I have noticed on 5 laptops where I have Norton 360 installed, that after some update (Norton? Windows 11 Pro?) a System process started to eat up 20% (+/-) of CPU ALL THE TIME! That caused the fan to run nonstop on all laptops. I am using two types of laptops, and each type (Dell) are identical and identically configured; ALL had that problem. One identical laptop does NOT have Norton 360 but MalwareBytes instead – it was fine. The System process seems to be associated with the “NT Kernel & System”.
Anyway, if I turn off AVLaunch in the Startup programs, everything seems to go back to normal, i.e., 3% to 4% CPU for System; <10% total; and: NO FAN COMING ON ALL THE TIME!
So what is AVLaunch; what is it good for; Norton 360 still seems to work as before?
You are correct! I just realized that – even though I disabled the AVLaunch on Startup – it appeared to have “enabled itself” when I rebooted, and hence Norton 360 started. Nevertheless, I have done this (disabled AVLaunch; then rebooted) now with 4 laptops, and none of them so far have restarted the fan; the System process remains well below 10% CPU. I did reboot a number of times before, and this did not cure anything.
So I would say there is reasonable “evidence” so far that it had something to do with Norton 360 – but I cannot say so conclusively.
Thanks for keeping me “honest”; I have had other issues with Norton 360 (like the Miracast issue… ; still not solved). Hopefully, whatever I did solved the problem (and prevent the fans in my laptops from blowing out).
Just to follow up on this thread: After fighting high System-CPU-activity and continuous fan-on with several Dell Windows 11 laptops with Norton360 protection (but not two that use either MalwareBytes or just Windows Security), I had decided to turn off AVLaunch in the Startup programs, and reboot. After 24 hours and subsequent reboots not one of the laptops shows the same behavior any more.
I cannot be 100% certain that, perhaps, at the same time I did this another update was installed by Norton somehow, but from a cause-effect perspective it appears that there is reasonable evidence that this action (turn off AVLaunch as a Startup program; note that it will in my case turn itself back on automatically ?!) was responsible for fixing my problem. Maybe the order of startups has changed?
Either way, and after the issues with Miracast (not working after a recent update of Norton 360; this hasn’t been fixed in months, nor it appears can be fixed, even with supports help!), I have begun questioning the value of Norton 360 which at this point mostly “alerts” me to new offers and up-sells, and begins to feel itself like malware. Really sorry to say this, but it has been causing me lots of trouble (e.g., I have yet to figure out how to set up oAuth 2 to access some critical services; the Norton Smart Firewall feels like a black-box/wall…).
All: Just to be clear regarding the issue that N360 is said it doesn’t boot with Windows. That is incorrect. Norton performs a boot time scan at Windows launch. Please review this AI generated information:
Yes, Norton antivirus software is designed to start automatically when Windows boots up, allowing it to perform a “Boot Time Protection” scan which checks for threats before the operating system fully loads, providing an extra layer of security at startup.
Key points about Norton and Windows boot:
Automatic startup: Norton is configured to launch automatically when you start your computer.
Boot Time Scan: This feature enables Norton to scan files for potential threats as soon as your computer begins booting up.
Managing startup options: You can manage Norton’s startup settings within the program to adjust how and when it launches.