MediaPortal Wiki > MediaPortal 1 > Preparing Your System > Anti-Virus Settings

Anti-Virus Settings

Was this page helpful?

1. 1.1. Free virus scanners
2. Why do I need to worry about Anti-Virus Settings?
3. Web Access
4. Using Anti-Virus Software
1. 4.1. Excluding folders
5. Make your Anti-Virus Software 'silent'
1. 1. 5.1.1. Avira AntiVir Personal

Free virus scanners

For personal use, you don't have to pay in order to get a really good virus scanner. Here are a few good ones:

There is some controversy among MediaPortal users about whether or not to use Anti-Virus software on your MediaPortal PC.

Why do I need to worry about Anti-Virus Settings?

Are you serious? Don't you remember the days when Anti-Virus software interfered with everything? Even today, Anti-Virus software often works on the kernel side and it can hog your CPU on a much higher priority than even Windows Task Manager. So, if you want to be sure no frames are dropped and you get the best media playback possible, then it is best not to use Anti-Virus software.

However, what happens if you use your PC for web access?

Web Access

Most web access performed by MediaPortal or extensions, such as data and image scraping, or 'phoning home' should be safe. In this case a firewall, ad blocker and even ideally using NAT (Network Address Translation) in your router, should provide you enough protection and still ensure top quality playback.

However, if you use browser plugins, or surf the net on the same PC, then you will likely wish some protection against possible viruses and malware.

Using Anti-Virus Software

OK, so you really need protection and your media playback is good enough. What settings should you use?

Disable Heuristics
Exclude folders or directories (see Virus Scanners below):

media drives
SQL/MySQL folders
TV Recording folders
Timeshfting folders

Excluding folders

A virus scanner will check a file for viruses every time it is accessed. During recording or time shifting, the files in the recording or time shifting folders, which you assigned in TV Server Configuration, are constantly changed.

The constant scanning by virus scanners will impair the system performance and may cause stuttering or jolting in the viewed and recorded file. To avoid this problem the directory should be excluded from virus scanning.

Example: If you set your recording directory to D:\recordings\ you should exclude that directory from scanning. Please read your scanners manual to learn how to do this.

Note: Some Anti-Virus software will not allow you to exclude folders. In this case you need to exclude by program or file extension.

If your Anti-Virus Software allows excluding running programs then MediaPortal.exe, Mtn.exe and TvService.exe should be excluded.

Make your Anti-Virus Software 'silent'

Most Anti-Virus Software displays information about status, like updates or weekly security scans. When watching media files this is mostly disturbing. Look at your configuration in your Anti-Virus Software and switch off all options for reporting status information. Often they have balloon tips for information about status. But don't deactivate the options for a positive find of a virus.

Avira AntiVir Personal

Click in Configuration on General and Warnings. Here you can deactivate the options for balloon tips.

To deactivate AVNotify you must use the local security policy (it is only available on Win Pro / Enterprise / Ultimate). You have to add a new Software Restriction Policy and put a new path rule with the AVNotify.exe in the installation directory.

Tag page (Edit tags)