Risks and Benefits: Can I Run Avast with Smadav at the Same Time?

Smadav Softrev - Deciding can I run Avast with Smadav is a crucial security crossroad where the promise of enhanced protection meets the significant risk of system chaos. While the potential benefit of layering a specialized tool like Smadav over a comprehensive suite like Avast is alluring, it comes with a high price if done incorrectly. This definitive analysis weighs the distinct advantages against the severe hidden dangers, providing the clarity needed to make a calculated and safe decision for your digital life.

Imagine your computer is a high-security facility. You have hired a world-class security firm, Avast, to manage the entire operation. They have guards at every gate, surveillance on every corner, and an intelligence network that spans the globe. They are professional, thorough, and equipped to handle nearly any conceivable threat. Then, a local security expert, Smadav, comes highly recommended. This expert doesn't have the global reach, but they have an unparalleled, almost supernatural ability to spot a specific type of intruder common to your local area, particularly those who try to sneak in disguised as delivery personnel (the digital equivalent of USB-borne threats).

The temptation is to hire this expert on the spot. Why wouldn't you want that specialized skill added to your defenses? So you put them both on duty, simultaneously. The problem is, they haven't been trained together. They don't speak the same language. When a legitimate visitor arrives, both guards rush to interrogate them, shouting over each other, creating confusion and gridlock at the main gate. They see each other’s aggressive patrolling tactics as suspicious, leading to standoffs. The entire facility grinds to a halt. This analogy perfectly captures the core conflict, and the inherent risks, of running two antivirus programs at the same time without a clear chain of command.

The Perceived Benefit: The Allure of an Impenetrable Defense

The primary motivation behind combining Avast and Smadav is the pursuit of a layered security model. The logic is sound on the surface. No single antivirus product, no matter how reputable, can claim a 100% detection rate in every single test, every single time. Independent testing labs like AV-Comparatives and AV-TEST regularly publish reports that show minor variations in protection rates among top-tier security suites. A threat that is engineered to evade one set of detection algorithms might be caught by another. Therefore, the theory goes, what Avast might miss, Smadav will catch, creating a fail-safe system.

This benefit becomes particularly compelling when you consider Smadav’s unique specialization. While Avast is engineered to combat a broad spectrum of global threats from ransomware to spyware, Smadav carved its niche by being exceptionally effective against a different class of malware. It excels at neutralizing threats that propagate through removable media like USB flash drives, a persistent problem in many university and office environments. These often include script-based viruses, autorun worms that hide user files, and adware that other, larger antivirus engines might deem a low-priority nuisance.

For a user who frequently shares data via flash drives, Smadav feels less like a redundant security layer and more like a necessary specialist. They see Avast as the "air force," protecting them from the vast threats of the internet, while Smadav is the "bomb disposal unit," carefully inspecting every physical device plugged into their machine. This perceived benefit is powerful and is the driving force behind the question, can I run Avast with Smadav in a way that harnesses this combined power?

The Hidden Risks: A High-Stakes Gamble with Your System's Stability

While the benefits are specific and alluring, the risks are broad and potentially catastrophic. They are not minor inconveniences but fundamental threats to your computer's performance, stability, and even its security. These risks emerge when both applications are allowed to run with their real-time protection engines active.

Risk 1: Severe Performance Degradation

The most immediate and noticeable consequence of an improper dual-antivirus setup is a crippling blow to system performance. Antivirus real-time scanners are resource-intensive by nature. They must inspect files, monitor system memory, and analyze running processes constantly. When two such scanners are active, they are not just adding their resource loads together; they are actively fighting each other for the same resources.

This conflict creates a performance bottleneck that is far greater than the sum of its parts. Every time a file is accessed, your CPU has to process two separate scan requests. Your RAM has to hold two sets of virus definitions and scanning engines in memory. Most critically, your hard drive or SSD is subjected to two simultaneous read operations, which can bring file access speeds to a crawl. A 2024 analysis from cybersecurity firm Sophos noted that resource contention between security applications can lead to an exponential, not additive, increase in system load. Instead of your PC feeling a little slower, it can become virtually unusable.

Risk 2: System Instability, Freezes, and Crashes

Beyond just slowing things down, the conflict between two active real-time scanners can lead to total system instability. The two programs, in their aggressive rush to scan a file, can "lock" it simultaneously. This creates a deadlock, a digital standoff where each program is waiting for the other to release the file, a release that will never come. The result? The application you were trying to launch freezes. Your File Explorer becomes unresponsive. In the worst-case scenario, the entire operating system can crash, leading to the infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). You sought more security, but what you got was a computer that is too unstable to use.

Risk 3: The Security Paradox of False Positives

Perhaps the most ironic and dangerous risk is that your security tools will identify each other as a threat. A modern antivirus operates by hooking deep into the operating system and manipulating files and processes, behaviors that are, on the surface, indistinguishable from the actions of a sophisticated virus.

Avast’s behavioral shield may observe Smadav’s kernel-level activity and flag it as a potential rootkit. In response, it might attempt to quarantine or delete Smadav’s core files, effectively disabling your secondary protection. Conversely, Smadav might view Avast’s constant file scanning as a ransomware-like activity and try to block it. This infighting between your protectors creates a chaotic environment and, critically, can open up gaping holes in your defense as the two programs neutralize each other, leaving you more vulnerable than before.

The Verdict: A Calculated Decision Reserved for the Tech-Savvy

So, after weighing the specialized benefits against the severe risks, is it worth it? The answer is clear: for the overwhelming majority of users, no, it is not. The potential for crippling performance issues, system crashes, and security conflicts far outweighs the niche benefit of a secondary scanner, especially when a single, high-quality suite like Avast already provides multi-layered protection that includes behavioral analysis and USB scanning.

However, for a small subset of advanced users and IT professionals, there is a viable path. The benefits of Smadav's specialized toolkit can be safely accessed if, and only if, the risks are completely neutralized through meticulous configuration. This is not a recommendation, but a clarification for those who understand the technology involved.

The only safe way to run Avast and Smadav together is to ensure only one of them provides real-time protection. Avast must be configured as the primary, always-on antivirus. Smadav, in turn, must be demoted to a manual, on-demand scanner by completely disabling its real-time protection features in its settings. This transforms it from a conflicting guard into a passive tool that you can manually deploy to scan a specific USB drive when you deem it necessary. This configuration eliminates the resource conflicts and stability issues, but it requires a user who is diligent and knowledgeable enough to manage it correctly.

Ultimately, modern cybersecurity is about smart, efficient, and stable protection. The goal should not be to collect the most security tools, but to deploy a single, robust, and unified defense. For nearly everyone, that means choosing one excellent antivirus and letting it do its job, unimpeded.