Problems caused by antivirus software

Programs that scan and lock files, such as antivirus products, often cause installation and performance problems.
In some situations, antivirus software causesRICOH ProcessDirector to:
  • Fail to install.
  • Fail when running a step.
  • Experience degraded performance.
  • Block network traffic on some ports.

To prevent or resolve these issues, we recommend:

  • Disabling antivirus software during installation of the base product and any updates.

    When you install the product or any updates, we recommend disabling antivirus software on the server entirely. During the install process, various archive files (ZIP, JAR, and EPK files) are copied to your server. Then, the contents are extracted and moved to the correct directories on your system. Antivirus tools usually lock and scan files extracted from archives.

    While the lock and scan process is generally fast, the installation program runs faster. If the installer tries to unpack and move files before the scan is complete, installation errors occur and can be difficult to recover from. Disabling your antivirus software during the install process prevents these types of errors.

      Note:
    • Microsoft Defender Firewall and Microsoft Defender Antivirus are separate programs. You must disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus during the install process. Turning off Microsoft Defender Firewall does not prevent the installation issues described.
    • Microsoft Defender Antivirus must be disabled; passive mode is not sufficient to prevent install errors.
  • Excluding directories from virus scanning

    You can exclude the directories where installation files are unpacked, the database is stored, and job files are written, so you can install and run RICOH ProcessDirector without repeatedly triggering virus scans.

    Check the exclusions list in your antivirus software to ensure that these directories are present on it:

    • C:\aiw\aiw1
    • C:\Program Files\Ricoh\ProcessDirector
    • If you use DB2 as your database:
      • C:\AIWINST
      • C:\ProgramData\IBM
    • If you use a custom feature that integrates BCC software with RICOH ProcessDirector:
      • C:\BCC

If you continue to experience issues after implementing that guidance, try the following items:

  1. Verify that the excluded directories list contains the directories above.
    Automatic policy updates or installing updated antivirus software can reset the list to the default.
  2. Disable antivirus software temporarily and try the same actions in RICOH ProcessDirector that previously caused problems.

    If the actions complete successfully with antivirus software disabled, work with the system administrator of the antivirus software. Review logs and scanning configuration to find the settings that could be causing RICOH ProcessDirector to fail. Update the settings one by one and test the changes to see if the issues are resolved.

  3. If, after trying these steps, you continue to encounter issues with RICOH ProcessDirector on a server with antivirus software running, contact Ricoh support.
Parent topic: Problems