Norton AntiVirus causing issues with temp files resulting in system freezes

In addition to the bevy of other issues caused by the AutoProtect component of Symantec's Norton AntiVirus under Mac OS X 10.4.x, readers are beginning to report an issue with apparent corruption of Mac OS X temp files that can result in spiking processor usage and complete system unresponsiveness.

One MacFixIt reader, Tim, writes:

"My three month old machine runs a few hours using Safari (dialup, Earthlink) then either stalls on loading web pages or goes kernel panic with CPU over 170 degrees F. We tried reinstalling OS X with archive, then reinstall OS X with partition at suggestion of Apple factory techs. The problem remains.

"I used the command: /sbin/fsck -fy Disk Repair and find many dozens or more of similar error messages:

• Checking Catalog File, incorrect size for file temp5383471 it should be 0 instead of 401831"

"I flush these out and the machine is good for another five or six hours, then these messages pile up again and the system locks up."

We later followed up with the reader, asking him to temporarily disable Norton AntiVirus and check for persistence of the issue. In his case, AntiVirus indeed turned out to be the culprit.

Tim adds:

"I tried some testing, wheel mouse and Apple mouse, NAV 10.0 on/off, looks like Norton Anti-Virus 10.0 was mucking up the Temp Files. If I survive a few days lockup-free then that should prove the point."

The easiest way to get around this problem is to simply disable Norton AntiVirus' AutoProtect component from within the application's preferences, or completely uninstall AntiVirus via these instructions.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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