Comodo's cmdagent 'eating' my CPU usage

[RealBlackStuff]

Lately Comodo Firewall is causing havoc on my PC. When I browse TPF or forum.lenovo.com, and change from Forum to Forum, the CPU-usage goes up to 100%, downloading every single icon, picture etc. time and again.
This problem occurs in both FF 2.0.0.11 and IE7.
Should I kill Comodo's cmdagent.exe or what?

[USSS]

I've seen several threads on this topic over on Comodo's forums, some specific to IE7 and others related to FF. The search function on their boards is pretty dicey, but here are the links to "Help" and "Bug Reports" I kind of suspect you may have already waded through both of them, but...

http://forums.comodo.com/help_for_v3-b105.0/
http://forums.comodo.com/bug_reports-b106.0

I think cmdagent.exe is a core component of CFP, so killing it might resolve your issue but reduce your protection. That's just a guess on my part. And killing it can be tough, unless you have Defense+ configured to allow it.

[RealBlackStuff]

I have indeed waded through the mound of info on this subject, but have not found any comprehensive answer/solution.
I am still running V2.4.19.185 with Application Database V3.0.
When I check for updates, none are found!

Can I just run the latest V3.0.15.277 installer to upgrade, or should I do a full UNinstall of my old version first?
I only want the FW, not the rest.

UPDATE:
I took the plunge, uninstalled the old version, cleaned the registry, and installed the latest .277.
Everything seems to be working fine now.

[USSS]

Perform a full uninstallation of CFP.

Be sure to review the comprehensive set of instructions I prepared back in December for completely removing CFP. It's toward the top of the thread list under the "Help" subforum of forums.comodo.com.

When you install CFP v.277, be sure to select the option that does NOT install Defense+ during the initial configuration routine. Then reboot. You can always install/enable Defense+ later.

Good luck. CFP is a very promising hybrid of firewall and HIPS. But it's a rather temperamental product at the moment.

EDIT: Attaboy, [censored] the torpedoes, LOL! Glad it's working. But keep an eye on it, especially when installing new applications and updating others.

[USSS]

@RealBlackStuff:

Just wanted to give you a heads-up on the latest version of Comodo Firewall Pro (3.0.16.295).

Normally, I perform a complete uninstall of CFP before updating. However, trying to migrate from v3.0.15.277 to the newest version failed -- three -- times.

Well, I decided to give the program's internal updater a try. Unbelievable: it worked. (It requires you to reboot twice, however.)

I now have CFP running with Kaspersky AV 7.0.1.321 and the latest versions of CSS, Fingerprint Software and Password Manager. Keeping my fingers crossed, as always....

[RealBlackStuff]

Thanks, the internal update went painless.
However, regardless of the settings, the icon will not show up in the system tray, unless I double-click the desktop-icon.
AND it now takes quite long for the firewall to initialize at boot.
It also stops my mouse for about 30 seconds, every 10 minutes on the dot.

Methinks I'll need to start looking for another firewall


EDIT:
And the winner is...... drumroll......Online-Armor from Australia

http://www.tallemu.com/free-firewall-pr ... tware.html
See also: http://blog.scotsnewsletter.com/2008/01 ... g-promise/
http://www.matousec.com/projects/window ... ls-ratings

Another potentially great firewall bites the dust.
After my horrible experiences with Agnitum Outpost Pro (bought it for several years)
now Comodo has been added also to my shi(f)t list.
I don't feel like going back to Comodo 2.4.
I've taken an image already (Acronis), now I'm gonna wipe Comodo into oblivion, and try this new 'champion'.
I'll follow up in a few days.

[bishy]

Hi RBS,

I would hate to teach my Grandmother to suck eggs, but have you thought of trying out the old Kerio v2.1.5 firewall. It has a small footprint and uses very little resourses.

I had similar problems with Comodo and found myself going back to this one. Since reinstalling it, I have had no problems and everything seems to be running just fine.

Anyway I would be glad to hear what you think of it.

Kerio v2.1.5 can be downloaded from here :-

http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/page7.html

It is the third download down the page.

Hope all this waffle hasn't bored you too much.

Speak to you soon.

bishy.

[Techgurl]

I had a bad experience with Online armor. It would not allow a lot of my stuff to load and start up and I was stuck with a desktop missing a lot of stuff or no desktop at all. I had to remove it from three different PC's.

I am still running commodo although I have the older version running on the Windows 2000 boxes.

[USSS]

@RealBlackStuff:

Sorry to hear of the issues you continue to have with CFP.

Indeed, it's a very promising firewall, yet my own concern is growing that CFP will eventually evolve into another so-called "security suite," which does not sit well with me.

As you probably noticed, they added a virus scanner into the latest edition (3.0.16.295). Comodo has been developing discrete products for some time now, and this is the first indication (to me, anyway) that they are going to begin combining these applications into an integrated suite.

Please post back on your experiences with OA, just in case I need to start testing a new firewall. <groan>

[RealBlackStuff]

have you thought of trying out the old Kerio v2.1.5 firewall.

I need a grown-up firewall that is up to date, not some blast from the past. There is a much newer Kerio 4.5.916 or better.

My router's firewall already does most of the work, so I don't really need a super duper software FW.
I just like something good, that is not in any way intrusive.
Let's give OA a try.

[RealBlackStuff]

I uninstalled Comodo 3.0.16.295
It was remarkably painless, and Comodo finally got their act together.
Even the registry was quite well cleaned up!

Referring to USSS's instructions on the Comodo Forum,
my manual clean up consisted of only 4 items:

d. C:\Program Files\[Comodo Firewall Pro folder]
ll. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Local AppWizard-Generated Applications\CFP_Setup_3.0.15.277_XP_Vista_x64
mm. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Local AppWizard-Generated Applications\CFPLog

Trying Regedit/Find, it found only the term Comodo.

The rest was all removed by the uninstall procedure! Well done, Comodo.

I could not remove any of the LEGACY_ entries, but am not worried about them. I'll do them some other time.

=====================================

Installing OnlineArmor took only a few minutes.
It checks all your applications during install, and lists those it does not (yet) know, then offers that list for you to Allow or Block each item.
Once done, you reboot and OA starts protecting you.
It will initially ask you for permission if other programs want to do their thing, and you have to say Yae or Nae, but that's about it.
I'll try it for a few days and then report back.

[USSS]

I found out recently that most of the remnant LEGACY keys can be removed by right-clicking on the key and changing the Permissions to "Full".

There were a couple that I could not remove for unknown reasons, but as you said, it's probably a moot point for now.

As you discovered, the CFP uninstall routine has gotten better. One of the reasons I "put up" with Comodo for now is that the support forums are very active, and the company's owner posts quite frequently to answer queries.

Good luck with OA. We'll be standing by for "film at 11."

[iminj]

USSS & RealBlackStuff:

Your exchange about OA vs CFP pretty much mirrors my own experience. I walked away from CFP after the more recent builds started conflicting with the TPM chip, leaving my system unbootable.

I went over to OA Free, and I think it's a nice FW & HIPS combination. It isn't perfect on my system however - here's 2 issues:

i) I use Rescue & Recovery - and since installing OA, I can't get R&R to create a complete HDD image. OA blocks R&R from backing up critical OA and XP components.

ii)OA has a very nice built-in Run Safer option, which enables you to have network apps. open with reduced rights. Doesn't work on my TP.

[RealBlackStuff]

I don't use R&R on my TPs, and this OA experiment currently runs on my desktop.
If it can survive there, I'll consider it for my laptops.

[USSS]

@iminj:

Yeah, that's the quandary: everyone's system is "different", even if two of them had identical software installed. No telling what causes conflicts from one system to the next. Registry entries, corrupted DLLs, files with an incorrect filepath...it could be anything.

Frankly, I think a lot of it comes down to dumb luck. If you find a firewall/HIPS that works on your system, stick with it until Hell freezes over...regardless of how critical others may be in their assessment of your chosen product.

Although I've put a lot of time and effort into integrating CFP on my T43 and on a much-older desktop system, I'm seeing early signs that CFP may evolve into a "suite" product. It's one reason why I have chosen the "discrete" approach by using Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7 as opposed to Kaspersky Internet Security.

[RealBlackStuff]

OnlineArmor has been running perfectly since Saturday morning, 3 or 4 programs requested access to the internet, all were given it (and marked 'Remember my decision').
Every single program works fine, no issues with desktop icons or anything else.
Keep my fingers crossed, if it continues behaving well, a new 'star is born'.

Also, my mouse is no longer interrupted (must have been a Comodo issue).

@USSS, thanks for the regedit permissions tip, worked like a charm.


EDIT:
Somehow OA disabled my (manual) Windowsupdate. I could not log on to M$ after patch-Tuesday. I had to enter windowsupdate.microsoft.com in my Trusted Sites for IE.