Another friend needs help removing Norton

[Allochthonous]

Man, I hate this program!

I have another friend who would like to remove Norton, only this time it is Norton Internet Security and Antivirus 2005, which from what I have gathered, can be even trickier to remove than 2003 (which is what I dealt with last time).

To make things even more dificult, this friend is 200 miles away, and is very inexperienced with computers (burnt her first back up CD last week). I have been trying to help her via e-mail.

We have all of her data backed up in case of the worst case, and are ready to think about removing Norton.  Before we start, I guess I just want to ask if we should even attempt this?  Or should she take it to a shop and have them do it?

She can use Add/Remove Programs, and I can direct her to the Norton Removal Tools, and she can probably run those, but anything beyond that (the registry) I just don't think she can handle.

 I really want her to be free of Norton, but I am wondering if in her case it would be best just to renew it.

Any advice?

PK

[ZealEmpire]

Be free of Norton 100 percent.  I just recently got rid of mine and went with the free antivirus AVG.  The uninstall was simple really.  First I uninstalled the Norton Internet Security then rebooted than went to uninstall the two smaller files one of which was called live updates I believe.   One of the 3 files listed in ad remove gives you a prompt that says something along the lines of "This program is being used by other software"...the other software being norton internet security Make sure you uninstall the one that gives you that prompt last just to be safe.  Good luck

[Raptor]

If it is slowing down the system, remove it. If it isn't, then renew it otherwise it will cause more frustration than it is worth.

Before removing, try shutting down everything related to Norton using the task manager and the taskbar.

[ZealEmpire]

Man I never knew Norton gave so much problems.  I have heard froma  few of my friends it took them a while to get it off their rigs...when I did it, it seemed flawless with no problems during or after uninstall  :-/

[patio]

Trust me...it's worth whatever effort is made to get rid of it.

[soybean]

After satisfactorily using Norton Anti-Virus 2002 for 4 years with subscription renewals, I finally switched to AVG when my last NAV subsrcription expired 9/15/06 and Symantec stopped supporting NAV 2002.  I simply uninstalled it via Add or Remove Programs and then installed AVG.  No problems.  But, apparently later versions of Norton can be difficult to remove.  I did run CCleaner; as I recall, it found several Norton entries and removed them.

What about using Add or Remove Programs to do a normal uninstall and then checking to see that no visual signs of it are still present?  If none, then go ahead and install AVG and see whether her system runs without problems.  If it does, does it really matter whether every last remnant of Norton has been removed from the Registry?  The registry often contains remnants of removed programs; Norton certainly isn't the only one.

[Allochthonous]

Soybean: By "visual signs" do you mean no entries in Add/Remove and no Norton processes running in Task Manager or msconfig?

PK

[soybean]

Yes, those things, and also any other weird happenings such as getting some message that an anti-virus program is already installed when you try to install another anti-virus program.

[Allochthonous]

Here is the rough draft of the step by step instructions that I will send to my friend. Please read and let me know if i forgot anything or if something needs further explanation to a novice.

Step 1: Set a System Restore point.
Goto Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore and follow the prompts to set a Restore Point (name the point "before rem Norton")

Step 2: Attempt to close all instances of Norton Internet Security (NIS) and Norton Antivirus (NAV)
Right click any Norton icons in the System Tray in the lower right corner of your desktop and select "Exit" or "Close" if available.
NOTE: The Add/Remove procedure should disable automatically before attempting to remove.

Step 3: Remove NIS
Go into Add/Remove programs, select NIS and click "Remove."  
If the removal process states that it cannot complete while the program is running then stop let me know and we will do a "selective startup" were these programs are not started when Windows starts.
If the removal process states that another portion must be removed first, then stop and let me know.

Step 4: Reboot
If all seems to have gone well with the removal (no error messages), then reboot your machine.

Step 5: Repeat Step 2 if necessary

Step 6: Remove NAV
Go into Add/Remove programs, select NIS and click "Remove."  
If the removal process states that it cannot complete while the program is running then stop let me know and we will do a "selective startup" were these programs are not started when Windows starts.
If the removal process states that another portion must be removed first, then stop and let me know.

Step 7: Reboot
If all seems to have gone well with the removal (no error messages), then reboot your machine.

Step 8: Remove LiveUpdate
Go into Add/Remove programs, select LiveUpdate and click "Remove."  

Step 9: Delete leftover folders
Double click My Computer, then Local Disk C:, then Program Files. Look for any folders named Norton or Syamntec and delete them.

Step 10: Check for processes/Startup items

Step 11: Install new AV
 

What do you think?

I especially need help with the order of the steps and what processes she should look for in Step 10. Also, should I sneak the Norton_Removal_tool.exe or any other tools in there somewhere?

Thanks

PK

[patio]

I would put the Norton removal tool after step #9...

Other than a registry edit (which is unsafe for most) i think you have it well covered.

patio.   8-)

[Allochthonous]

Also, what do you make of this link:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2004110113064039?Open&docid=2005031016430136&nsf=nip.nsf&view=0


I guess I don't know whether I should have her disable any Norton services before Add/Remove or not.  Some folks say yes, others say no.

That and whether (and when) to use any "tools" are my two biggest questions.

PK