Is Norton lying to me?

[Paul_Thomas1]

Hi,

Every day, I get a blue dot on the Norton icon in the task area. I click on it, and it’s a message from Smart Scan. All done and OK.

However, every couple of days, When I click on the dot, then:

Alerts
Smart Scan
“We found some issues”
Details
No issues found

Next day, back to normal.

What’s going on ?
Should I be looking for something ?
Is this a bug ?

Product & version number: Norton 360. 26.6.11052 (build 26.6.11052.988)

OS details: Win 11 Pro, 25H2 - 26200.8875

[bjm]

@Paul_Thomas1

Every day, I get a blue dot on the Norton icon in the task area. I click on it, and it’s a message from Smart Scan. All done and OK.
However, every couple of days, When I click on the dot, then:
Alerts
Smart Scan
“We found some issues”
Details
No issues found
Next day, back to normal.
What’s going on ?
Should I be looking for something ?
Is this a bug ?
Product & version number: Norton 360. 26.6.11052 (build 26.6.11052.988)
OS details: Win 11 Pro, 25H2 - 26200.8875

Hello @Paul_Thomas1
Please run Norton LiveUpdate + Restart (not Shut down) machine.

This behavior is caused by a known user interface (UI) caching bug in Norton 360 v26. The discrepancy where the alert panel shows “We found some issues” but clicking it reveals “No issues found” occurs because the background Smart Scan service completes cleanly, but the Windows taskbar notification overlay fails to clear or sync properly. Your Windows 11 Pro system is secure, and you do not need to actively hunt for hidden malware.

Why Is This Happening?

• UI Sync Bug: The notification engine flags a routine check (like tracking cookies or a transient network ping). When it re-checks or resolves it, the taskbar icon stays stuck on the old warning status while the inner dashboard updates to show the true status (“No issues found”).

• Marketing Upsells: Norton’s Smart Scan often flags “Advanced Issues” (like broken registry items, junk files, or tracking cookies) to promote paid add-ons like Norton Utilities. When the software filters these out as non-critical security threats, it results in an empty “No issues found” details page.

Step 1: Turn off “Send me promotional notifications”

1. Open your Norton 360 v26 dashboard.
2. Look at the left-hand column or the bottom-left corner and click the Settings (Gear Icon).
3. Look across the top tabs or menu options and select the Notifications tab.
4. Locate the specific toggle labeled Send me promotional notifications.
5. Slide or click the switch to change it to the OFF position.

Step 2: Flush out the glitched Blue Dot visual history
Since the blue dot is already stuck in a loop from previous scans, turning off the setting won’t clear the icon currently sitting on your screen. You have to force-wipe its memory cache:

1. Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard to bring up the Windows Run box.
2. Type %programdata%\Norton into the box and press Enter.
3. A Windows File Explorer folder will pop up. Find the folder named 00000002 and double-click to open it.
4. Select every item inside that folder and Delete them. (This completely clears the taskbar notification memory without touching your antivirus definitions).

Step 3: Clean Restart
Restart your Windows 11 computer.
When your PC boots back up, Norton v26 will launch with a completely fresh, unglitched icon state. Because you toggled “Send me promotional notifications” to OFF, the software will stop throwing the fake “We found some issues” marketing hooks that cause the blue dot to sync incorrectly.

If you find that the “Send me promotional notifications” toggle flips itself back to ON after a reboot, please post your progress.

AI sourced content may make mistakes
Caveat: I run Smart Scan schedule at Run manually and seldom call Smart Scan

[Paul_Thomas1]

Hi,

Thank you for the very detailed reply !

I have turned off the notification and rebooted. Let’s see how it goes.

BTW, I couldn’t find a folder called 00000002 anywhere on my computer. Not even in hidden or system files.

Thanks,

Paul