AutoGK - suddenly running much slower

[Cheeseford]

For a couple of years now, I've used AutoGK to create Xvid files from MPEG2 recordings. All through that time, it's taken roughly the length of the material being encoded for each of the 2 passes. Just recently, however, it's slowed down to a snail's pace. It routinely takes 3x programme length for the first pass and 5x for the second pass. Encoding an hour's worth of material used to take 3 hours max, but is now an overnight job. I was using 1.96, so I uninstalled and tried the latest version, to no effect.

I'm guessing there's some kind of conflict somewhere along the line. The only 2 things I've installed recently have been Zone Alarm security suite, replacing my old Norton installation, and a new multi-function printer - a Brother DCP-130C if that matters. I've tried running AutoGK with ZA disabled and it goes no faster. Before I go through the rigmarole of uninstalling my nice, trouble-free printer/scanner, does anyone here think that's a likely cause for the malaise?

Any thoughts will be gratefully received.

[Baldrick]

Is it just autogk that is slower?
Have you checked the Processes tab in the Task Manager to see if there something else that steals cpu?

[Cheeseford]

Yes, it's just AutoGK that's slowed down, and I've had the Task Manager>Processes tab open while running it, disabling everything non-essential, to no avail. Some chaps on another board think that the Norton uninstall is to blame. Thanks for the thought, Baldrick.