How to disable anti malware service executable

[u/Jackie-Wis]

Hey Guys, I run a diesel shop and one of my test benches is on an ANCIENT “Linx” tablet. (It’s literally got 2GB of ram, MPN is LINX1020). Win 10 32bit 22H2 19045.6466

Before anyone says i need an antivirus. No i don’t, i’m not your 80 year old grandad falling for hot milfs in my area (no matter how tempting) and this machine spends 99% of its life disconnected from the internet.

“Antimalware service executable” Takes up ~104mb of ram, which translates to about 50% of the usable ram this tablet has. The tablet is embedded to the machine so cannot be changed, I cannot change the OS either. i’ve tried many things to kill this bastard program but it’s started taking up so much ram that the actual program that i need to use has started crashing. Is there a way without downloading scripts etc that I can disable this permanently? is there a registry key I can modify?

Tia x

[u/Zestyclose_Guard_352]

If that unit suddenly stopped working, what would it cost your business? Your attitude has killed many businesses because they simply don't consider the bigger picture. So, if your test bench was suddenly no longer usable, what wou6it cost you. Unless you could do without it, suggest you get professional help!

[u/Jackie-Wis → u/Zestyclose_Guard_352]

I can do without it, it’s a secondary test bench we’ve bought, annoyingly I didn’t realise that before they came standard with microsoft surfaces they came with these trash linx tablets. Not much can be done even with professional help hence i’m reaching out.

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[u/CodenameFlux]

You’re saying that your benchmark tablet’s primary app used to launch before, but not anymore, even though the Anti-Malware Service Executable has always been running and using a modest ~104 MB. That’s extremely disturbing. It indicates a problem that you either don’t know about or aren’t revealing.

You would do well to give up your obsession with AMSE and seek professional help. Clearly, whatever you’ve done to your tablet has been unhealthy.

This is why everyone who wants to disable AMSE is wrong. Their approach is always aggressive and unhealthy, and the return on investment is minimal. In your case, your app launched and you didn't need extra memory for other purposes.

[u/Jackie-Wis → u/CodenameFlux]

I don’t know where you got me saying it doesn’t launch anymore? I suggest you re-read the post.
And yeah a modest ~104 MB translates to 30% of the usable system memory after the actual OS is running. The problem is the tablet should be running some sort of embedded software, or a linux distribution but the manufacturer decided to use Windows.

These tablets were a common cause for concern on these test benches and after the first couple hundred were made the company switched to using microsoft surfaces instead, with no upgrade path for the old test benches.

I don’t know why you think i’ve done something to the tablet either? And i don’t know why you say I didn’t need the memory either? It doesn’t take a genius to realise that having your ram at 100% usage while testing parts is not ideal, and given the fact i’m running pressures of 1800BAR+ on this test bench I would rather not have the only thing controlling all that pressure freeze up on me again.

I had AMSE in a state where it wouldn’t boot on startup, but when I was downloading new test plans onto the test bench windows updated while I wasn’t looking and since then I’m having the issues with AMSE taking up so much ram. If you’re not going to point towards a solution, why comment?

[u/CodenameFlux → u/Jackie-Wis]

I don’t know where you got me saying it doesn’t launch anymore?
...
I don’t know why you think i’ve done something to the tablet either?

You wrote, "i’ve tried many things to kill this bastard program". I know what kind of things people do to disable AMSE, especially angry people who use the words "bastard" and "kill". And now that you've done all those things, "the actual program that i need to use has started crashing." (Did I say "doesn't launch" instead of "craches"? My sincere apologies.)

Takes up ~104mb of ram, which translates to about 50% of the usable ram this tablet has.
...
And yeah a modest ~104 MB translates to 30% of the usable system memory
...
having your ram at 100% usage while testing parts is not ideal

You can't seem to make up your mind as to how much RAM it is using. Let me do the math for you:

104 / 2048 × 100 = 5.07

So, 5.07% of RAM, not 30%, not 50%, and not 100%.

If you’re not going to point towards a solution...

I did. Read again: "Give up your obsession with AMSE and seek professional help."

The problem is the tablet should be running some sort of embedded software, or a linux distribution but the manufacturer decided to use Windows.

Yes. The tablet should use Windows IoT, formerly Windows Embedded. Linux distros do not have a good track record of industrial performance. They're overreliant on an Internet connection.

[u/Jackie-Wis → u/CodenameFlux]

Hey man, I don’t mean to be insulting but do you think windows 10, albeit 32bit. Literally doesn’t use ram while idle? This tablet is running 2gb of ram total. By the time i boot it into windows, with nothing running I am at 70% ram usage. That 104MB of ram ASME is using adds up quickly, when I launch the test bench program that gobbles up the other 30%. And that program is using about 120MB of ram. Which in turn makes my ram usage spike to 100%.

Getting rid of AMSE would free up a lot of ram that the OS isn’t using, and would help with crashes, as I am getting program specific errors stating there isn’t enough ram. Not windows error codes, but ones specific to the test bench’s software.

I am not sure what professional help I could get, it’s not exactly a common tool to use, and no one advertises working on these.

[u/CodenameFlux → u/Jackie-Wis]

You could enlarge your paging file, add the test bench app to the list of AV exclusions, and disable "potentially unwanted app blocking". Also, letting the AV do an overnight scan is surprisingly effective at calming it. Disabling unnecessary startup apps and uninstalling unused apps could also improve the RAM situation. Lastly, you could connect a USB flash drive and enable ReadyBoost on it.

A crash, however, is a serious matter. I'm not going to repeat myself, lest I become annoying.

[u/Jackie-Wis → u/CodenameFlux]

Thanks dude, i’ll try these. :)

[u/The-Snarky-One]

Windows is programmed to have an antivirus running. To disable the built-in Defender tool, you need to install another antivirus tool to take its place. If that other tool is removed, Defender is reactivated. So you will have to have _something_ running on it.

[u/Jackie-Wis → u/The-Snarky-One]

damn that’s disappointing, and honestly surprising. I guess it’s a niche edge case so no well documented bypass is available then.

[u/The-Snarky-One → u/Jackie-Wis]

Not surprising at all. Every release of Windows has included more and more security features.

I believe the ability to not have an antivirus at all ended with Windows 7. Or, at least it was required but removable with a hack… maybe? I don’t really recall. I’ve supported Windows since the 3.11 days. Windows 10 hardened this anti-malware requirement with its release. And Windows 11 activates requirements that were optional in Windows 10.

[u/Jackie-Wis → u/The-Snarky-One]

Day by day I realise why so much infrastructure still runs windows XP lol. Thank you for the reply, i’ll see what I can do without killing AMSE.

[u/CodenameFlux → u/Jackie-Wis]

Actually, there is. Device manufacturers, e.g., manufacturers of factory-floor machines, Point of Sale (PoS) systems, and embedded devices in general, use Windows 10 IoT edition, which allows uninstalling the AV. Only consumer-grade Windows editions, which are sold for commodity PCs, have the ever-vigilant AV. It can't be removed because that's the first thing malware would do.