Recommended Antivirus/Antimalware Exclusions for PDQ Deploy & Inventory
Purpose
To keep antivirus or antimalware real-time (on-access) scanning from slowing down or breaking PDQ Deploy and PDQ Inventory, exclude %WINDIR%\AdminArsenal from real-time scanning on all target computers. Optional exclusions for the PDQ console and the PDQ Deploy Repository are listed below for performance or update issues.
You want to exclude PDQ working directories, programs, and other PDQ data from real-time (on-access) scanning by antivirus or antimalware software.
Why real-time scanning exclusions are needed
Real-time scanning performed by antivirus/antimalware programs can have a negative effect on PDQ performance. In certain cases, scans and deployments may be slow, fail outright, or time out.
These exclusions are for real-time (on-access) scanning only, not for scheduled or periodic file system scans performed by your antivirus or antimalware software.
Recommended Exclusion for All Target Computers
The following real-time scanning exclusion is recommended for all target computers (including PDQ console machines if they are also a target):
%WINDIR%\AdminArsenalIf you changed the Target Service UNC path in PDQ Deploy or PDQ Inventory (Options > Preferences > Target Service), replace %WINDIR%\AdminArsenal in this exclusion with your custom Target Service path.
Optional Exclusions for the PDQ Console
These exclusions may, in certain cases, improve PDQ performance on the PDQ console. Apply them on the console machine only. Choose the tab that matches the console's Windows architecture: on 64-bit Windows, PDQ Deploy and PDQ Inventory install under Program Files (x86).
C:\Program Files (x86)\Admin Arsenal\PDQ Inventory
C:\Program Files (x86)\Admin Arsenal\PDQ Deploy
C:\ProgramData\Admin Arsenal
Or, using environment variables:
%PROGRAMFILES(X86)%\Admin Arsenal\PDQ Inventory
%PROGRAMFILES(X86)%\Admin Arsenal\PDQ Deploy
%PROGRAMDATA%\Admin Arsenal
C:\Program Files\Admin Arsenal\PDQ Inventory
C:\Program Files\Admin Arsenal\PDQ Deploy
C:\ProgramData\Admin Arsenal
Or, using environment variables:
%PROGRAMFILES%\Admin Arsenal\PDQ Inventory
%PROGRAMFILES%\Admin Arsenal\PDQ Deploy
%PROGRAMDATA%\Admin ArsenalTroubleshooting Exclusions for Updates and the Repository
Only add these exclusions if PDQ Deploy or PDQ Inventory program updates fail, or if you have access or performance issues with the PDQ Deploy Repository. These exclusions are not (and should not be) necessary in most environments.
Program Updates Directory
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Admin ArsenalPDQ Deploy Repository
%PUBLIC%\Documents\Admin Arsenal\PDQ Deploy\RepositoryThis is the default PDQ Deploy Repository path, set in Options > Preferences > Repository. If you changed the Repository path, update the exclusion to match it.
See Also
