Yet another Access Connections problem

[shamrin]

I started a thread a while back about a problem with TAC disconnecting after going on battery power. It looks like we have found the answer to that one. Alas, I am now experiencing a new problem that seems to be unrelated (is this software really on version 4.X?)

Just recently, AcSvc.exe has decided that it wants 100% CPU for about 1 second every 5 seconds or so. Apparently, it's not coded to use both CPUs in the dual core, so I still have 50% left, but this is obviously not normal. Moreover, after rebooting for the first few minutes it takes a constant 100% of one of the CPUs. A third aspect of this problem is if I click on the TAC icon in the taskbar, the usage goes to 100% for about 25-30 seconds while I wait for the little menu to appear (which then puts the splash screen up for another 30 seconds before the control screens are available).

I have done the power fixes from the other thread and I have even reinstalled TAC with no positive result. Anyone seen this problem or have any thoughts on a fix?

/sch

[shamrin]

OK, solved my own problem here but I'll be darned if I know what was happening. It seems that AVG 7.5, the anti-virus program from Grisoft was the culprit. I uninstalled it and the problem cleared up entirely.

I guess the easiest thing is to find another free AV, but I would still be interested to know if anyone has faced this problem and solved it. I had been using Comodo AV with no problems, but took it off as it seems to be in permanent Beta.

/sch

[GomJabbar]

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 728#230728

[shamrin]

Doh! Thanks, I did do a search but missed this. Looks like the problem is either:

1) Uninstalling one AV then reinstalling some other AVs, e.g., CA and AVG or
2) Random corruption of the TAC profiles caused by installing an AV (may or may not be AV - specific)

and the fix is either:

a) Uninstall TAC including all profiles and then reinstall or
b) Uninstall TAC and give up or
c) Change to a different AV (this is untested)

At least there is comfort in shared misery.

/sch

[GomJabbar]

Personally, I suspect the problem may be AV specific. I could be wrong though.

[shamrin]

Well, if it is AV-specific, it is so in a weird way. I note in the other thread that two of us have problems with AVG and TAC, but another user states he has no such problem with the combo.

/sch

[pinesol]

Well, if it is AV-specific, it is so in a weird way. I note in the other thread that two of us have problems with AVG and TAC, but another user states he has no such problem with the combo.

/sch

I would like to add my observation to this thread.

I have a T60 and AVG Free installed on it. I've not observed any problem like the one mentioned above. I hope it will help you in some way.

[GomJabbar]

I retract my earlier post above re: AV specific. It appears it's not AVG or perhaps CA antivirus that cause the problem in themselves. It could be the antivirus settings that the user chooses to make, or the version level of the antivirus software. Or it could have something to do with which is installed first, Access Connections or the antivirus software, or even the wireless driver software. To my knowledge this problem has only been reported with AVG and CA antivirus software, but maybe other users with this problem have not chimed in yet. Perhaps there is even a third piece of software that is interacting with both Access Connections and the AV software. To date, this is all speculation without more data.

[shamrin]

It kind of makes you wonder what the heck Access Connections (or these AVs) is doing though doesn't it? One is a piece of software that should be resetting your communications parameters, the other one looking at files that are accessed. The two should be orthogonal. Unless...what about email scanning? This might try and insert itself into the communications path. Maybe I'll try reinstalling AVG and then shut down the email scanner (which I had previously done in the working Comodo).

/sch

[GomJabbar]

Interesting that you should say that. I discovered last year that Cingular Communcation Manager's ByteMobile accelation client was incompatible with Norton AV email scanning. I could not download my POP3 email with email scanning turned on in Norton AV. I did not even have to have Cingular Communication Manager (ByteMobile) running to have the problem. Just by having CCM with Bytemobile on my system prevented me from downloading POP3 email unless Norton AV email scanning was turned off. Fortunately, I was able to uninstall just the ByteMobile acceleration client and the problem was solved. Later I ditched CCM for other communication software to use with my WWAN card.

[shamrin]

Well, I did some testing today and the problem isn't email, it's AVG's resident scanner. If you don't install the email plug-in you still get the same problem, but if you simply turn off resident scanning, the problem goes away.

I'm giving up on figuring this out. One last interesting thing though is that both of us who have written about the problem here SWITCHED AVs. I wondered for a while if there was some remnant of the first AV interfering with the second and then with TAC. I ran Comodo's special unistaller program, but that didn't help. So the best I can say conclusively is that it seems to be AVG 7.5 and something.

/sch

[Ken Fox]

Well, I did some testing today and the problem isn't email, it's AVG's resident scanner. If you don't install the email plug-in you still get the same problem, but if you simply turn off resident scanning, the problem goes away.

I'm giving up on figuring this out. One last interesting thing though is that both of us who have written about the problem here SWITCHED AVs. I wondered for a while if there was some remnant of the first AV interfering with the second and then with TAC. I ran Comodo's special unistaller program, but that didn't help. So the best I can say conclusively is that it seems to be AVG 7.5 and something.

/sch

I am using the current version of AVG on my X60, with all default settings including resident scanning. I recently uninstalled the communications card drivers and AC, then reinstalled the new wifi drivers then AC. It has worked just fine with no issues for 4 days now.

[shamrin]

OK, sorry to prattle on about this, but I now have a few more datapoints and a workaround for this pathetic bloody defect in Access Connections (no, I'm not frustrated, why do you ask?)

Installed F-Secure this time and got the machine pretty much locked up - sluggish to the extent of uselessness. I noticed that TAC and F-Secure were taking most of the cycles and that the disk was constantly being accessed. Using Systinternals Filemon, I found that TAC was reading and writing to a file called C:\Program Files\Thinkpad\ConnectUtilities\AccConnAdvanced.html. Low and behold this file is pretty big - 3M and there is an archive version of that is 10M. It is some kind of log, but the entries meant nothing to me and I can't find any reference to it anywhere on The Google. However, when I tell F-Secure to ignore any activity in that folder - poof! the problem disappears.

Now of course that fix puts a tiny little hole in my virus protection, but it would probably take the NSA or Russian Mafia to exploit it and I'm sure they already have my stuff anyway ([censored] the lot of them) so this seems like a pretty reasonable workaround. So, if anyone else who is experiencing this problem would like to verify the workaround, be my guest.

Oh, one last thing is that this file is filled with a lot of references to Atheros, so I'm a little suspicious of something there, but I haven't the foggiest idea what.

/sch

[morgie]

So the fix here should be to turn logging off in Access Connections - that should stop AccConnAdvanced.html being written too, and hence stop your virus scanner scanning it. Here's how:

(Open Access Connections, Tools menu, select Diagnostics and then click the Event Log tab…it should be disabled).

Have people had this issue from fresh installs of AC, upgrades or reinstalls?? Wondering if there's any pattern.

[Smanux]

Same issue here with AVG and TAC heating 100% of a core on a T60p. Turning off the logging solved the issue. This was also preventing the opening of the battery monitor (Fn+F3) and the monitor manager (Fn+F7).

[shepseskaf]

In my opinion AVG is a piece of junk. I had it installed a few years ago and it caused similar problems to the ones noted here. After uninstallation, the issues disappeared.

If you want an effective, unintrusive free anti-virus program, try Avira AntiVir Personal Edition Classic. It works perfectly, with absolutely no problems, other than a minor updating glitch every now and then.

Site: http://www.free-av.com/