People, attention here:

I have been running hours of tests with Nero 6.3.0 and can 100% CONFIRM the following:

There is a memory management BUG, in Nero (Tested 6.3.0 /6.2.8 / 5.5.10.54) OR IN Auto-Protect-Norton Antivirus 2004 Professional when both are working at the same time. It is impossible for me to know at the momment which of these 2 is the source of the problem.

Problem description:

There is an extremely high memory use (physical RAM) when working in Nero and NAV 2004 Auto-Protect is ENABLED. This is notorious when working with large files (tested with 700MB files and up, from various types).
This abnormal memory use is so huge that the system becomes very unresponsive when the available memory drops under the 200MB limit.
This problem can be unique to the Liteon LDW-811S OR NOT, I have not tested with another drive yet. I will test with my old Liteon LTR-24102B and post later.

I would like to make a call for others to run these easy test for we can confirm if this is a general issue or a particular problem for this combination of hardware+software.

Sympthoms and a sure and easy way to reproduce the problem:

1. For having a clean test enviroment it is recommended to resrart Windows and close all the background applications, exept NAV.
2. Be sure that NAV Auto-Protect is active and running.
3. Open Task manager
4. In the Performance Tab look under Physical Memory and note how much available memory you have (I use to have arround 655304K (650M, arround 60% of all my physical memory) when I have just started Windows).
5. Open Nero
6. Make a new compilation. It can be CD or DVD. I have used "No multisession" in all the tests. All the other compilation options have been left as default.
7. Put some files in the compilation (big files spot the problem easier) I use files of 700MB and up, if you are using a CD put a single 700MB file, it is enough.
8. Go to "burn compilation" and in the "burn" tab choose between any of the options that are there, YOU DON'T NEED TO BURN A DISC FOR TESTING THIS, the problem is visible using "Determine Maximun Speed", "Simulation" or "write". It doesn't matter if you use "Track at once" or "Disk at once". You can use any speed that you like, I use to test with the hightest one, but it is the same even at 8X (CD) and 2X (DVD).
9. Click BURN and have an eye in the "Available" value in the Task manager.
10. Here is where you can spot the problem:

- If NAV 2004 Auto-Protect is enabled: You will see how the available physical memory starts to drop dramatically and continuosly, becoming the situation very critical after some time (in my case it use to drop until I am left only with 190MB of RAM free). This process is not inmediate, it is a secuential droping that goes hand to hand with the Nero work %. You will notice that when Nero is ready "burning", "simulating" or "determining maximun speed" the huge memory use will be released and available memory will come back to a normal level. If you are testing with a DVD compilation with more than one file, you will notice that the memory is released inmediatly after Nero is ready working with each file, and the process starts again (available memory level drop) with the next file, and so on until Nero finishes the job.

- If NAV 2004 Auto-Protect is disabled: You will see how the available phisycal memory stays steady without any abrupt changes. In my system the available counter stays constant arround 620-630MB. THIS INDICATES THE CORRECT WAY TO WORK FOR ANY PROGRAM that is behaving ok.

This is my relevant system configuration:

-Asus P4C800 Deluxe board (Last BIOS)
-Intel P4 3Ghz Hyper Threading enabled.
-1GB Corsair Twinx DDR400 CAS2 RAM memory (2x512MB)
-Hercules ATI Radeon 9800 PRO 128MB with official Catalyst 3.9
-120GB Western Digital P-ATA/100 Hard Disk (MASTER S-ATA PORT)
-Liteon LDW-811S DVDRW burner HS0E firmware (last) (MASTER IDE 1)
-Pioneer DVD-106 DVD drive (MASTER IDE 0)
-Windows XP Pro SP-1 english totally updated (Note: I am not on SP-1a, I preffer SP-1 for the MS Java virtual machine, but this must not have anything to do with this issue).
-Nero version: 6.3.0, 6.2.8 and 5.5.10.54. Tried with all these options without any changes in the test results:
*Ultra buffer: Auto
*Ultra Buffer: Manual - 80MB (this is the default in manual mode)
*In compilation options / Misc: "Cache files from disk and network" On and OFF, "Cache files smaller than" On and OFF
-NAV: NAV 2004 Professional totally updated (19 dic 2003). Note: For updating totally NAV you must run LivUpdate Manually, restart the machine and run it again, this process must be done several times until you get the "Your product is up to date" message.
-NAV Autoprotect options have been tested with different configurations without any changes to the test results:
*The defaults: Comprehensive file scanning
*Scan files using Smartscan: The extension MP* was deleted and none of the files been tested were inside the extension list, with this they suposse to not been scanned by NAV.
*Scan compressed archives was ON.
-Open programs when screenshoots were taken:
*NAV (in tray) Auto protect ON
*Task Manager

Tests run:

With DVD-R / DVD+R:
Disc: Fortis DVD-R 2X, Ricoh DVD+R 4X
ISO Compilation
Determine maximun speed at 4X
Simulation at 4X
Write at 2X
File types: 700MB and up. AVI, MPG, GHO (ghost images)

CD-R:
Discs: 700MB CD-R
ISO Compilation DAO / TAO
Determine Maximun speed at 40X
Simulaation at 40X and 8X
Write at 40X and 8X

Facts:

1. The speed in what you are burning or simulating doesn't matter.
2. It doesn't matter if test is done in DAO or TAO.
3. ALWAYS making the test with NAV Autoprotect DISABLED from the tasktray (right click in NAV tasktray icon / Disable Auto-Protect solved the problem, presenteing normal memory use.
4. CPU use is not affected, neither Nero's or another program's memory use in the Task Manager Processes page.

I hope more pepole can run some of these tests and post here. This is of great interest because both programs are quite popular.

Thank you for your collaboration.

At this same momment I am testing the combination of Nero 6.3 with NAV 2004 in another drive, the Liteon LTR 24102B. I have to report that the problem persist. Same procedures for testing as above, just that this 24X burner does not permit making "Determine Maximun Speed" or "Simulation". I am testing with a 10X CD-RW disc burning an AVI file of 700MB. Same memory drop as before, from 780MB free before starting to 200MB free when Nero is almost at the end of the burning process. Same test run with NAV Auto-protect disabled give a normal drop from 780MB free before starting to 720MB free when Nero is almost at the end of the burning process.

I must add the following:

-DMA shows enabled normally in device manager for the hard disk and the burners tested (UDMA-5 for the HD and UDMA2 for the burners)
- Both Hard disk and burner have been tested once at a time and each one has had a hole IDE channel for it (Hard disk has been always in Primary IDE controller as master and burner in Secundary IDE controller as master, no more devices are connected).
-All other programs that have been running have been disabled and erased from Windows startup using MSCONFIG. The only thing that is running is NAV 2004 components.

I will send this report to Ahead and to Symantec via email. Symantec has already fixed bugs that I have reported to them on NAV 2004 related to HiperThreading support, I hope that this one can also be fixed, I am not sure which is the cause, NAV or Nero, but as this is the only program in my system that I have seen presenting this behavor I have to report the issue to both companies and just hope for a bug fix.
I will test using other programs, I can test with BAO and with Alcohol.

I would like to see some other opinions about this, and if it is possible some posts of people that have run the same test.

Thanks a lot.

More info:

- The problem is not present when burning and ISO image with Nero ("Recorder" menu / "Burn Image" in Nero 6.3. TAO and DAO burning tested). The memory use is completly normal in this situation. Burning the same ISO file as a data CD compilation DOES present the problem

It appears that the problem is NAV:

I have burned some tests with Alcohol 120% and the problem was not present BUT if you read the above post you will see that Nero didn't present the problem running in "BURN IMAGE" mode, and Alcohol is an image burner. It was quite logical that the problem was not present there.
I have loaded BurnatOnce last version downlaoded from its website and have made a CD compilation with 1 700MB AVI file. I have loaded a 10X CD-RW and started the burning process (Note that Liteon DVDRW is not compatible with BAO by default in DVD mastering mode, but it is compatible and has no problems working in CD mastering mode. Well, the same picture as with Nero was repeated here. Free Physical Memory level droped from 730MB to 230MB close to the ending of the burning process, and back right were it was (730MB) after BAO had finished the disc, this was the exact behavor presented by Nero. I read the disc in another drive and it was OK.

Conclusion: Auto-protect in NAV Pro 2004 is severely affecting CD and DVD "MASTERING" applications.
This is my theory: NAV autoprotect captures the file in RAM for scanning it at some point of the travel process between the hard disk, the mastering application and the burner. The problem is that IT DOESN'T releases the memory, but isntead it lets that the ENTIRE FILE loads in the RAM and just releases it after it is burned to the media. THIS IS BAD... because it captures valious physical memory making the system unresponsive! (I have 1 GB of RAM remember).

The workarround:
Add *.AVI, *.MPG and other big file extensions to the "excluded" list of NAV autoprotect, or disable autoprotect: right click on the taskbar icon / disable auto-protect when you are going to burn a disc in Nero or another mastering program.

I have to say that I am very disapointed, Norton Antivirus is a bloated program, but until now it was making the work without interfering with anything. I will look for a replacement maybe for the next year. The licence of NAV 2004 is just paid here

I still would like to see opinions of other NAV 2004 users.

Thanks a lot.

I did not ran the test but I can confirm that the burning combination Nero 6.3 and NAV (corporate here) makes the system unresponsive. No high cpu activity is detected. It seems to be blocked at filesystem level. I also believe that NAV is responsible for that. I had the same problem on a medical image capturing PC with McAfee.

I am still waiting for an answer from Symantec. I hope they take this with the importance that it deserves.

Well i have a solution for you all when you are using nav 2004.
Don't use it anymore an buy nod32.
you can download a trial version at www.nod32.com

I don't understand why so many people uses norton antivirus.
Mcaffee is also the same shit as norton.

Yeah, you are right, I have heard very good comments about NOD32. Will be probably my next AV to try.

I tested this yesterday with my LDW-411s (FS0F). Burnt (well actually just simulated) a 702MB file on a CD-R both with and without Norton AV 2004pro running. I rebooted, closed down all that I could and then tried with Nero 5.5.10.54.

First try without NAV autoprotect running: Nero immediately took some 70-80MB of RAM and stayed there for the whole "burn".

Second try WITH NAV running: Same here, no difference with Nero's memory consumption. However one strange thing happened. After about 60% was "burnt" ALL the Windows must-have-processes (svchost.exe, services.exe, lsass.exe etc) started going crazy. Their memory usage began to fluctuate, it changed every second for ALL the processes. Funny!

WinXPsp1a with all the hotfixes
AMD Athlon XP 1800+
512MB RAM

In the tests that I ran it was not Nero that was growing in memory use, I was not looking the processes tab, I was in the performance tab of taskmanager having an eye on the "Physycal Memory (K)" in the Available field. It was there that I could see how the memory was droping from over 700MB free at the begining of the burning/simulation to the less than 200MB! That was consistent for Nero and BAO, but not for Alcohol, neither Nero in image burning mode. Kaspersky AVP was the same history. NOD32 was the only one that didn't affect it. And I can tell you: You could really feel that something was wrong because the system became unresponsive, not blocked but very slow for doint things that normally handles very well.

Don't hold your breath waiting for Symantec to respond or fix the problem. I've been bugging them about a problem with their ccapp.exe in NIS2003 now for 6 months and all I get is a brush off. If the problem is not effecting their large corporate customers, it gets no attention.

Its true, but I have reported issues with NAV 2004 in the past and they have fixed them. There was a big issue with NAV and hyperthreading that got fixed 1 month ago in an update. There is nothing much to do, just report and hope that they do something.

I'm having the same kind of problems. As I'm starting to burn a DVD+R(W) Video DVD project in Nero 6.x my free memory starts to decrease linearly. As it closes in on 0 bytes, a portion is freed up, practically up until the level at which the burn process started. My machine is quite busy with that last action, HDD is rattling like a snake and the OS becomes rather unresponsive. The read buffer decreases to practically zero, the hardware buffer level fluctuates, and although Nero does not report any errors, I'm afraid some of the movie skips I'm experiencing on my DVD player are because of this. Also, the drive spins down and up again, indicating a break. The reason that nothing is reported is probably due to the hardware buffer protection mechanisms.

I use Administrative Tools -> Performance to track memory usage, and noticed that the OS's cache shows the exact inverse of the free memory bar, so all memory taken during burning goes to cache.

If I deactivate Norton AV's autoprotect during burn, it doesn't help shit. I'll test deactivating it before running Nero later.

Pinnacle InstantCopy shows the same problem, except that somewhere halfway it will go more stable. Before that time, it even happens that the led of the burner drive sometimes deactives and activates again.

Sick of this...

Ok, I've been running some simple tests, and I can confirm that Norton AntiVirus Pro 4 results in a serious memory load while burning with Nero Burning ROM 6.3.0.3, at least, in my configuration. When Norton AV Auto-Protect is enabled, each file is loaded into the OS's cache resulting in a very heavy load on your physical memory.

I've tested this by doing a Speed Test on a DVD-ROM compilation of three files of 699MB, 767MB and 208MB respectively. While performing the Speed Test, you can see that for each file, the cache is growing in size the exact same amount the free memory space is shrinking, until no free space is left, at which point your OS will start doing tricks to get some back, basically sawtoothing between 0 and 4% of free memory space. When the next file is reached, used cache will be freed and the process starts over again.

With Auto-Protect disabled, everything is fine, no cache is used, only 70MB of physical memory during the Speed Test, after clicking button 'Done', this memory is released until the next burn command.

Regards,
Paljas.

Other AV programs like NOD32 doesn't affect the memory like this. It is a pity that Symantec gives a sh*it about this issue.