Overview
Antivirus real-time protection can block Pharos services or increase CPU, disk, and file-access overhead during installation and print processing. Apply only targeted exclusions approved by your organization’s security administrator.
Important: Do not disable antivirus protection entirely.
Symptoms
You may need to investigate antivirus interaction when:
Pharos services are blocked or stop unexpectedly.
MobilePrint document processing is unusually slow.
Installation or upgrade activity takes significantly longer than expected.
CPU or disk usage increases during frequent log writes.
Print jobs remain pending or take longer than expected to render.
Cause
Antivirus software can scan application files, log files, temporary files, print jobs, and database files whenever they are accessed. Broad exclusions copied from older installations may no longer match the installed product version or may expose more of the server than necessary.
The legacy article lists broad Pharos, spool, process, and SQL exclusions, including a fixed SQL Server 2012-era path. Validate every path against the actual installation before creating an exclusion.
Resolution
Identify the installed product and version
Before creating exclusions, record:
Uniprint version
MobilePrint version
Windows Server version
Actual MobilePrint program, data, and log directories
Installed MobilePrint service names
Antivirus product and policy version
Verify current MobilePrint locations
For MobilePrint 2.6.2, verify the following default locations:
Program files:
C:\Program Files (x86)\PharosSystems\MobilePrintApplication data:
C:\ProgramData\PharosSystems\MobilePrintLogs:
C:\ProgramData\PharosSystems\MobilePrint\Logs
The default MobilePrint services are:
Pharos Systems MobilePrint Worker Service
Pharos Systems MobilePrint Workflow Service
Apply targeted exclusions
Work with your security administrator to exclude only the specific application and log directories confirmed for the installed product.
For Blueprint, current internal guidance recommends targeted exclusions for:
```powershell
Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "C:\ProgramData\PharosSystems\Blueprint\Logs\", "C:\Program Files (x86)\PharosSystems\Blueprint\"
```
This example applies to Blueprint directories. Do not reuse it automatically for Uniprint or MobilePrint. Validate the actual MobilePrint paths before creating equivalent exclusions.
Avoid blanket exclusions
Do not automatically exclude:
The entire
C:\Program Files (x86)\PharosSystemsdirectoryAll executable processes
The entire Windows spool directory
All SQL Server database directories
A hardcoded SQL instance path such as
MSSQL11.MSSQLSERVER
Create a narrower exclusion only when a documented product requirement or Technical Reviewer confirms that it is necessary.
Check service and security events
After applying an approved exclusion:
1. Confirm that the relevant Pharos services are running.
2. Review antivirus detection and quarantine events.
3. Submit a test MobilePrint job.
4. Confirm that the document is processed and available for release.
5. Confirm that the job renders successfully at the target device.
6. Review MobilePrint logs for new errors or processing delays.
Validation
Confirm all of the following:
The exclusion paths match the installed product version.
Only approved directories or files are excluded.
Antivirus protection remains enabled.
MobilePrint Worker and Workflow services remain running.
Test documents process and release successfully.
No new antivirus detections or quarantine events occur.
Multi-server deployments use a documented and consistent approved configuration.
Notes
Antivirus exclusions vary by product, version, and security policy.
The original McAfee recommendations are legacy guidance and should not be treated as universal rules.
Current MobilePrint documentation identifies Windows Firewall Service and DNS as installation prerequisites, so not every installation failure is caused by antivirus scanning.
If the antivirus product, Pharos version, installation path, or required exclusion is unclear, contact Pharos Technical Support and route the final rule set to the Technical Reviewer.