There is no logical explanation for the severe slowdown of my system.
Windows has online scanning sites, I do not know if Linux has an equivalent.
Which do you recommend?
There are many antivirus options for Linux, including open-source programs, tools that scan for rootkits, and antivirus software that protects Linux servers:
* [image]
**ClamAV**
A popular, open-source antivirus that's known for its speed and ability to detect Linux mail server viruses
* [image]
**Avast**
Can detect and remove all types of threats, including Windows malware on Linux servers
* [image]
**Bitdefender**
An antivirus for Linux mail servers that's good for small businesses and offers malware protection at an affordable price
* 
**Comodo**
Uses cloud-based behavior analysis to protect against unknown and zero-day malware, and also includes email filtering
* 
**Chkrootkit**
An open-source scanner that helps protect against malware, botnets, and rootkits
* 
**Rkhunter**
A tool that scans local systems for potentially malicious software
* 
**Powertech Antivirus**
Protects Linux systems from direct Linux attacks and blocks Windows virus threats from spreading across the Linux environment
* 
**Trend Micro**
ServerProtect provides virus protection for Linux servers in a mixed Windows environment
* 
**Avira**
A command-line based antivirus that can also be used to scan infected Windows drives attached externally
I would first check htop which can show you how much CPU is being used, and by what processes. I've encountered situations where my laptop was getting sluggish and, for example, a quick look at htop showed that steam was compiling shaders in the background - so it can be innocuous (but annoying) things like that.
mate-indicator-applet-complete looks like one of the culprits. When I install it, the usage levels reported for me are as low as for Thom. I don't know for sure, but maybe something about your installation/configuration is making it misbehave.
Would you consider replacing that with "mate-indicator-applet", the first listed below, which is what I use? I don't like the clock display format of the "complete" so I add the separate "clock" applet to the panel for that.
It depends a little whether it was a one-off reading. For example, if I hover back and forth a bit on the panel, I will see similar CPU usage spikes. Otherwise, perhaps the panel is dealing with I/O - although I'd expect to see something else higher up in the output of htop if that were the case.
Andy has a lot of stuff happening on the panel. Perhaps it is not unusual for him. Not sure if the other items on the panel impact the applet in question, but thought I would throw that out there.
Andy, do you have a backup where there was no lag?
yes the mate-indicator is a problem for me too. I created a link to killall mate-indicator and I run that every 2 or 3 days. Very annoying that it still uses so much CPU percent after 2 or 3 days. It has been happening since 20.04 I think. There is a confirmed bug on launchpad for it - affecting multiple users
@ironfoot ronfoot and @ricmarques icmarques: I am trying that now as we speak! Thanks for the idea. If it works it will definitely help me with this paper cut
Based on that "htop" screenshot, the process that is using most CPU in your computer is the process associated with /usr/lib/mate-indicator-applet/mate-indicator-applet-complete. As I see - in that same screenshot - that, in the upper right corner of your Ubuntu MATE panel, your clock is currently configured to show the hours, minutes and seconds, I suggest that you reconfigure your Ubuntu MATE clock to stop showing the seconds (so it does not have to update the applet every second). That tip of mine worked for @mickee that had a similar problem and also had his clock set up to show the seconds. For more details, please see the following post of mine:
... and the following confirmation by @mickee that removing the seconds from the clock stopped the problem for him:
