Which antivirus solution has the minimal impact on system performance while running Lightroom Classi

[Guy Parsons]

Thanks for confirming Microsoft Defender being a reliable solution.

I am already evaluating Ghostery and Proton VPN as (free) replacements for other products in the Avast (Ultimate) package.

Just back from being in China for a short hectic holiday, Proton free VPN did not function there, so missed a lot of sites. Maybe the paid versions work better?

How about mail ?

In China no Google/Meta things worked, so no Gmail, Google Maps etc etc. Luckily I had created an Outlook mail account and that worked OK there. Easy to set up even though not a Microsoft Office user.

PS: Avast is now available for very low prices (from independent but official vendors), maybe I am not the only one leaving.

As others have said, I have long used Microsoft Defender or whatever they call the inbuilt freebie, it causes no problems. Do occasional Software Updates to speed up getting updated virus definitions.

And for any stuck Windows10 users, I managed to get a year's extension on an old laptop for free so my security updates will fizzle Oct 2026 instead of Oct 2025.

 

[palombian]

What specific actions in LrC do you think are slowed down by an Antivirus program? What specific actions in LrC do you think should be faster?

Changing/browsing images ...

More specific information is required. Are you browsing in Library Module or Develop Module or somewhere else?

I kept task manager active yesterday when working (mostly on older collections to enhance some photos with Topaz AI 3.6 plugin - RAW file sizes same as actual CRAW) and couldn't see excessive resource use.

But after a while LR started to show strange behaviour (without intervention from my side): going borderless, opening second window, selecting other collections and going back and forth between library and development modules...

The latter was also occurring when I observed excessive antivirus activity (maybe because I was importing new files then).

So maybe the cause is within LR itself.

I replaced the 15 yrs old wireless USB 2 mouse with a recent BT one. If this helps I maybe should do the same with the keyboard.

PS: previously I also disabled all diagnostic and privacy stuff making Windows (11) a bit leaner (in settings, don't need FlyOOBE...).

I'm sorry, but I asked "Are you browsing in Library Module or Develop Module?" and I don't see where you answered that. Instead of slow performance, now you list a whole lot of problems that aren't really performance, but as you said "strange behaviour", and so it seems like you have switched from one problem to another in the middle of the thread.

That makes it tough to help, and I want to get back to my question and concentrate on that first ... and address this slowness if only I knew what was slow.

As others indicate, there are many factors in play we can't measure objectively, and we risk to miss the real cause ("Un train peut en cacher un autre").

I use LR long enough to be sure the settings are the best I can get from my existing hardware. So - except for the sudden strange behaviour described above - I exclude LR itself and will stay with this application and my actual hardware.

Since I have a large catalog (288.000 photos on internal HD's - I know I have to clean up) LR opening takes some time (say 45 sec). Afterwards disk access is fast enough for browsing in Library and Development mode (without needing Smart Previews).

My guess occasional excessive AV activity was linked to disk accesses is maybe wrong, or at least only true when LR goes havoc. Maybe switching off, or replacing the AV system could reduce this, but not solve.

In hindsight every time my PC became about unoperational after working intensively in LR (individual operations, no batches) it was when the screens went jumping back and forth.

I never lost any edits and the catalog always was intact, LR itself was sound.

I will continue to search for an external cause. Other candidates are concurrent programs (Firefox browser has been named, the NVIDIA driver, ...)

 

[palombian]

FYI:

I verified all software and drivers (Nvidia...) for the latest versions.

I did not observe any excessive Avast antivirus activity, but still had LR cycling through screens when some other applications were open.

Processed today 1000 shots of my grandsons football very smoothly. In particular export was very fast since LR uses the GPU for this. Only had task manager and Thunderbird mail open, no browser.

I suspect Firefox, but I can live without when working on photo's.

Found a good deal for Avast Ultimate 10 devices 2 years. Norton now uses the Avast engine, why would I change ?

 

[Ruby Rod]

I switched from McAfee which came free with my computer to Windows Security which is free, Uses very few resources and is very effective. Avast, which I used on another computer is a resource hog.

I also had a machine with McAfee preinstalled and it really did a number on performance. I removed it and just rely on Defender, which is all anybody really needs. Note that McAfee doesn't leave willingly. You uninstall it but then should download McAfee's special uninstall tool to remove the bits that remain.

 

[NAwlins Contrarian]

I switched from McAfee which came free with my computer to Windows Security which is free, Uses very few resources and is very effective. Avast, which I used on another computer is a resource hog.

I also had a machine with McAfee preinstalled

I think that is pretty much ever new Dell these days. I have removed McAfee from three new Dells in recent years.

Note that McAfee doesn't leave willingly. You uninstall it but then should download McAfee's special uninstall tool to remove the bits that remain.

Yep. It's like a bad weed that you have to uproot more than once. Shame on both Dell and McAfee.

 

[palombian]

I switched from McAfee which came free with my computer to Windows Security which is free, Uses very few resources and is very effective. Avast, which I used on another computer is a resource hog.

...and just rely on Defender, which is all anybody really needs...

I tried and implied some free solutions.

Instead of the (included) Avast antitrack I use Ghostery now (free).

Very satisfied with (free) Bitwarden as password manager too (after Avast cancelled their solution).

But I didn't find a usable free VPN yet.

Only the VPN justifies what I pay now for the Avast Ultimate suite. There are also some customisations I do not find in MS Defender. And it didn't let me down until now.

I avoided to be bound hand and foot to Avast (and their increasing automatic renewals), we'll see...

 

[Ruby Rod]

I recently saw a piece that claimed the benefits of a VPN aren't what they used to be. The real worry would be if you ever accidently used the VPN for any transactions like Social Security, as they would assume you're a foreign actor trying to scam the system. Fixing that "lock" is apparently very difficult. I sometimes add protection in the form of a curated DNS list, which not only locks out a lot of bad sites, but acts as an ad blocker. I turn it off on occasion because I use a few sites that it locks out. Anyway, free and well worth a try. Just enter the DNS numbers shown a page or two down here- GitHub - Ultimate-Hosts-Blacklist/Ultimate.Hosts.Blacklist: The Ultimate Unified Hosts file for protecting your network, computer, smartphones and Wi-Fi devices against millions of bad web sites. Protect your children and family from gaining access to bad web sites and protect your devices and pc from being infected with Malware or Ransomware.