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Author Topic: Removing Norton  (Read 9484 times)

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Allochthonous

    Topic Starter


    Intermediate
    Removing Norton
    « on: July 12, 2006, 04:14:22 PM »
    I will soon be removing Norton Internet Security 2003 (with NAV) from a friend's machine. I have always heard that Norton can sometimes be pesky when it comes to removal. Does anyone have any tips on how to remove Norton smoothly and succesfully and how to verify that it was done so?

    PK
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    GX1_Man

    • Guest
    Re: Removing Norton
    « Reply #1 on: July 12, 2006, 04:22:24 PM »
    Tips are on the SYmantec site on how to remove the Norton virus. Follow the instructions carefully!
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    Allochthonous

      Topic Starter


      Intermediate
      Re: Removing Norton
      « Reply #2 on: July 13, 2006, 07:18:05 AM »
      OK, all of the articles on Symantec's site say to use "Add/Remove Programs" first, and if that is not successful, then follow their instructions.  How do I know whether the removal was complete?  I am removing it to install another AV program, so i need to avoid potential conflicts.

      I hate programs that are such a pain to remove, by the way.  I am not particularly confident when working with the registry, so i hope that it does not come to that.  

      PK
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      GX1_Man

      • Guest
      Re: Removing Norton
      « Reply #3 on: July 13, 2006, 07:46:30 AM »
      Just give it a try and then view the areas in question before attemting to edit it. BE SURE and back up the registry first if you have to go that route and never buy Norton again.
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      Allochthonous

        Topic Starter


        Intermediate
        Re: Removing Norton
        « Reply #4 on: July 13, 2006, 11:06:21 AM »
        View which areas? How do I know whether the Add/Remove route resulted in a clean uninstall?

        I would never buy Norton.  I am doing this for an older lady who was told that Norton was the best.  Now she is having trouble and even though she has paid her renewal fees, they will not help her because she has not upgraded her program from 2003.

        I would rather run with no protection than use Norton.

        No program should be this difficult to remove and have that many removal tools.

        PK
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        GX1_Man

        • Guest
        Re: Removing Norton
        « Reply #5 on: July 13, 2006, 12:40:18 PM »
        2003 should uninstall fine. It's to 2005 on versions that had serious issues.
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        tekman22003

        • Guest
        Re: Removing Norton
        « Reply #6 on: July 13, 2006, 07:59:36 PM »
        Remove Norton as fast as you can.  Every time I have used Norton I have and had nothing but problems, my suggestion would be to delete norton as fast as you can and install AVG which is a free antivirus program.  I have installed it on every computer I own and I have not had one single complaint.
        « Last Edit: July 13, 2006, 08:02:33 PM by tekman22003 »
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        Allochthonous

          Topic Starter


          Intermediate
          Re: Removing Norton
          « Reply #7 on: July 21, 2006, 11:31:28 AM »
          OK, the uninstall through Add/Remove says that it was successful, but when I search for "Norton" I find a few entries left over. And when I search for "Symantec" i find a few there too.
           
          Also, I searched for "Norton" in the Registry and found a few entries, but I have no idea what they mean.  I am a Registry noob.  I am prepared to reinstall Windows if i have to, but would rather not take this route.
           
          How do I make sure that enough of Norton is gone that it will not conflict with the AV program I plan on installing?
           
          Should I use those tools?
           
          PK
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          GX1_Man

          • Guest
          Re: Removing Norton
          « Reply #8 on: July 21, 2006, 12:31:54 PM »
          All the info you need to remove the Norton virus is on the Symantec web site. It is very clear. Just read it and follow the directions exactly.

          Add and Remove Programs is not enough.
          « Last Edit: July 21, 2006, 12:44:03 PM by GX1_Man »
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          Allochthonous

            Topic Starter


            Intermediate
            Re: Removing Norton
            « Reply #9 on: July 21, 2006, 02:09:54 PM »
            I do not think that "very" is an accurate descriptor.  The Symantec site states:

            Situation:
            When you uninstalled Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall 2003 or earlier through Windows Programs list or Add/Remove Programs, the process failed. You want to use the Symantec RnisUPG removal tool to uninstall Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall versions 2003 and earlier.

            Solution:
            This document provides the latest version of the RnisUPG.exe file and the instructions for using it. RnisUPG.exe is a utility that removes the program files and registry entries installed by Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall, for versions 2003 and earlier.




            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Notes:
            Use this utility only if you cannot uninstall through Windows Add/Remove Programs or the Uninstall option from the Start Menu.
            RnisUPG will not uninstall Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall 2004 and will cause errors if it is used for this purpose. If you want to uninstall Norton Internet Security 2004, read the document Removing and reinstalling Norton Internet Security, Norton AntiSpam, or Norton Personal Firewall (2006/2005/2004 versions).



            This sounds to me as if one should only use the tools if Add/Remove is unsuccessful, yet to the normal user, this process SEEMS to have been succesful.  It is only after further investigation using methods not know by the casual user (i.e. RegEdit) , that one discovers that the process was not succesful.  

            The casual user would assume that by "failed," Symantec means that there was an obvious problem that reported an error in the uninstall procedure.

            I will use the tools and see what happens.

            PK
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            GX1_Man

            • Guest
            Re: Removing Norton
            « Reply #10 on: July 21, 2006, 02:57:53 PM »
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            Allochthonous

              Topic Starter


              Intermediate
              Re: Removing Norton
              « Reply #11 on: July 21, 2006, 03:03:50 PM »
              Yeah, I looked at that page too.

              That Ask Dave page may come in handy. That was my problem. I did not know what registry entries to be concerned about.

              Thanks.
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              Allochthonous

                Topic Starter


                Intermediate
                Re: Removing Norton
                « Reply #12 on: July 21, 2006, 07:33:57 PM »
                OK, I removed all Norton components that I could find in Add/Remove, then ran both the Rnav2003.exe (NAV 2003 uninstall utility from Symantec) and the RnisUPG.exe (Norton Internet Security " "). All appeared successful - the tools did create logs, but I am not sure how to read (interpret) them.

                I see nothing that obviously looks like a Norton program running in Task Manager or in Startup or Services in MSCONFIG.

                "SymantecNetDetect.job" was in the Task Scheduler, so I deleted it.

                There were a few "Symantec" folders still sitting around. Some are empty - a couple have a file or two in them. - I assume these are safe to manually delete???

                When I look in the registry under HKEY LOCAL MACHINE/SOFTWARE - I see no obvious trace of Norton. But there is a "Symantec" entry with "InstalledApps," "PatchInst," and "SharedUsage" beneath it.

                When I look in the registry under HKEY CURRENT USER/SOFTWARE  - I see no entries for either.


                So, what should I do next to make sure that this *censored* program is GONE so that I do not run into any trouble after installing a new AV program?

                PK
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                GX1_Man

                • Guest
                Re: Removing Norton
                « Reply #13 on: July 21, 2006, 08:18:30 PM »
                Delete the Symantec and Norton folders and you are ready to move on to another antivirus. Where do you go from here?

                Congratulations on removing the Norton virus.   ;)
                « Last Edit: July 21, 2006, 08:19:30 PM by GX1_Man »
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                Allochthonous

                  Topic Starter


                  Intermediate
                  Re: Removing Norton
                  « Reply #14 on: July 22, 2006, 06:31:25 AM »
                  Before I proceed, I just wanted to add that when I do an actual "Find" in the Registry for both "Norton" and "Symantec" and do still find quite a few hits here and there. I just don't know what most of them are or whether they should be a concern. One site I read said to delete the folders, then go the registry and look in specific locations.
                  http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_can_i_fully_remove_norton_antivirus_from_my_system.html

                  I followed these steps. (I did go ahead and delete those keys mentioned in my last post.)

                  Do I just ignore these other hits and move on?

                  Sorry for all of the questions. I have never had to go through so much to make sure a program was uninstalled.

                  By the way, I am moving on to Avast Home AV. I have been using it for over a year on all of my machines and have no complaints thus far.

                  PK
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