Norton slowing system

I previously had Microsoft Security Essentials on my PC with Windows 7. I switched to Norton and my system hasn't been the same since. Everything is slow and there always seems to be something running in the background to bog things down. I just need a basic program that gives me good protection from viruses and keeps my system safe and running smoothly. EVERY program I have ever tried always loads stuff in the background that inevitably slows my system down. My Question: Does Norton support have the ability to access my system and optimize their program so my system will run better?