How the $#@$# do I fully remove Norton from my PC?

I just experienced this recently. It took me a while, but I was able to fully remove Norton. It's a weird program to remove.

Thanks for the tips on this but I'm still having problems. When I try to delete the symantec or norton files I get a message saying it cant delete because some files are in use. I have nothing else open on the pc. Any ideas ??
Thanks

Hi Anne,

Make sure you went through the process in exactly the order posted.

If you have then do this:

Restart your PC. Can you delete the files now? If not go to msconfig (Start>Run>Type "msconfig")>Go to Startup Tab>Uncheck every box>Restart your PC as prompted.
Can you delete the files now?
If not go to msconfig again but this time go to the Services Tab. Check the box at the bottom that says "Hide All Microsoft Services". Uncheck every box and restart your PC.

Best,

David

Dave Taylor, I love you!

You have no idea how many "tech support" sites I have read and tried before yours to get rid of this darn NAV 05.

Thank you!

Ok, so that was a bit premature. Still getting the NAV 2005 does not support the Repair
feature, blah, blah, blah.

I still like you though. :)

Under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT in the registry there are many NAV and NIS entries. Am I fairly safe removing those also?

Thanks

Hi Carrie,

You should not have gotten the "NAV 2005 does not support the Repair feature" message. Did you select Remove when you went to Add/Remove Programs?

Yes, you can delete the NIS and NAV entries in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT so long as you had Norton Internet Security or Norton Antivirus on your machine.

Best,

David

Hi Dave
I have just followed through on your remaval of Norton and will see if it makes a difference.
Thank you very much
Thomas

y0h dave!

just wanna say thanks!
it works!!

i've been suffering 5 months to get rid of this nav06, well, just got here and tried this article you've got..

i give you all the STARs dave!!!!

thanks!!
cheers dave!!!

Hi Dave,

Norton has been removed from my Add/Remove programs since '05. I had also removed it from my Program Files and Common Files. I loved Norton until that year. I removed it almost immediately after I installed it...too many issues that Symantec hadn't a clue about at that time.

I'm a tad bit uncomfortable removing some things from my registry because I don't have a Windows disk to reinstall if I need to format.

There seems to be a whole crap load of Norton stuff in the registry. Here are a few that I think i'm ok to remove, but unsure:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\NAVAPSCR.ScriptableAutoProtect
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Nav2kAbout.Nav2kAboutExtension
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Navbho.CNavExtBho
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\NAVComUI.AxListViewCtrl
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\NAVComUI.ScriptCommonUI
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\NisLUCbk.LUCallback.1
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\NiSPlug.NIS_NSW_IntegrationProduct
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\NISPlug.NISOutbreak
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SymBinder
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SymLTCHK.SymLTProduct
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SymProtectEvents.SymProtectEventProvider
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SYMUIAX2.SymUIAxCtrl.1

I could go on and on and on...

Wow, unreal. I removed all of the entries in the registry I could find starting with Nav, Nis, and Sym. and i'm still getting the error. Where the heck else could it be hiding?

I really apreciate the procudre to remove NAV from computer by Dave. Its really a hardworking task to give free solutions to the people.

Hi Carrie,

Yes, you can remove all those entries. They're all Norton.
I realize you have removed Norton through Add/Remove and the registry but have you done steps 6 and 7? If not please do so. Then download and run CCleaner as per my instructions.
Please do this as well:

1) Download and run Perfectdisk. Get a trial of it here:

http://www.snapfiles.com/download/dlperfectdisk.html

Do every operation it recommends to you including offline defrag.

2) Take your PC to Windows Live OneCare Safety Center:

http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm

Hit "Full Service Scan", Accept the Agreement. Install the scanner (Active X). Select "Customize" . Uncheck "Comprehensive Scan", "Disk Fragmentation Scan" (You just ran PerfectDisk) and
uncheck "Open Port Scan" and hit "Next". That should clear up your disk and registry even more.

Next, go to Start>Run>Type in "services.msc". Scroll down the list of services until you see Norton or Symantec and stop, then disable the Norton/Symantec services if any are there.

When do you get this "NAV 2005 does not support the Repair feature" message? Randomly, as you use your PC, or when you perform a certain task?

Do you have the Norton 2005 disk? If so try reinstalling it and then uninstalling it using the Norton removal procedure.

If you don't have the disk then download a trial of Norton 2007

http://nct.symantecstore.com/fulfill/0184.029/thankyou

and then uninstall it.

The Norton 2007 antivirus uninstaller is much better.

thankyou thankyou your advice on norton the best cheers again pete

i tried to remove syntmec..but ask for password...what to do

Hi nst,

First, go through the procedure posted here on Dave Taylor. I know its long but Symantec is difficult to remove properly from your PC unless you go after it in detail.

Are you running Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition?
The default password is Symantec. Sometimes it's simply password

If that doesn't work.

1) Go to Start>>Run>>type regedit

2) Navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder in the middle of the five folders (third one down) at the top.

Click on the +
Go down to: (click on the + beside each one) SOFTWARE >> INTEL >> LANDesk >> VirusProtect6 >> CurrentVersion >> Administrator Only >> Security

3) Double click on the value name "UseVPUninstallPassword" and change the value from 1 to 0

4) Close regedit. (Don't restart your PC.) Try to uninstall Symantec again.

Also try the manual method posted here at Symantec:
http://entkb.symantec.com/security/output/n2002031914291648.html

Hi David,

I went through every step of your uninstall Norton instructions and I came up with some symantec folders in my doc and setting folder that it won't let me delete and gives me the message: "Cannot read from source file or disk."
Any suggestions?

Thanks,

David

Hi David,

Did you have more than one Symantec product on your PC? One thing I should have emphasized was the necessity of only deleting files and folders of the specific Symantec product you want to remove. So if you're removing Norton AV, then delete only files and folders of Norton AV that you see in the search results, Program Files and in the registry. After you remove Norton AV you would then remove Live Update using this procedure. Otherwise you're only partly and improperly deleting other Norton programs which may well cause the problem you are having now.
I have added emphasis to this important detail on my site:

http://pc1stop.com/PCHealth.html#norton

If you have in fact deleted other Norton program files then reinstalling the Norton program(s) you have damaged will solve this problem.

Otherwise, next time you get that message, restart your PC go to Start>>Run>>type msconfig go to the Servies tab, check "Hide All Microsoft Services" at the bottom. Uncheck every remaining box. Leave msconfig. Reboot your PC as prompted. Upon reboot try again to delete the folders (provided they are folders of the Symantec product you want to remove).
If you still can't delete them, open each folder and as delete as many individual files as you can and reboot your PC. Upon reboot, go back to the docs and settings folders and try to delete each folder. If you can't delete each folder then delete as many individual files as as you can in each folder and reboot your PC. If you're having success with this (tiresome) method, then keep going until you have eliminated the files/folders entirely.
If that still doesn't work try this procedure in Safe Mode. Again, go to Start>>Run>>type msconfig but this time click on the Boot.INI tab and check /SAFEBOOT. Reboot as prompted. As it boots make sure you select the "Safe Boot" option and press Enter. Log on as Adminstrator. Go through this procedure again.
When you're done go back into msconfig>>Boot.INI and uncheck /SAFEBOOT.

If that doesn't work, delete the files using SpyBot. Go to Mode at the top, select Advanced. Go to the bottom, select Tools. From the list on the left select Secure Shredder. Right click in the white interface that appears and click on Add file(s) to the list... Go to My Computer (on the right), click o Local Disk (C:), then Documents and Settings and then the folder in which the files are located. Keep clicking on the file(s) until it appears in the white interface. Select Chop it away! at the bottom right.

To remove anythink use this solution it works for every version and forever this is the best way to delete any programs listen up:

First of all RESTART YOUR PC and go to SAFE MODE(press F8 conintuesly when ur on the first opening scrn with detail).
After your on SAFE MODE go to MY COMPUTERS then drive C:(your hard drive) listen up and dont delete anythink just listen to wat u should delete only.
when ur in DRIVE C:(local disk)when u try going on drive c FOR SOME PEOPLE it would be HIDDEN so click SHOW THE CONTECT OF THIS DRIVE!!! go to PROGRAM FILES when you go in that folder look for the folders with the name of the program your trying to delete just delete the programs you now dont delete anythink you dont now due to corrupting the PC and never opening till you fix it which is easy again once you learn. Job Done.:D

Dave,

Thanks so much for your instructions, I was amazed with the problems I had a couple of days ago uninstalling NIS. For such a highly used piece of software, Symantec really need to sharpen up their applications to allow them to be uninstalled as easily as other applications.

I downloaded the Removal tool from the Symantec site and it worked perfectly.

Cheers

Tim

Hi Dave,

I would like to uninstall Norton SystemWorks 2005 from my home computer (XP Pro) this evening and install BitDefender 10 instead. I've looked at many different forums and it seems that everyone recommends a *slightly* different approach to doing this.

I consider myself "a step above a newbie", but am not confident enough in my skills to follow your instructions (above) to the letter.

A number of forums suggest using the Add/Remove Programs feature in the Control Panel and then downloading and running "SymNRT.exe" IF Norton Systemworks 2005 isn't completely removed. However, some folks have stated that running "SymNRT.exe" might corrupt Windows BITS, which is necessary for Windows Update to work.

I understand that you *personally* would prefer to manually delete all traces of Norton/Symantec from your computer, but since I am wary of doing it manually, can you recommend any other way of completely removing it, without corrupting the Windows BITS?

Additionally, how can I tell whether or not the "Add/Remove Programs" feature of WindowsXP was able to completely remove the software? While others have suggested using "SymNRT.exe" ONLY if Add/Remove Programs doesn't work, none of them tell you how to check and see if Add/Remove Programs did the trick.

Thanks,

Brad

Hi Dave and thanks for the excellent info. Above, in the final step of your instructions, you state the following:

"Click on the little + to open the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT hive. Scroll way down until you get to the Symantec entries. Now just right click on each Symantec entry and hit Delete (making sure not to delete anything that isn't explicitly listed as Symantec!!)"

Ok, that sounds a little scary, but I had a look. There are no files "explicitly" labeled "Symantec", but there are a couple SymAData and SYMC files. Are those Symantec entries?

Hi Dave, I cannot thank you enough for all your tips. I have been struggling to get rid of the Norton programs for more than a year. I'll save you the trouble of telling you the long and complicated tale of my troubles with Norton but suffice to say it was really bad. I have even sent the computer to tech individuals but nothing and no one has helped. I stayed up the whole night following all your instructions and finally after 7 hours, I have finally removed the whole thing. Thank you so much. If it wasn't for you, I would still be stuck clueless what to do.

Dave-

thanks for the help and i followed all of the steps.

problem is that in security center it still says I have norton installed under the firewall setting and the virus protection setting.

how do i disable these without stopping the service?
even when i do stop the service i think they are still running because some programs cant access the internet all the sudden even when allowed under exceptions.

the windows firewall is off but it says norton has it on.
i dont have any norton on here, any help is appreciated.

Hi Dave,
I just found your site and it is great.
My question - I have Norton Protection Centre, AV and System works.
I am annoyed with Norton as the deducted the programs off my credit card several times and I spent days trying to get this mess straitened out.
I still have 9 months remaining on my Norton paid programs but someone told me Free AVG is as good or better than Norton. Can I run AVG in conjunction with Norton? should I delete Norton and run AVG or simply leave the huge Norton programs as they are without AVG?
Thanks in advance,
John Guild

anne,

I had the same problem what I do is restat my pc but when it is restarting repetedly press F8 then a black screen will appear. go up to safe mode with networking, and then select your pc. and your computer will go on the screen where you log on your computer, but select administrator and then do those steps.

hi david,

i have followed all you steps right to the end but i am stuck on the very last bit i cant seem to find the blue icon on the left of the panel on PCclear plus. Can you help me please.

Ryan

Thanks so much for this guide Dave. You are a King amoung men!

Dave, I just wanted to say that I followed your instructions, and it worked perfectly. I had tried using the norton removal tool, but it never quite got everything, but your way worked great!
John

Is this removal procedure for XP only? Or will it work for Vista as well?

I was about to take a baseball bat to my computer! I think I love you.

Steve

Help! I have a big problem. Norton and symantec programs are not in the Add/Remove Programs list. What should I do?!

Jerome

In the Resgistry edictor part of the step.

where you have to delete all entries that are anmed "Symantec", do we also have to delete the filename with the prefix "Sym-" too. Im suspecting that it is part of Symantecs but I need an assurance if its eligible.

Please pardon my disappointment.
Noting Dave Rice's admonition, "It's critical that you follow my instructions to the letter to avoid risk!", I was very careful.
I have Windows XP (home). Following his instructions to the letter only got me to Step 4 and then left me hanging in left field.
Step 4 says: "Now go to Start --> My Computer --> Program Files. Right click on each Symantec (or Norton) folder and select Delete."
Roger dodger. I clicked on Start--> My Computer --> ... HELLO?? There is no selection for Program Files!! The headers are System Tasks, Other Places, Details, Files Stored on This Computer, Hard Disk Drives and Devices With Removable Storage. None of the selections beneath these headers is labeled "Program Files." Nor is there any "Program Files" under any of the drop down menus at the top either. All stop.
I continue to be vexed by following an expert's advice "to the letter" and discovering that either a step is missing or the description does not match what appears on the machine.
Last week I followed another expert's advice on disabling the touch button on my Dell Inspiron. It was continually driving the cursor off the screen and apparently is a well-known failure in Dell machines. Ah, but this expert left out one interim step (obvious to him, not to me); as a result, I disabled all of the input devices (touch button, touch pad, and mouse). The machine is now at the repair shop to fix the so-called fix. With only 1/3 of this procedure complete, it looks like this machine is also destined to go into the shop for a professional repair.
The "experts" have caused more headaches than they are worth.
Thanks anyway!
Brian

Hi Brian,

That's a good point. Thanks for pointing that out.

To get to Program Files, click on Local Disk (C:) after Start Menu.

Woops,

Just to Clarify, Brian, to get to Program Files, click on Local Disk (C:) after Start Menu-->My Computer.

From the beginning then: Start Menu--> My Computer--> Local Disk (C:) --> Program Files.

I hope that clears it up for you.

Hi Jerome,

There is no straight forward way to put programs back in Add/Remove.

One way is to edit the registry which is a bit much for some.

The other way, the one I recommend right now, is to reinstall the Symantec programs missing from Add/Remove. Don't uninstall them. Just download them again over your Symantec programs already present on your machine.

If that doesn't work, uninstall your Symantec programs completely and reinstall them.

Between your uninstalls and reinstalls, make sure to run CCLeaner's registry utility, making sure to back up the registry as it prompts you to do so.
And restart your computer at the end of each reinstall and uninstall.

Dave, For the longest time I could not remove NAV from my ADD/REMOVE Programs screen. I Googled for help and found you. Thanks so much for your information. I followed each step and successfully removed NAV. I should have Googled you a year ago! Thank you again, you've been a great help.

Donald

Lots of good work here by Dave to uninstall norton. But....and here comes my commercial drum roll.....

We got a site, http://uninstallnorton.com where we offer to sell a software utility that will uninstall norton for you or we will do it for a fee.

So, if you are a do it yourselfer and don't want to have to dig through all the laborous steps that Dave so painstakenly laid our or if you simply want somebody do to it for you, please consider us. We try to treat people fairly.

And sometimes there are complications where the instructions Dave laid our, or yes, even our software utility, just don't do the trick. We can help.

Thank you Dave for the courtesy of letting me post to your site.

Reid

Thanks, this worked perfectly!

I had to uninstall NAV corporate edition to install a different program. I was banging my head against the wall after trying to uninstall it the conventional way and still getting the message "Norton AntiVirus Corporate Edition has been detected. Please uninstall this program."

This did the trick, thanks so much!

i had NAV 2006 and it was expired. I now have norton 360 installed and experience a lot of freezing and cold restarts.

Can i follow these same instructions to remove both?

Thanks in advance.

thanks for all the info dave, i was just wondering whether i should back up the registry before uninstalling norton and whether i should install a new antivirus after step 7?

thanks

Gareth

Hi Dave,
i cant complete step 3 i.e add/remove programs, once it statrts gathering information it goes of and an error message pops up saying "fatal error occured duirng installation. any suggestions please?

hi i got as far as step 4 an when i try to delete the norton system works file i get the message error cannot delete n32exclu.dll acess denied heeelp plz

thx steve

Hi steve,

That error message means you might have to restart your PC again or it means you are trying to delete a Norton/Symantec program file that you have not removed through Add/Remove Programs.

I recommend restarting your PC and trying to delete the System Works file again.

hi dave,
yep i tried restarting with no effect still have the same problem i removed norton ghost and system works in the add/remove program but they still apear in programs.
the only thing left in add remove programs is norton wmi update which when i try to remove it, it says a product that uses it still exits and wont let me remove it?? I tried the synmatic uninstal download but this wont run untill i remove norton ghost which i cant do !! and so brings me full circle to where the problem started any suggestions would be great on this matter thx.

cheers dave.
steve
(before you see a grone man cry)

Hi Steve,

When you say they still appear in programs, are you referring to Add/Remove Programs?

If they're still in Add/Remove, re-install them and try the process from the top again.

hi dave,
no mate they r no longer in add/remove programs but they r still in my programes folder on my hard drive

Hi Steve,

OK let's take it from the top but try a shortcut.

Reinstall SystemWorks and then download the Symantec uninstaller utility.
I understand this one is better than previous uninstallers.
You'll have to know which year your SytemWorks is.

http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039?Open&docid=2006032009205413&nsf=sharedtech.nsf&view=docid&pid=2006032009205413&pkb=sharedtech

Run the uninstaller utility and get back to me.

Hi Dave,

Right i reinstalled systemworks by using a system restore point which worked fine then i tried to uninstall it agian in add/remove programs as instructed on the symantec unistaller download while uninstalling i got the message (error could not open key)HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\explorer\browserhelperobjects.
but unistall completes an i restart my pc.
When i then look add/remove programes norton system works is still there but i click remove restart again an then its gone.
Then when i try to run the uninstaller download from symantec i get the message norton ghosts 9 or ealer ditected plz remove in add/remove programes (but its not there!!)so yet again im back at the start with a shiny new copy of norton antivirus 2008 with no way to install it.

any more suggestions you have would be most welcome thx again steve.

Hi Steve,

You mean you can't reinstall systemworks from CD or via download?

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. SystemWorks is gone from Add/Remove when you restart your PC after running the Symantec uninstaller?

Why do you run the uninstaller after you have removed SystemWorks?

What you should do is start at step 4 of the removal process after you have run the uninstaller
looking to delete each Norton and Symantec SystemWorks file/key you find.

If SystemWorks is the only Symantec program you had on your PC, delete every Norton and Symantec file/key you find.

As for Norton Ghost 9, start with step 4 of the removal process. Stop at step 9 and tell me what you found.

Hi Dave,

1st no i dont have the systemworks cd to reinstall from.
2nd i ran the uninstaller after i had removed systemworks in add/remove programs cus thats what it said to do.
3rd it is at step 4 where my problem starts i am unable to delete any system works or norton ghost files from my c.programfiles folder i just get the message access denied every time i try. (Its like i have removed them from the add/remove programs list but there r still there somewhere cus i am being deneid access to them)

So my main issue is that at step 4 where i need to delete thefiles i cant???

as always ne help is most appriciated
thx steve.

Hi Steve,

OK let's get this out of memory.

Assuming in you're in Windows XP
First back up your registry

1.Click Start, click Run, type %SystemRoot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe, and then click OK.
2 On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Create a restore point, and then click Next .
3.On the Create a Restore Point page, type a name for the restore point and then click Create
4.After the restore point has been created, click Close.

Now

1) Go to Start>>Run>>type regedit in the box>>click on the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key (It's the second Key down)>>Click on Software>>Microsoft>>Windows>>Current Version>>Run>>Right click on Each Symantec or Norton key there and hit Delete.

b) Now go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key under the key you just opened (HKEY_CURRENT_USER) follow the same instructions I just gave you for HKEY_CURRENT_USER except open up the Run- key and delete every Norton or Symantec key you see there too.

2) Go to Start>>Run>>type msconfig>> click on the Startup tab>> uncheck every box there>>then click on the Services tab>>check on the Hide All Microsoft Services box at the bottom of the window>> after you uncheck the Hide All Microsoft Services box, uncheck every box in the field above>>click OK and restart your PC as prompted.

After reboot, go in to Program Files and attempt to delete those SystemWorks folders.

Hi Dave,
Thx i followed your instructions to the letter when i rebooted i was still unable to delete the norton system works from the programs list but i was able to run the uninstall program from symantec(i hate the very sight of that word).
After that i ran ccleaner,all was great for about 10 mins untill i installed norton anti virus 2008 which had the effect of just clogging up my pc so bad that it would take 5 mins to open any program it was takin up 100% of my cpu usage it was crazy (an my pc is normally pretty quick i use it mainly for gaming so keep it pretty well loaded with ram etc) so now ive dumped norton an symantec where the belong in the bin and ive just downloaded kaspersky anti virus which i must say seems great so far.

Anyway just wanted to thank you for all your help and time on this matter it has been greatly appriciated all the best steve.
(right im off to start deleting viruses so you may hear from me again so sorry)

Hi Steve,

(I used to be a gamer too!)

OK so you got the SystemWorks file off your PC using the Symantec uninstaller after following my instructions to you in my previous post of October 27, 2007 12:00 PM.
Correct?

Well, if so, that's good. I was going to get you to go into Safe Mode as the next step.

As for your choice of AV, I'm glad you abandoned Norton. Kaspersky's a good choice.
But the gamer's antivirus is ESET's NOD32.

Best,

David

Dave,
These instructions look good, I'm going to try it. But something's going to go wrong, it's almost guaranteed. Aside from the above additional comments, what happens if you mess up the registry? You say to back up the registry but you don't say why: is this so you can re-load it? Can this be done from Safe mode? Or are there too many permutations to answer this question?

Dave,

When I try to uninstall through add/remove programs I won't let and I get a fatal error message. I tried the tool from symantic but it gets the same thing, I tried to delete through local disk program files and I won't let me delete??

Long story short, I had a messy install and uninstall of Symantec Client Security. I followed symantec support's instructions on getting all the registry stuff off but on reinstall still had problems. Overall, I spent 8+ hours trying to find and fix the problem until finding the instructions on this page. In a couple of hours, everything was cleaned up, SCS was reinstalled and is now all working. Thank you, thank you, thank you and God Bless!!!!

You're a genius. Thanks much for this info.

Dave,
I've been struggling to uninstall NAV 2007 for the last day and a half - during what was supposed to be a vacation! I saw your instructions yesterday, but felt hesitant to touch the registry. After several more frustrating hours, I plan to try these instructions tomorrow a.m. while I'm fresh! I'm sure you'll hear from me again, but God bless you for trying to help those less knowledgeable than you!

Hello Dave,

good stuff here. I managed to get rid of my NAV 2006, yippee.

I've got one question mark left though.In my registry, under HKEY CLASSES ROOT, there's a SymReader.dia entry.
Is it ok to delete this as well?

Thanks !

At the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT step, windows won't let me delete any symantec key, says error deleting key.

My norton is about to run out on its subscription and it is my intention to dump the silly thing, one question, do I download AVG first or after I uninstall norton?

Removing norton 06 when I go to program files,common and try to delete Symantec shared folder. Iget cannot delete symlcnet.dll: Access is denied.
What could be my problem

Hi,
First, I'd like to say thank you for all experience that you gave to us to remove Norton on the computer.
Second, I have a problem when I try to reinstall Norton 360.
I tried to install it, but finally, I failed. Then, I remove it and did everything that you told us to do. But when I reinstall, it automatically take the old cd key that I used to install Norton 360.
I used a keygen to install it on my computer. Then, each time, this keygen give a different registration code. So, if I want to reinstall it, I must use another code that it give to me.
How can I do to remove its old product key to type another in the box.
Beside, I also had another "little" problem. I can't acces in the regedit. Windows tell me that regedit is disable by the computer administrator. How can I do to enable it!

I hope that you could understand what I wrote up there, because I'm a french, and I know that my english is really bad! :P

Thank you so much!

Heys,
im asking about removing symantec antivirus but wen i go to control panel and remove it says fatal error during unistallation and i also tryed pressing change same problem??? Need Help

Dave can I use this to remove norton rescue disc? symantec .com removal tool is a waste of time. I want to install and Mcafee fire wall and can't, Mcafee are no help at all!

This was great for removing Norton, but I made the terrible error of deleting an incorrect entry from the Registry - one that belongs to System Restore! Is there any way I can get this back? I can't go to a restore point as the entry I deleted has disabled System Restore - not good.

Has anyone tried to simply run the Norton Program Removal Tool?

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039

Thought I would mention it.

~Coog

On August 3rd, Patrick asked: "where you have to delete all entries that are anmed "Symantec", do we also have to delete the filename with the prefix "Sym-" too. Im suspecting that it is part of Symantecs but I need an assurance if its eligible."
I have the same question but didn't find a response.
Everything else has worked great!

John

How do you backup the registry?

You should let people know CC Cleaner installs Yahoo Tool Bar without warning. Some people don't want what is basically spyware on their computers.

Okay, I had entered a long post and it seems the system ate it. So briefly recapping:

1) Dave, many thanks for maintaining this page. Enjoy your coffee treat! :)

2) The registry-clearing steps on this page (starting at step 8) are inadequate to find them all. They rely on manually browsing to specific points in the registry tree, however there are others. Instead, I suggest using an Edit -> Find approach, and after deleting an item, hitting F3 to Find Again for the next one, and etc., until they are all gone. Once the search is completed, run it again just to make sure none were accidentally skipped.

3) I had some problems encountering dead links for the Norton removal instructions and tools for products before 2003. Here is the current link:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/sunset-c2002kb.nsf/0/73bf2b6c4e168da785256edd00478da6?OpenDocument&seg=hm&lg=en&ct=us
Running Rnav2003.EXE, available there, finally let me get rid of "Norton Antivirus 2002" complaints from McAfee, so it would install. (Even though it was Norton Internet Security 2002 that I was uninstalling, the RnisUPG.EXE tool alone was inadequate to fix things, and I had to run this Rnav2003.EXE tool.)

Hope that helps,
KDJ

What a nightmare. Couldn't delete the programs from add/delete as the option was not available with the product, maybe because I downloaded it originally from the web site and not from disk. Used the uninstall norton from their website and irt uninstalled all, but wqhen it resterted, Blue screen of death, because the norton go-bakd which was just uninstalled we trying to open at boot. Finally after some time with the india rep. Was given a utility to boot to disable goback. After hours, I finally was able to get access to my PC and I quickly followed your directions to delete per your instructions. My Zone Alarm installation went off without a hitch.
God bless you

Thanks so much! It took a bit of doing to get the Live Update Notice (the new service that comes with Norton A/V 2007) out but it's gone now.

Add/remove wouldn't let me "remove it at this time." Also, I had a symantec folder stuck in common folder that refused to be deleted.

I had to do your removal steps in a different order to get them out. I did the registry steps, rebooted, ran add/remove and windows couldn't find the install info for LU Notice so it dumped it. The common folder symantec files deleted without a whimper. I then went back to the registry steps and redid them again.

And thanks, too, for the tip about Ccleaner. It cleaned out 750mb of files and fixed almost 500 registry errors.

I just bought a new computer which has a Norton 30 day trial. If I dont activate it am I safe to add Kasperesky? If not, I am all thumbs & CHICKEN! Dont want to destroy my new unit or go crazy. Should I try or have you tried the paid for removal tool at http://uninstallnorton.com for 07-08 Norton mentioned above? What do you think? Thanks for going where no man has gone before.

Hey Dave :)
Just used your valuable info on deleting Norton and also found this reference to Symantec in my Registry:
-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
--SOFTWARE
---SYMDebug
And being curious I opened it and it has does have reference to Symantec, BUT... I did not delete this as I wanted to ask you about it first.
No techie here at all, but with GOOD instructions, I will bail off into the Registry :)
Thanks, Dave.
Regards~
Libby

I usually stop any running program prior to uninstalling it. This was not mentioned in your steps. Is it necessary to stop the Symantec/Norton processes?

Thank you,
Joe

dave i have a comment to make in the last step to take you say use ccleaner (i agree it is a good prog) but when you say click on the blue square issues icon on the left , there is no such icon there, you have to click on the "registry icon" to see the scan for issues. otherwise you have a top notch page here, i am so glad i found it. thanks james

I will try to uninstall Norton

Thanks a bunch Dave. It might be helpful to note that I had to go into task manager to stop the &*%$#*! symantec process to fully delete three files in the common files / symantec folder. They were running and would not let me delete them.
Thanks again.
John

Dave,
I also suffer from the Norton curse. I have Norton Ghost which I am using for backups, do I have to remove it also. Actually have the entire suite, System Works, Antivirus, FireWall the whole bit. What amazes me is how it keeps getting worse. Have had these products for several years now and it hasn't been more than the last 6 months to where it has finally pushed me over the edge to switching. So again, the main question is, do I have to remove everything to get control of my PC back?
Thanks,
Mark

I have 3 files in each the Norton and Symantec Shared Folders that will not erase. I have followed the step to turn everything at Startup/Services off except the microsoft services, and I have removed Norton using remove programs. Can I go on to the next steps or is there someway to get rid of those final finals? (Some of the names are NavShEXT.dll, NAVShEsx. loc and Res.dll

Hello Dave,

I saw so many good comments about your method on how to remove norton peices from a pc. I just bought a new Sony Vio laptop with Vista Home Premium and it had a trial norton av. I have uninstalled it from the machine using add remove programs and now I am trying to install symantec corporate 10.2 build 276 on vista but its giving me errors saying i dont have sufficient priveleges to start the symantec service. Please suggest what should I do. I can follow your steps to clean the registry but am not sure whether these instratuction are for XP or Vista. Also, am not sure whether this willwork or not. ANy ideas??

Thanks in advance,

Gigs

I uninstalled Norton from the control pannal but to my horror found that I still have the updater on my computer.

I tried to remove it bu it states tht it's still has Symntec/Noron programs running. ARGH..... How do I get rid of the thing?

Dave, very good explanantion. thanks.

Acer laptop, amd dual core 1.9, 2GB, vista (no sp1 yet)

I removed NIS 2008 trial version, which I never sctivated, via add/remove programs. I have not loaded any other anti virus or anti spyware.

I used the Norton removal tool next.

Then I went into the registry and removed a few entries, SymNRT, SymBinder, and SymReader. Didn't see any NAV/NIS entries.

I saw an entry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/.sym/PersistentHandler, that I am not sure about? Should I remove this?

I am trying to install AVG 8.0 (free version), but I still get a warning that another anti-virus program is there.
(I have used the identical install file on an XP Home + SP2 system, and it installed fine after I removed Norton with add/remove programs, so I know the install file is good)

Hi Dave,

My Norton 360 expired few days ago and I uninstalled using the XP - control panel - program removal tool and also the Norton removal tool.

I tried to installed another Norton 360 on the same PC. But it keep telling me that my subscription has expired and do not allow me to key the new product key. It looks like the old product is still there and can't be removed. Please advise how can I remove the old product key and install the new Norton 360. Thank you

John

Dave I have NAV on my vista,is it best to follow your instructions or goto website for uninstalling Norton tool.
I wasn't to sure as most of your instruction relate to windows xp.

Hi
I have followed your step to remove nortons but when I go to addand remove I get to the step number 3 (click change and remove all and a message come uo ( The specified module could not be found) but when I try to install Trend antivirus it says I have to remove nortons first . Please help
Thanks Alison

Dave,

I have a system (my daughter's-you get the picture..), which has two versions of Norton Antivirus. Everytime I try an uninstall of either one, I get an error code 999,172, which then takes me to the Norton site. I have tried the Norton Uninstaller, and Absolute Uninstaller, all with no success. I can't open either version of them (they appear to be corrupted).

Is think they are version 2005 and 2007. I have the original disk for the 2005 version, but not the 2007.

If I can't get past the basic uninstall process for either version, is there anything else I can do?

Running Windows XP Home on Dell Dimension 4600 Pentium 4

Dave, I've followed your instructions down to the letter and went over it 3 or 4 times but my windows security center still tells me Norton's firewall is on?! I've got no idea why because I can't find a single Norton or Symantec file on my computer! Any ideas?

Dear David,

I am not sure whether I will be able to understand and manage all your instructions.

But for the first time since four days I now believe that there still is a small chance to stay away from the madhouse.

Thank you.

PS: I'll hate Norton and Symantec for EVER.

Hi Dave can you help each time i restart my computer i get a box saying C:windows\system32 winRAR self extracting archive and another one saying Path/File access error 75-vb stub can you please help me get rid of these 2 things Please Thank You

I didn't follow the instruction about backing up the registry before I uninstalled the symantec folder from the hkey local machine. When I went to the website to try and back up, it told me I had to be logged onto the administrator account to perform the operation. What should I do?

By using the delete program feature on my pc, I removed my Norton files. Now, all of "my documents" files are missing which were extensive. How do I find my excel and word files?

On the uninstall of Norton security: When I go to control panel, programs and features, scroll down to Norton right click, remove/uninstall, I get an error message that reads "system can not find specified path". When I try to go to: start my computer, program files it won't delete because it says there is another folder open. I don't have anything open. How do I find the specified path to uninstall this junk?

Hi
Thanks for your fantastic instructions. I believe I have now uninstalled Norton! However when i did a search just to check there is a file XMLConfig_symantec that remains. should I delete that also?

thanks, Sarah

Will the above steps be enough for Norton AV 2009? I noticed there isn't even support on the Symnatec site for the removal of 2009. I just got a brand new computer and this thing is screwing up my graphics card driver. I'm on the line with tech support right now, but I'm fairly certain when it comes down to it, I'm going to need to remove the jaws of this monster from my machine. I'm just wondering if there are any additional steps that I would need to take or differences in finding the files.

Thanks,
Nick

Hi Dave,
I read all the info you have given here but I'm not able to uninstall nav 2007 from control panel, it gives me an error and after a few seconds it shuts down the pc, there is some kind of virus that's not letting me remove the damn thing. Pls help!
Thanks
Sandy

Dave, you are amazing!!!!

Well, I've spent weeks trying to remove an old Norton Live Update from my p.c. Following Symantec's detailed instructions and also the ones above (time and time again!) and it was still there sitting in my program list.

Eventually, I got some wonderful help on a forum and was able to install it EASILY by downloading REVO UNINSTALLER from the CNet download site. It took seconds and it's now gone!

I'd recommend anyone have problems removing this (or anything else for that matter) to do it this way. I really don't see the point of going through all the instructions above when it can be this easy.

I am tring to speed friends computer, I have followed the instructions but cannot delete the files, it keeps coming up Destination Folder Access Denied. Can you help?

I used your method for some other peskt software I could not get deleted and it worked like a charm.Thanks for the helpt

some dude installed symantec end point protection version 11 on my system and ive been trying to uninstall it.ive tried doing that from the add/remove programs in the control panel but i dont even see symantec as part of the programs installed on my system.i cant install newer versions of norton because i have to manually unistall the symantec antivirus 11 and i dont know how to do that.i really want to get rid of it cuz it is not useful and is really pissing me off.any advice??

What I did was went to the Norton Website and downloaded the Norton System Removal Tool. Restarted PC. It pretty much puts you all the way at Step 8 on Dave's Guide. Once there, I was done his whole guide within 5 minutes. Its very easy and his Guide worked like a charm! ACES!!!

Hi Dave thanks for the info worked a treat.
You the man

Gary in Australia

I followed your instruction on the norton/symantec
removal and when I got to "restart your pc" I did that and it didnt restart....it just went to "windows error recovery"...so I choose "Launch startup repair" and the screen just blinks and goes back to "Windows error recovery"..I dont understand what happened...I followed your instructions correctly..to the letter..
well I have a Dell Inspiron 1520 using Windows Vista Home Premium(32-bit).I have Drive c: Drive d : Drive e: ....I know Drive d: cannot help me because I deleted it by accident..and now I realize it was my recovery ...what do I need to do to fix all this and get my windows running again.

thanks for your insight. i'm trying to delete this dammn thing, un-inst is being running for 3.5 hrs, not done yet. any hints.
thanks.

Hello to anyone who can help me on this matter. I need the product key code for the norton's symantec system. The one that I had was only a trial, and now it's expired. So if anyone out there can give me some insights on what to do in order to keep the anti-virus on my PC, please respond to me in the e-mail above. Thanks.-

This looks great to unistall 360 but do I have to be worried about also uninstalling Win Fax or crashing that program which I would like to keep in tact?

Hey Dave, :)

Well, I am trying to install Kaspersky Internet Security, because it is the only free trial I ever used that removes the trojans and others for free without upgrading.. but it said I have Norton Internet Security 8 and must uninstall. Of course I did every step on your thread about removing NAV from the reg etc, and I also used ccleaner, and deleted the additional symantec and nav files using regedit. I used the Search tool and deleted any files that showed up even hidden, and Even went into my computer and program files and deleted everything in there. I restarted as directed, and anytime I made a change.

I then tried to install, and still am getting the message that Norton Internet Security 8 is present and must be removed, and I don't know what else I can do.

One thing I noticed is that when you use windows uninstaller to uninstall Norton, it appears to be hosed up at several points. Don't close it out. It is working on it. Go make a pot of coffee, jiggle your mouse to stop the screensaver, whatever, but I am guessing people who end up with a lot of the 'leftovers' are ones who closed the uninstall thinking it was hosed up. Which, it really looks like it is, and it took 2 hours to work its' way through it for me.

Just what it looks like to me.
Patience is a virtue.
A word to the wise is sufficient.

Hi dave, I am a window vista home premium user and I've followed your instructions to fully remove norton anti virus from my computer. But I still cannot connect to the internet.
I remove norton anti virus to install Kaspersky Internet Security 2009.

thanks!

Hey Dave,
I've tried everything to uninstall Norton and his stupid Symantic side kicks...you have helped me tremendously.I've managed with your help to remove soooo many Norton and related files but there's a few that will not let me delete.I'll keep trying.
Thank you for your expertise,
Shirley

hey hi there! i need you to know that i can't run any software installation on my hp dv6000 laptop with windows vista on it because i have installed NIS 2008 and now it won't uninstall by any of the methods you have mentioned. i have been having problems on my pc since i installed it. any of the processes involving administrative consent is denied by norton and i mean any process like gor e.g. turn on password protection,turn on media sharing,etc. it just displays "the service cannot be started, either because it is disabled or because it has no enabled divices associated with it." and creat association also doesn't work. i want to know how i can get rid of it without formating my laptop and if thers no way out then tell me how i should format my laptop [steps]. also i don't have a vista home basic dvd or cd but an activation number on the bottom sticker [legal]. which drivers will i be needing in case of a format. also tell me how do i get a setup app. of vista on the dvd in case of format or i will have to download it.

Thanks a lot Dave. When I did a thorough search it found the Norton and Symantec folders. I never thought that they would be hiding somewhere as I manually deleted the ones i saw. But the nasty buggers were hiding! I couldn't find any entry in my registry maybe because I used CCleaner a while ago. Thanks a lot again. Norton's "00000082 folder" was coming up in my C:\ everytime I started my laptop and I was quite annoying coz I had to delete it everytime.

Hi Dave.

I have been trying to install McAfee 2009 but I kepp getting an error window saying I need to "remove norton rescue disk".

I have followed all your steps in this thread, but I cannot find/delete this issue. Do you know how i can search and destroy?

I have found that if you call 1 866 200 0892 You will contact norton and they will remove all programs in your computer within minutes. With out a lot of hassle and very little work. Thank You. Sherry

dude your a genious im a sandman i followed all the steps you said and i was able to delete everything just like you said. took me like 4 or 5 hours but i got it done and it works. thank you very much.

hey dave... ive tried to use the add and remove program to get rid of my norton and does not work,. plz HELP!!!

Hey Dave, everytime I try an delete Norton from the add/remove programs, a box pops up and says that it is gathering error information. Halfway through it exits out and Norton is still there, any ideas?

Hi Dave, i am trying to remove Norton, when i am on step 4, there is a Symantec Shared folder, that i cannot delete, it come up with " cannot delete ccEvtMgr.exe: Access is denied. Make sure the disk is not full or write protected and the file is not currently in use" i cannot delete this folder,what should i do? Thanks a lot!

I have a question about Norton Anti-Virus.
I have a program that I used when I was at work. Yesterday I did some damage to the PC. I was able to get everything up and its good, except Norton! I have the original cd. When I insert it it does not run. On the pc I went into control panel and thought I was able to do it. Nothing... I am frustrated and went on the internet thinking that Norton would have a tool. They have tools 2003 and up. Mine I think is 2001. They don't say.
What do I do?

Thanks

I'd like to delete nav because after having my laptop for a day, it already has caused problems. Will this page work on Vista as well? Thought I'd ask before I caused any problems. And thanks for all your answers. You are awesome!

Hello Dave:

After several hours, with the help of your very clear instructions, I have removed the many tentacled Norton octopus from my computer.
The Symantec removal tools did not even come close to getting it all... It was insane how many Symantec and Norton files (some of them huge) were dumped onto my machine, slowing it down incredibly.
Now that my computer is back to it's old self, I am wondering what is the best antivirus software to install. Any suggestions?

i have to say that I generally just use the free AVG Antivirus application and haven't had any problems with viruses or other malware on my PCs. You can find them at http://free.avg.com/

i am trying to remove norton antivirus, i only get to the first part. It doesn't end. what should i do.

very frustrated

Just one additional step I had to go through - in the Windows Control Panels was another Symantec control panel for turning on/off live updates. I had to turn off "automatic" updates so that I could uninstall Norton.

...and then I had to uninstall the Symantec Live Update as well. Thanks, Dave. The uninstall went smoothly!! And now my CPU isn't pegged and the computer starts/restarts in SECONDS not many many minutes and... life is good! : )

I have faithfully followed all of your instructions to remove Norton360 that came on my Vista laptop.

I still cannot install zone alarm (either free or the security suite) and have it work. My laptop came with SP1 on and I added SP2. Perhaps my problem is something other than Norton.

Another website suggested using MSconfig to check on services because he found symantec service running months after he removed Norton!

I check on my firewall at grc.com, using the ShieldsUP! utility.

Thank you for your instructions on removing Norton. I forgot to add that I ran the Norton removal tool and then, used you instructions to ferret out the rest.

I also didn't say that I have a Toshiba laptop. Don't buy a Toshiba! Their restore media creates more problems than it solves! They are worse than Microsoft. The fix for the disappearing CD/DVD is on their website. The issue was caused by their restore software.

Since I cannot use the ZA security suite which we paid for, I am using Windows firewall with AVG and Spybot.

Maybe my next computer will be a Mac. I'm sick of Microsoft.

Thank you so much! I found your article incredibly helpful. No more Norton now...

Kudos for an extraordinarily helpful piece of work.

I've done everything, and still seem to have a symptom -- I'm hoping you'll tell me I can ignore it.

I'm running WinXP/professional. When I open the "security center" from the control panel and turn *off* the Windows Firewall, the security center tells me "Norton AntiVirus is currently ON".

PLEEEEEEZE tell me it's lying -- is there a way to determine whether the security center is reporting that status incorrectly? As far as I can tell, I see no other indications from the system behavior that any Norton firewall is running.

I don't think I have *any* Norton/Symantec files or registry entries left.

First of all, thank you for the great article. I normally would have just uninstalled this from my control panel and considered it to be completely removed. WOW, what an insight.

I have run into one small problem however. Everything has been remove except for "AluSchedulerSvcRes.loc" I cannot remove this. I keep getting an error message that says, "Cannot delete AluSchedulerSvcRes.loc: Access denied". Any suggestions?