Norton slowing down my system

Norton Security | Norton Internet Security
1

I could not reply to a similar thread, so I decided to start a new one.

 

Yes, Norton seems to be so aggressive and eat up so my cycles that I just deleted it from my system and let Windows defender take over. I imagine the Norton people won't let this post remain for long, but I reserve the right to post my experience.

 

I would be playing an online game and Norton would be so busy in the background checking my keystrokes and mouse movements that it would interfere with my competition, and in some cases, cost me the lead.  Timing is hyper-critical in this type of game, so I got so tired of disabling the program in the system tray and turning on silent mode that I just deleted it.  My system runs ultra-fast now, clean, and much much more efficiently.

 

I know they would say safety is an issue, but between the latest version of Firefox, Defender and the Malicious software removal tool, the rest is overkill.  I did like the live update feature and the system cleanup, registry cleanup features, but again, Norton was taking up too much of my memory (I have 2 gigs on a 250gb hard drive dual core.).

 

Norton is good, but way too aggressive.  I need my cycles, not overprotection.

2

I could not reply to a similar thread, so I decided to start a new one.

 

Yes, Norton seems to be so aggressive and eat up so my cycles that I just deleted it from my system and let Windows defender take over. I imagine the Norton people won't let this post remain for long, but I reserve the right to post my experience.

 

I would be playing an online game and Norton would be so busy in the background checking my keystrokes and mouse movements that it would interfere with my competition, and in some cases, cost me the lead.  Timing is hyper-critical in this type of game, so I got so tired of disabling the program in the system tray and turning on silent mode that I just deleted it.  My system runs ultra-fast now, clean, and much much more efficiently.

 

I know they would say safety is an issue, but between the latest version of Firefox, Defender and the Malicious software removal tool, the rest is overkill.  I did like the live update feature and the system cleanup, registry cleanup features, but again, Norton was taking up too much of my memory (I have 2 gigs on a 250gb hard drive dual core.).

 

Norton is good, but way too aggressive.  I need my cycles, not overprotection.

3
_highliner wrote:

I could not reply to a similar thread, so I decided to start a new one.

 

Yes, Norton seems to be so aggressive and eat up so my cycles that I just deleted it from my system and let Windows defender take over. I imagine the Norton people won't let this post remain for long, but I reserve the right to post my experience.

 

I would be playing an online game and Norton would be so busy in the background checking my keystrokes and mouse movements that it would interfere with my competition, and in some cases, cost me the lead.  Timing is hyper-critical in this type of game, so I got so tired of disabling the program in the system tray and turning on silent mode that I just deleted it.  My system runs ultra-fast now, clean, and much much more efficiently.

 

I know they would say safety is an issue, but between the latest version of Firefox, Defender and the Malicious software removal tool, the rest is overkill.  I did like the live update feature and the system cleanup, registry cleanup features, but again, Norton was taking up too much of my memory (I have 2 gigs on a 250gb hard drive dual core.).

 

Norton is good, but way too aggressive.  I need my cycles, not overprotection.

Welcome,

The reason you could not post to the other thread is that they are locked after a period of inactivity. This prevents new messages/problems, like yours, from getting lost at the bottom of a pile of other messages.

I can understand your frustration with Norton, you didn't mention which product or the version. Nor have you mentioned your operating system.

2GB of RAM is running very close to the edge of being the lowest limit for trying to do most anything other than email and simple surfing. If you are using windows 7 4GB or RAM is recommended to allow everything to funcion efficiently.

I wish you well if you elect to continue operating without adequate protection. Do increase your RAM before attempting to reinstall any of the current Norton products. Your performance will suffer, as you have already discovered.

We'll be here when you need us. Til then

Stay well and surf safe

4

He _highliner,

 

You could turn Silent Mode on,  which stops most background tasks.  Please see here for details.  -  https://www-secure.symantec.com/norton-support/jsp/help-solutions.jsp?actstat=activated&ct=us&entsrc=&ispid=&layout=Retail&lg=en&ncoap=1&partner=&product=Norton+Internet+Security&pvid=f-nis-cur&sitename=&substatus=current&version=current&docid=v15624542_NIS_Retail_2012_en_us

 

Dave.

5

Had to do the same thing. Drop Norton. Norton was using so much of my resources and the ccsvchst would not stop running then my pc would shut off. After talking with Norton reps and doing this and trying that, nothing worked. Tried different browsers and everything I could find about the problem, and there is plenty out their about noton using too many pc resources. I finally dropped norton and got AVG, it's free don't use near the resources and has been working wonderful. Don't know exactly what the problem is with norton, I just know their issues were becomming mine and that is not acceptable.

6

@ _highliner & wvrocker,

 

Everyone's system is different in some aspect, be it programs used, settings or the actual useage of the system (gaming/browsing/graphics/etc.).  That said with each change/use in a system comes new challenges when it comes to security measures for that particular system.

 

Some security programs work well with some systems while not working well with other systems.  I am a firm believer that whatever security you decide to use, you should do your research before hand (in regards to how well it comes thru the standard tests), then try it on your system using your operating conditions.  If it plays nicely with your system (as you use your system) and you can trust it based on your research to keep you safe, then that is the "one" for you.  The "one" for you may not be the same as the one for your next door neighbor.

 

 

 

7

Yes, I am aware that I have an older computer, but the fact is I hardly need the latest and greatest because I don't play online role-playing games that require gobs of memory or an exobyte of hard disk space, RAM, etc.

 

I have an older Athlon dual core 2200 Mhz system that is doing fine for the simple tasks I have, and it seems that any new program relishes the thought of using my precious memory, so I decided to trim to the essentials only, e.g., Windows Defender and the Malicious software removal tool.  I know it seems kind of vain that I would uninstall a program over a video game, e.g., jewel quest, but in that game among the world players I am top rated and I cannot afford even a microsecond hesitation at the wrong moment.  I had to manually go into the system and disable all microsoft services, like search and update, so that the background services would not tap into my connection unbeknownst to me while I play, and I really don't like the thought of not having complete control over my system.

 

Have they ever made an operating system that was truly ready for the market and did not require so much anti-spyware?

 

I don't know of one, except CP/M, which was so long ago I was closer to high school than middle age.

 

I also don't like the fact that computers obselete themselves every 3-6 months and the users are left orphaned off with diminishing support as time goes on.

 

It is reasonable to me to expect at least five years of reliable service from any one platform and operating system before advancing to the next.  And sometimes that advancement is just not needed for what I do, so older is often better (and cheaper).

 

It's too bad there are people out there who pit themselves against Norton and try to figure a way around them, just as the Norton people must always be one-up on the hackers who insist on trying to compromise the users' systems at the expense of their financial gain.  It seems as though the battle never ends, but, in the end, I must have my resouces available for what I need to do and can't devote too much to "too much security," if there is such a thing.

8

I suppose if I had 10 gigs of memory I wouldn't be slowing down, either.  I never said there was anything wrong with it, I merely said it was taking up too many threads and processes in the background on my system.

 

Actually, I prefer Norton as my anti-spyware program, but as long as I am top-ranked in Jewel Quest, I can't afford any hesitations while I play.  I also had to disable the HP update and scheduled maintenance programs that would always cut in in the middle of a game and cost me the lead, and wouldn't even give me a heads up that tests were forthcoming.

 

I do like the regisitry cleanup features of Norton and will probably reinstall it just for that feature alone.  I abandoned all use of Spybot search and destroy and all the free programs that, in the end, did more harm than good, and how much support can you expect for free?  Not too much.

 

I believe the Norton people know what they are doing, and I respect them for that.

 

9

_highinher you do not have to justify anything you do to anyone on this forum.  If you desire to remove  antivirus and malware protection in lieu of not slowing down a game - that is your call and you must face the possible consequences of going out onto the net without any antivirus protection.  You stated: "...so I decided to trim to the essentials only, e.g., Windows Defender and the Malicious software removal tool.".  I understand what you are trying to do, but I feel I also must remind you that neither of those programs are antivirus and you are in fact leaving yourself totally naked in regards to virus attacks.

 

You further state you disabled HP update (I would guess Windows Update as well) which in the long run will expose you to even more security risks as the updates are not being accomplished.  You mentioned:  "I abandoned all use of Spybot search and destroy and all the free programs that, in the end, did more harm than good."  Actually Spybot can be controlled to not impact the system by turning off the tea-timer function and MBAM and SAS free versions do not run in real time and can be used as on demand scanners - that means they only run when you start them (like when you are not gaming)  Also Windows Update can be set to only download and install when you tell it do so.

 

I am not trying to talk you out of anything - but feel I must be sure you understand what chances you are taking without running an AV.  Just curious, what will happen to your world rating if you contract a virus and you can not play Jewel Quest at all for say a few weeks until you get your system cleaned up?

 

The above is meant as food for thought!

 

10

Thank you for the responses.

 

Of course, I know I am free to make my own choices regarding my own computer and with what purposes I attempt to accomplish with it, but if I am not able to 'defend' what I do, that means I cannot explain it and don't know what I am doing, so I always have a defense ready.  If not, then I seek answers from others.

 

I know the basics: whenever ANY program is running, Norton or otherwise, it will reduce computing cycles and cut into memory and other resources.  The more 'clothes' you put in the 'closet', naturally, the closet will lose space.

 

I turn on Windows update periodically to update Windows defender and install important security updates.  Then when they are installed, I turn off Windows update.  This is simply because if I leave WU running, it is tapping into my connection when I am working on other things, which then causes very untimely delays.  Norton did the same thing.  PC Health Check did the same thing.  Java update did the same thing, as did Media Player Network Sharing, the latter of which completely ignored my off command to the point where I had to rename the .exe file to a .bak file so it would not run at all. 

 

Bottom line: I don't want any program, process or thread running without my explicit consent, and furthermore, any attempts to override my permissions (e.g., won't let me rename the file), means I will either delete the program or have it removed.  I want full control over my system, and I want to know the purpose of each and every process running, because I don't like my cycles being eaten up in the background.

 

There are two things that occur: the processes and programs the operating system programmers (and Norton programmers) think I should have running, and those that I want running.  I do trust them up to a point, but when I check my startup manager says the origin of any program is unknown I deactivate or delete it.  It's that simple.

 

The only time I have ever had to do a clean reinstall of the system is when I downloaded "too many updates," more specifically, HP Updates.  Norton always did it's updating rather discreetly.  Scheduled maintenance always cut into whatever I was doing at eactly the wrong time.

 

Jewel quest ratings, by the way, are always fluctuating, so you could be #1 one minute, and #5 the next.  If I don't play, it's irrelevant anyway.

 

Something was causing a delay between my mouse movements and my keystrokes, and I suspect it was Norton.  This doesn't mean that I won't reinstall it at some future time, but for now, I really like the speed and efficiency at which my system is running now.  Anything new that I add will only slow it down.  That's where I came up with the idea that Norton is being "overly aggressive."  It doesn't mean that I am right, it only means that's what my perception of the matter was.

 

Thank you for sharing.  Oh, and by the way.  If I justify something, it is by my choice alone.