Symantec and the number of files

Symantec and the number of files
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Subject Author Date
Symantec and the number of files Matt Silberstein 10-20-2005
Posted by Matt Silberstein on October 20, 2005, 4:42 pm
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As I wrote in another post I just got this virus warning from google.
So I decided to scan a few folders. I first scanned windows, no
problem. Then application data (to get email), no problems. Then
Program Files (I run XP). I am currently using Norton Anti-Virus. The
scan was taking awhile (not longer than expected, just long enough for
me to get bored), so I decided to check how many files I had in
Program Files to estimate time to completion. The properties window
from File Manager told me I had about 65k files in the folder.
Interestingly enough Norton at that time told me it was scanning file
# 90k. By the time it was done it had found some 150k files. To check,
I asked another program to analyze the folder and it told me it had
about 73k files.

I would think that something like file count would be relatively well
defined. If anything I would expect the anti-virus to skip something.
Is it counting something other than files? If no, can anyone explain
this rather significant difference? (The difference between 65k and
73k does not really bother me.)


--
Matt Silberstein

Do something today about the Darfur Genocide

Genocide is news | Be A Witness
http://www.beawitness.org

"Darfur: A Genocide We can Stop"
www.darfurgenocide.org

Save Darfur.org :: Violence and Suffering in Sudan's Darfur Region
http://www.savedarfur.org/


Posted by Ken Ward on October 21, 2005, 6:31 am
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On Thu, 20 Oct 2005 16:42:37 GMT, Matt Silberstein

>As I wrote in another post I just got this virus warning from google.
>So I decided to scan a few folders. I first scanned windows, no
>problem. Then application data (to get email), no problems. Then
>Program Files (I run XP). I am currently using Norton Anti-Virus. The
>scan was taking awhile (not longer than expected, just long enough for
>me to get bored), so I decided to check how many files I had in
>Program Files to estimate time to completion. The properties window
>from File Manager told me I had about 65k files in the folder.
>Interestingly enough Norton at that time told me it was scanning file
># 90k. By the time it was done it had found some 150k files. To check,
>I asked another program to analyze the folder and it told me it had
>about 73k files.
>
>I would think that something like file count would be relatively well
>defined. If anything I would expect the anti-virus to skip something.
>Is it counting something other than files? If no, can anyone explain
>this rather significant difference? (The difference between 65k and
>73k does not really bother me.)
It should be counting each file it examines inside zip & cab files, as
well as the normal files. If you have a number of patches to your OS,
then you will have quite a number of cab files, each of which in turn
can have many hundreds of compressed files. Generally, you can tell
when it is doing compressed files & normal files - the counter ticks
over rapidly for normal files, but jumps in blocks for compressed
files. I think it only reports the increases after it has done the
whole archive.


Posted by Matt Silberstein on October 21, 2005, 10:57 am
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On Fri, 21 Oct 2005 06:31:43 GMT, in alt.computer.security , Ken Ward

>On Thu, 20 Oct 2005 16:42:37 GMT, Matt Silberstein
>
>>As I wrote in another post I just got this virus warning from google.
>>So I decided to scan a few folders. I first scanned windows, no
>>problem. Then application data (to get email), no problems. Then
>>Program Files (I run XP). I am currently using Norton Anti-Virus. The
>>scan was taking awhile (not longer than expected, just long enough for
>>me to get bored), so I decided to check how many files I had in
>>Program Files to estimate time to completion. The properties window
>>from File Manager told me I had about 65k files in the folder.
>>Interestingly enough Norton at that time told me it was scanning file
>># 90k. By the time it was done it had found some 150k files. To check,
>>I asked another program to analyze the folder and it told me it had
>>about 73k files.
>>
>>I would think that something like file count would be relatively well
>>defined. If anything I would expect the anti-virus to skip something.
>>Is it counting something other than files? If no, can anyone explain
>>this rather significant difference? (The difference between 65k and
>>73k does not really bother me.)
>It should be counting each file it examines inside zip & cab files, as
>well as the normal files. If you have a number of patches to your OS,
>then you will have quite a number of cab files, each of which in turn
>can have many hundreds of compressed files. Generally, you can tell
>when it is doing compressed files & normal files - the counter ticks
>over rapidly for normal files, but jumps in blocks for compressed
>files. I think it only reports the increases after it has done the
>whole archive.

<head slap>
Of course. Should have thought of that. Thanks. I wasn't worried, but
it seemed odd. I guess it wasn't.




--
Matt Silberstein

Do something today about the Darfur Genocide

Genocide is news | Be A Witness
http://www.beawitness.org

"Darfur: A Genocide We can Stop"
www.darfurgenocide.org

Save Darfur.org :: Violence and Suffering in Sudan's Darfur Region
http://www.savedarfur.org/


Posted by Donnie on October 22, 2005, 11:07 pm
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> As I wrote in another post I just got this virus warning from google.
> So I decided to scan a few folders. I first scanned windows, no
> problem. Then application data (to get email), no problems. Then
> Program Files (I run XP). I am currently using Norton Anti-Virus. The
> scan was taking awhile (not longer than expected, just long enough for
> me to get bored), so I decided to check how many files I had in
> Program Files to estimate time to completion. The properties window
> from File Manager told me I had about 65k files in the folder.
> Interestingly enough Norton at that time told me it was scanning file
> # 90k. By the time it was done it had found some 150k files. To check,
> I asked another program to analyze the folder and it told me it had
> about 73k files.
>
> I would think that something like file count would be relatively well
> defined. If anything I would expect the anti-virus to skip something.
> Is it counting something other than files? If no, can anyone explain
> this rather significant difference? (The difference between 65k and
> 73k does not really bother me.)
>
>
> --
> Matt Silberstein
>
###############################
Get rid of Norton and any other Symantec product that's on your PC. Norton
causes more problems than it's worth.
donnie.




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