IT dept has Norton Corp Antivirus scan all files, Bad?

We have Norton Corp Antivirus running on all the computers here, and it scans all file types. There is no way for me to disable it, or to stop it from scanning SW files. Are we taking a big performance hit by letting the AV scan all files?
If anyone knows a goood benchmark I can run, please post. I would love to benchmark different computers we have to see which is faster, and also compare them to other SW users. Is there such a thing?

You're taking a huge performance hit. I've seen speed for just opening files more than double by turning this off. Is it scanning local files or just network files?
Of course SW files can contain viruses. I've never seen it done, but it's theoretically possible and just a matter of time until someone with nothing better to do tries it. There's nothing to worry about if you create all your own files. but if you take files from others, there's that risk.
  Quoted Text Here  

matt, i guess its scanning network and local files. We use Smarteam, so it first copies all the files from a server to your c: drive. After this is complete, it opens the files in SolidWorks. I wonder if its scanning the files twice?
I guess Ill try to convince someone in ITS to exclude Solidworks files from the "real-time scanning" list.

  Quoted Text Here  
A good way to handle it is to approach it as a test. Once the IT folks see what a difference it makes, sometimes they will relent. Maybe they could incorporate the AV scan as part of the ST check in.

Are you sure you can't turn it off? Most AV has a file extension exclusion list for example with Symantec AntiVirus for solidworks files you add exclude "SLD?" to the list. We did this and saw about 40% increase in network transfers and we leave all files on the network drive.
Corey

Well, that was shot down pretty quick. I talked to our IT dept, and they said they cant do it. It is possible to exclude certain filetypes with Norton AV, but they dont want to do this. They said since the files are going back and fourth from my computer to the network, they dont want to risk possibly infecting the network if my computer was infected.
That being said, I figured this would happen. Its next to impossible to get stuff like this changed.
Can anyone point me to a list of "performance improvements" for SolidWorks? Im trying to figure out the best options/settings to work with (arent we all...)

Did you try doing a performance comparison. 40 to 50% improvement on assemblies that take minutes to load is quite a difference. Figure out how much extra time you spend in a week a month a year because of a 200% increase due to AV software unnecessarily scanning files that have a next to nill chance of ever getting a virus Do a week study on how long you are waiting on saves and Opening files then get IT to do a side by side comparison with a larger assembly one with the AV scanning the files and one without then submit the findings to upper management. Besides if your AV software is up to date with the AV software of the server you have just as much chance of infecting the files with or without it. A virus can't inffect a file if it isn't running. Though you might have to be careful with downloads and e-mail files.

SW Monkey wrote:
  Quoted Text Here  
They justify their unwillingness to research this and claim they are being cautious. It is a VERY minor thing to change this in Norton. There are many file extensions that can be safely disabled and should be for performance. SolidWorks files are not executables.

We attempted to turn our scans off, but our IT dept has "locked" all settings from us the users. We had them before exclude all part, assy, and drawing files from the scans. The AV was set up to scan on open, and close....why... I do not know! When we went to 2005, our IT dept reformatted all HD's. I was noticing a major slow down from 2004......who didnt!?! I got to poking around looking at what "Godware" had been put on, and stumbled into the AV settings, which, had been reverted back to scanning all file types, on open and close! Our IT locked all the settings down so they cant be changed! Wonderful!! I am in the process of trying to get him to let his thumb up off us a little and to stop scanning our solidworks files!
mrcswp at gmail dot com

Sorry to weigh in so late in the game.
Found this blog while searching for information on what to exclude from realtime scanners, with regard to Solidworks files, in order to help out our CAD guys. I feel that IT is a "support" function, and Engineering or Design staff, are basically my "customers". While I feel that it is best to be proactive and open to create the best working environment for the organization, I also understand that not all "IT" are created equal. Sympathy for those with "shortsighted" or "narrow-minded" IT staff (which may be all to common).
Anyway, information about what exactly to exlude from realtime and scheduled scans, is ambiguous.
If Anti-malware realtime scanners can seriously impact stability and performance of Solidworks, where are the recommendations from Solidworks Corp, on what should be excluded from an Antivirus realtime scan? I would like to help, but cannot effectively apply exclusions, without legitimate, exact filenames, process names, paths, etc.
Additionally, from an IT perspective, Antivirus scanners are necessary because some ill-reputes decided to ruin everyone's lives, by creating malware in the first place. If you need to be upset at someone, why not the !@#$%& virus authors!
Antivirus is also not necessarily mandated by IT (although it is obviously the correct choice), but rather by the business itself. IT is tasked with providing adequate protection of and ensure compliance for, critical data and elecronic operations, necessary for the business.
Can anyone provide detailed information about what exactly to add to realtime scan exlusions? I've already added .SLDDRW, .SLDPRT, and .SLDASM's. Are there exe's, or working or temp directory paths also??
Hoping to help out...
-- Message posted using http://www.talkaboutcad.com/group/comp.cad.solidworks / More information at http://www.talkaboutcad.com/faq.html

sieg heil, asshole!
virus authors!
  Quoted Text Here  

Sorry to weigh in so late in the game.
Found this blog while searching for information on what to exclude from realtime scanners, with regard to Solidworks files, in order to help out our CAD guys. I feel that IT is a "support" function, and Engineering or Design staff, are basically my "customers". While I feel that it is best to be proactive and open to create the best working environment for the organization, I also understand that not all "IT" are created equal. Sympathy for those with "shortsighted" or "narrow-minded" IT staff (which may be all to common).
Anyway, information about what exactly to exlude from realtime and scheduled scans, is ambiguous.
If Anti-malware realtime scanners can seriously impact stability and performance of Solidworks, where are the recommendations from Solidworks Corp, on what should be excluded from an Antivirus realtime scan? I would like to help, but cannot effectively apply exclusions, without legitimate, exact filenames, process names, paths, etc.
Additionally, from an IT perspective, Antivirus scanners are necessary because some ill-reputes decided to ruin everyone's lives, by creating malware in the first place. If you need to be upset at someone, why not the !@#$%& virus authors!
Antivirus is also not necessarily mandated by IT (although it is obviously the correct choice), but rather by the business itself. IT is tasked with providing adequate protection of and ensure compliance for, critical data and elecronic operations, necessary for the business.
Can anyone provide detailed information about what exactly to add to realtime scan exlusions? I've already added .SLDDRW, .SLDPRT, and .SLDASM's. Are there exe's, or working or temp directory paths also??
Hoping to help out...
-- Message posted using http://www.talkaboutcad.com/group/comp.cad.solidworks / More information at http://www.talkaboutcad.com/faq.html

If they are worried, get them to just scan, when the files are written, not read. This will improve the time , when getting your files from the server. If there is a virus in a file, it is too late, once it is on ther server, lol, no need to scan when reading your files from the server.
  Quoted Text Here  

I understand 100% what you are saying. Its probably almost impossible to get a virus spread thru a sldxxx file, but its not easy to convince our IT dept. For one thing, I feel like they think they know it all (which is probably a common thing). All of the options on the AV are disabled (greyed out), so its probably a network admin only function to change them. Anyone know a way I could shutdown the entire program, since doing a "end task" on it will not work.
If I can do this, and do a time trial like CS stated, then I would have something to show to my manager, otherwise im working on a "I think it might help".
Thanks for the responses, but everything we do here gets the question "Will it make us money?" Which is a good thing. So I have to have some type of proof to get it done.

We are having a similar problem, only with McAfee and Solid Edge. It is causing assemblies to take anywhere from 2-3 times longer to open because it is scanning all the component parts. The setting is "Scan all files for macro viruses". Like you, our settings are set corporately by IT and they will not turn it off, however if we could exclude them, they would, but this particular option does not use the exclusion list.
Ken
  Quoted Text Here  

From somewhere else that uses Norton AV Corp( small business addition to be exact, virtually the same AFAIK) I can tell you that not scanning the Solidworks files will make big difference. I never timed it, but you don't need to, opening a large assembly you can see the difference.
The files could also be getting scanned twice if you are working off a network drive. The server can also be set to run Auto-Protect.
Good luck with you IT Dept.
On 13 Apr 2005 05:57:17 -0700, "SW Monkey"
  Quoted Text Here  
AC
To reply via email remove all numbers from address

Start, settings, remove program, this will close it down for good, lol
You might be able to start in safe mode, and disable it from there, don't forget to restart, for solidworks. Another way, is to stop all running processes, (in windows task manager), that relate to the antivirus program.
  Quoted Text Here