NIS 2013 - NIS.exe uses all CPU on winXP - followup

Norton Security | Norton Internet Security
1

I couldn't update my original post so here's the update.

It appears the runaway process was the SPAM detector. I have outlook express and I guess after all these years Nortons has an issue with it.

I stopped the SPAM detection and my CPU utilization dropped like a stone.

My next tackle is adobe flash player it chews up cycles..

If anyone else is having similar issues I suggest turning it off. A bounce seems to fix it too. But it doesn't catch enough spam to warrant having it on..

So off it stays..

 

 

Steve C.

2

Thats interesting, was it causing high usage even when you were not checking the mail or your email client was closed?

 

Dave

3

It appears that it has dramatically dropped my ccSvchst usage even with oulook express closed.

But it's only been about 20 minutes, I'll have to monitor it and follow up later.

 

Dave

4

I been having nothing but problems with ccsvchst going out of control and spiking up to 100% of my cpu for quite a while.

It is and was definatly due to Norton AntiSpam.

 

I'm using XP and Outlook Express.

It started with NIS 2012 and I upgraded to 2013 a while back to see if it would help the problem but it didn't.

(I won't use 2014 because I don't like the new style identity safe).

 

I was getting spikes to 100% every 3 minutes 24 hours a day even if my system was idle and not being used or if outlook express was open or closed.  I always figured it was checking for live updates and never considered it had anything to do with OE because that is set to check for mail every 2 minutes and I would turn it off when trying to reduce the ccsvchst usage for other things.

 

I also had a terrible problem with anything using flash.  Websites or you tube videos would clow the system to a crawl with ccsvchst always pegged close to 100%.

 

It even got to the point that when I had to use you-tube (I have been watching some instructional videos, I had to install a version of portable Firefox onto a partition that was excluded from Norton, then I would enable quite mode, and disable autoprotect and the firewall, and automatic updates and ccsvchost would still spike up to 100% every 3 minutes and sometimes stay there for several minutes at a time.

 

Since my first post about 7 hours ago, I have got ccsvchst under control by turning off Norton Anti-spam, rebooting and re-enabling it.  (I may have had to go through that process twice).

 

Now when I have Norton Antispam enabled and OE open I onlly get 50% spikes every 3 minutes.

Curiously they all read almost exactly 50%.  The big difference now is that when I close OE I no longer get the spikes every 3 minutes. All day today doing normal work I have only had 3 times that ccsvchst hit 100%.

It still spikes up for flash content and you tube but nothing like it was before but I still get annoying pauses with OE open in the background while I'm trying to do y normal work.

 

When I disable Norton Antispam the ccsvchst drops to almost nothing and I experiance no pauses, delays or hangs.

 

Thanks Steve, you helped my reduce the problem by half while still using antispam, but I think I also need to turn it off for good.

 

Dave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

Glad to help. I felt so dumb not seeing it sooner. But better late then lost :-)

now if they would only fix firefox and plugin container. my XP would have no issues. now.

 

Steve C.

 

6

I keep antispam off. I see little benefit. with it completely off i am back to normal. like i said i just wish they would fix flash. :-(

but thats for a different forum.

 

Steve C.

7

Hi,

 

I'm following this topic with great interest, although on my XP SP3 system and NIS 2014 I do not have the Flash Player or Outlook Express issues.

Can you please try the following because on my system it is always disabled by me.

A. To prevent Windows Messenger from signing on when you start Outlook Express:

  1. In Outlook Express, click Options on the Tools menu.
  2. On the General tab, click to clear the Automatically log on to Windows Messenger check box.
  3. Click OK.
  4. Reboot OE and pc.

B.   http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302089   I'm using the gpedit method.

 

Reboot.

 

As for Flash Player you could try a clean install, see my post: http://community.norton.com/t5/Tech-Outpost/Tip-for-Adobe-Flash-Player/td-p/1040187

 

Does this solve the issue??

 

Regards,

8

I never have messenger sign on automically. .. that isnt it. Its Spam detector not liking Outlook/express.

 

i tried a dozen flash fixes. one that sort of works is the older 11.1 flash. but only in some cases..

 

I have no more NIS spike issues since disabling SPAM detector. Outlook express doesnt come with windows anymore so my hunch is no one tested against in ;-)

 

and it appears Dave is fixed as well. so if 2 people on 2 separate machines fix an issue by doing the same thing.. what is the conclusion? ;-)

I am a very old salt.. i dont allow much automation on my systems. put it this way my first computer was the C64 .. after getting bored with my older brothers TI 99 (timex sinclare - 4K ram pack and all)

 

I have my first pc and non windows computer. still works too. all 30mb hardruve of it.. :-p

 

XP with enough RAM is solid but like all platforms we get working M$ dumps to make more headaches.. and remember with M$ it isnt GA unless Nortons and Lotus notes breaks.. and lets face it it isnt hard to break Lotus notes..

 

*LOL*

Steve C.

9

Hi,

 

Just curious, did you follow this method to disable AntiSpam or a different one??

 

"You can disable the toolbar by deselecting the Outlook option under Client Integration

 

This will not disable Antispam's ability to detect Spam Emails as Antispam identifies and tags Spam when installed and enabled. This tagging happens at the lower layer

 

When the Outlook option is unchecked under Client integration, you will notice many Spam Emails with NortonAntiSpam tag landing up in Inbox. For this you can  create a rule in Outlook to move Emails with NAS tag to Junk folder".

 

Thank you.

 

Regards,

 

10

I dont have windows messenger its greyed out. I disabled SPAM detection by turning it off in NIS.

and didnt have to restart anything or reboot anything.

Plain and simple. i care more about viruses than spam..

 

Steve C,

11

I think it may have to do with how often you use OE.

I have another XP system at home that does not have this problem but I hardly ever check the mail. Curiously that one takes a very long time to check the mail, I can have it set for email scanning or juat antispam and it works fine but with both enabled it takes a couple minutes for it to open and start recieving mail.

 

This system got so bad I was ready to uninstall NIS so I could get soe work done.  It wasn't always like this, it started several months ago and just got worse and worse.

 

I never figured it was the antispam because it would happen even with OE closed.  I went through the settings and turned every single other option off and the problem still happened.

 

It's not anything to do with messenger, I completly remove that from all my systems.

 

Thanks again Steve,

Dave

12

By the way, I actually found antispam very helpfull so it sucks to have to go wiithout it.

I use a couple of "semi-disposable" addresses for all my online ordering and because of that end up getting a lot of spam on them. 

 

I doubt they do anything abot it for OE with XP loosing MS support now.  But I hope they take a look at it because the problem may be effecting other versions of windows, I see nothing but problems here with people trying to use antispam on Outlook 2010 and other versions.

 

 

13

its those outlook issues that made me wonder and then check. and yes if you start OE and close it the trouble stays.

its an issue with the integration. ..

i am happy to not run it .. ;-)

 

 

Steve C.

14

Hi, all. I've always had Norton Anti Spam switched off as I read a long while ago, that it was fairly ineffective anyway.

 

Maybe that's why I've never experienced these cpu spikes.

 

I use Mailwasher Free to check my emails, and only download the ones I want to Windows Mail.

 

The others get deleted on the server, so spam is not a problem for me.