😉😃

Surely a PC with HDD suffers more than a PC with SSD. So my post was just to be able to pay attention to older PCs. So surely if these processes can be optimized in some way, the first PCs to benefit are those with HDDs and consequently also those with SDDs, albeit to a lesser extent.

I wonder if my request will be granted. 😅

Scott · March 2023

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/322996#Comment_322996

So there is that big of a difference between them, between a platter HD and a SSD drive. I didn't realize there was that much of a difference. I agree, then that does need to be looked into, as there are still plenty of standard hard drives out there, but maybe a lot of people haven't thought to check it with Task Manager open?

Nunzio77 · March 2023

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/322997#Comment_322997

Yes and I don't have any other programs (only the basic ones) in autostart.

Not all users are experienced and patient, many simply uninstall AV and move on, especially when it's free.

I hope the developers will intervene as soon as possible.

Nunzio77 · March 2023

@Alexandru_BD support please... 😉

Scott · March 2023

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/322998#Comment_322998

That's a good point, as far as the free version compared to the paid, where they probably would bring it up on the forum for some sort of resolution.

Nunzio77 · March 2023

I also expect the "Photon" function to come into play, adapting to the type of machine and hard disk, thus optimizing PC performance even during startup. 😉

Alexandru_BD · March 2023

Well, the antivirus does come with this disclaimer - *System performance may be affected on devices that have old generation CPUs. 😄

Sure, SSD is the one to have for optimal computer performance. Standard SSD can copy at speeds of 500 MB/s with newer SSDs reaching speeds of 3,500 MB/s if i'm not mistaken. To put that into perspective, the average HDD can copy at aproximately 150 MB per second. Sure, SSDs are more expensive, but I think they're definitely worth it.

I'm not sure if anything can be done here, in terms of optimizing the Update Downloader and Test Engine, as they are already optimized for the best performance. Sometimes, it's not really a matter of adjusting the software, but the hardware instead. The same thing happens with smartphones, at some point during their lifetime, updates will no longer be available and they will start to show signs of degradation, decreased battery life and so on..

Truth be told, I don't think it's possible to have an effective security solution without sacrificing some aspects of performance on older computers. Photon can make a difference though, this is a cloud-based scanning technology that scans usage patterns, PC behaviors and behavior of installed apps. In addition to these, the configuration of PC is also taken into account.

The Photon technology gradually “discovers” the currently installed applications on the user`s computer and molds on every PC configuration individually by learning which processes need monitoring and which ones do not. The result is a lower number of files that need constant supervision and less system resource spent on watching perfectly safe applications, which allows the scanner to fully concentrate resources on potentially malicious files.

So, maybe it's time for a hardware upgrade @Nunzio77 😅

Alexandru_BD · March 2023

I use Bitdefender on a laptop with 11th gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 2.42 GHz processor and 16.0 GB RAM running on Windows 10 and i've never encountered any performance issues. And I do keep a lot of tabs open at once, if that makes any difference. I've set updates like this:

And I've learned that it's a good idea to make use of that optimizer:

A bit off topic, but I thought it's worth mentioning.

I would also keep the Early boot scan off, so that it doesn't scan at startup. I think for an older PC it's like going to work without having that much needed cup of coffee 😄

Cheers

Scott · March 2023

@Alexandru_BD So in Nunzios's case, thank goodness for the Photon technology, as where would he be without it? :) I have Early boot scan disabled as well.

Alexandru_BD · March 2023

😁😁😁

Nunzio77 · March 2023

Thanks @Alexandru_BD as always, you were very precise and exhaustive in explaining the various features of Bitdefender Home. 😉

This also helped me to better understand how BD Home edition works. 😊

Obviously the plan to change PC is there but after the wedding...hahaha... 😁😅

Alexandru_BD · March 2023

😎👍️

Nunzio77 · June 2023

I continue to be convinced that the signature and product update processes must be optimized by looking at and comparing the same processes with other free AV that are lighter and faster. 😉

See my update in the post of tips and changes to be made to the BD Free version. 🙂

Optimization of update processes

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