Fed up with Norton – A Question

[Bruce Page]

I want to uninstall my Norton AntiVirus Corporate edition, 7.61 that I got from work several years ago and install the McAfee® Security Suite that Comcast provides free to high speed subscribers.
I need to remove Norton before I install McAfee, but there isn’t any uninstall program with Norton. Can I use the Add/Remove Programs in the Windows Control Panel to remove it?

[Dick Rowe]

I would start with the Add/remove programs uninstall, but I have seen cases where it just doesn't work completely .. usually erring out part way through leaving a mess that is neither useable, nor uninstallable (geek limbo).

Symantec must be aware of the problem and have created some free uninstall tools. I have used these after previous failed uninstalls and they seem to work.

Good luck!

Norton tool location .. http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039

[Joe Mioux]

I would start with the Add/remove programs uninstall, but I have seen cases where it just doesn't work completely .. usually erring out part way through leaving a mess that is neither useable, nor uninstallable (geek limbo).



been there before :(

good luck bruce. :)

[Jim Becker]

I believe that the Add/Remove Programs area is the right place to start.

But be aware that McAfee is just as much of a pig as Norton...

[Dennis Peacock]

It can be ugly Bruce....and is the real reason why I switched from Norton to MS One Care Plus. Great stuff and doesn't hog the machine. Besides that, one purchse for $49.95 licenses up to 3 PC's. :)

[Matt Meiser]

The Norton Removal Tool is supposed to remove everything. I used it to remove a mis-behaving Norton 360 install. When I reinstalled, it remembered some of the settings I'd changed before. I don't trust Symantec at all anymore.

My Norton 360 disaster cost my company over 9 hours of my time (and the associated revenue) before Symantec support gave up on me and issued a refund. They said they'd never seen a problem like mine before. It was with the firewall, and when I turned the firewall off it would just turn itself back on even if I told it not to. I'll never buy Norton again.

I've been very happy with AVG Free on my home computers for a couple years now. And I'm now running a paid version AVG on my work PC. One thing I really don't miss about Norton is the LONG boot times. My computer used to take a several minutes to boot. Now, under a minute.

[Bruce Page]

Thanks guys, I couldn’t fine anything on the Norton site that would remove the corporate version that I had so I used the Add/Remove which seemed to work just fine.
I’ve loaded the McAfee Suite – hopefully it will be an improvement….

[Nancy Laird]

Bruce, McAfee is just as much of a resource pig as Norton is. Try AVG and see if that works for you.

I just had one of my computers reformatted and the guys at Computer Troubleshooters installed four (!) new programs for ads/pop-ups/etc. When I get to the other computer, I'll edit this post and tell you what they are.

Bruce, the four things installed are ClamWin Antivirus, Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, Spybot - Search and Destroy, and Windows Defender. I have no clue as to what these might cost, as the guys at CT installed them for me and didn't charge me; I'm sure they used their own license, if these are licensed. Two of them can be set up to run automatically, the other two have to be done manually, and the guys advised me to run them at least every other day. These replaced AVG on my PC and seem to be doing a good job.

[Larry Bratton]

More than likely what you will have to do is to edit the registry to remove all of it. Be very careful with this, but if you can find some topics on it, follow the instructions and you can get rid of it. I would not attempt to give you advice on exactly how to do it, other than I'm pretty sure, (from experience with other sticky software) that this is what you'll need to do. Their is a tool "regedit" provided in windows. Type it into Run and your registry will appear. Norton probably has all kinds of things hidden away in there, so it would take someone techy to find them. Good luck!

[Bruce Page]

Thanks for the info Nancy. I'm going to give McAfee a shot and see how it goes.

[Doug Shepard]

...
But be aware that McAfee is just as much of a pig as Norton...

No eperience with Norton but I've been using McAfee since buying this computer and before Comcast was giving it away free (although I think it's a thinner version?) I've been paying the yearly subscription updates since it seems to be doing the job - no viruses or hacks, tho that may also be partially from the Windows Defender (which was a free downoad BTW). But this latest version of McAfee is not just a pig - we're talking monster swine on steroids. I almost need a popup blocker to block all the popups I get from it despite tweaking it's configuration to ignore certain things. Took me 3 days after installing with only being able to view about 50% of online WW forum pics before realizing that the Parental Controls portion got installed despite my telling it not to. Then there's something called Site Advisor which is another intrusive piece of ####. I've got it shut off now in IE but still haven't spent the time to figure out how to get it unistalled so it's not starting up a process. Getting Comcast email with the banner ads on the RH side of the inbox generates a warning message everytime the Inbox is refreshed and it tries to use Shockwave for the ads. Cant find the right option to set in the config to stop that for the life of me. I think I'm going to look elsewhere when it comes time to renew again.

[Shawn Christ]

Ditto on using AVG. Meets my needs.

Another thing you can do to avoid the PC blues is stop using Internet Explorer. Try as Microsoft might, IE really is a target for everything wrong with the internet.

I use Mozilla Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/) as my internet browser, and it really seems to have a following. I've been using it for nearly 2 years, and am very happy with the results.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Bruce,

Good luck! In the early years, Norton was the best. Later ...the worst im my opinion.

I could not get all of it to remove and endedup reloading software. I've been on ZoneAlarm Pro....av and adware. No problems.

Good luck!

[David Freed]

I can't help with your question, but I am another satisfied AVG user.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Me Too~!!

I am so very angry with them Their product literally takes over your computer.
The version of Internet Security (Pro) blew up on me thinking that the subscription was over. I contacted them and they strung me along for months. Their web site "fix" was not a fix and my antivirus was constantly locking me out of my computer telling me that my subscription was expired. I was unable to use my computer because of their virus they put on it.

Finally after several e-mails some techie guy in India sent me the following instructional on clearing the registry.
When I asked them if they were paying me my hourly rate to fix their screw ups they forgot to reply.



Symantec Clearing the registryNOTE: These keys may not exist on all computers. If either or both exist, please delete them as instructed.1. Click Start and then Run. 2. Type REGEDIT into the Run dialog box when it comes up and then click OK. The Registry Editor will open.3. Navigate to and select the following key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Symantec\CCPDHKEY_ LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Symantec\CCPD-LC4. Press the Delete key on your keyboard and click Yes to confirm.NOTE: If you are unable to delete the keys and recieve an error message resembling cannot delete the keys, please refer to the following document:Title: 'Error: "Error Deleting Key: Cannot Delete "<Registry Key Name>": Error While Deleting Key"'Document ID: 2002112506314039> Web URL: http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2002112506314039?Open&src=con_ols_namStep3: Remove Shared folders(If you can find any of these). For more detail please follow the steps as mentioned: -- On the Windows task bar, click Start > Programs > Accessories > Windows Explorer. -- Delete the program installation folders for all Symantec program that were installed.If you accepted the defaults, the installation folders will be in C:\Program Files and will have the name of the program that you installed.Here are the default program folder names and locations listed by program:C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus C:\Program Files\Norton Internet SecurityC:\Program Files\Norton Personal Fire wall-- Now configure Windows to show all files:1. Double-click the My Computer icon on your Desktop.2. Click the Tools menu in the top tool bar and then click Folder Options.3. Click the View tab.4. Uncheck "Hide file extensions for known file types."5. Under the "Hidden files" folder, click "Show hidden files and folders."6. Click Apply, and then click OK.-- Now search for:C:\Program Files\SymantecC:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec SharedC:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SymantecStep 4: Install the Upgraded Norton Internet Security 2007.4 (Free Latest version):Now, as you have to reinstall the product, I would like to inform you that, Symantec has focused on developing Norton product to provide core security technologies to protect customers from today's dangerous online threats and has released an upgraded version of Norton 2007.4 products. This upgrade is completely free of cost for the customers having a valid subscription for NIS 2006.Downloading and installing this new version of 2007.4 Norton product should resolve the issue that you are currently encountering with your existing Norton program. This upgrade is valid for Windows XP and Windows Vista operating Systems only. To upgrade the software please refer to the online document provided below. > Web URL: http://www.symantec.com/newnisIMPORTNANT NOTE: During the process of upgradation you will be prompted for the product key. Please refer to the documentation mailed during the purchase of software, for the key. You can also reply back to this mail to get the product key. Please provide the email address used during the registration to assist us trace the key. The Antispam and Parental Control features will be available through an optional add-on pack. You can download and install the free upgrade of add on pack from the below link:Web URL: http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/custserv.nsf/docid/2006092616462646 After the successful installation of Norton Internet Security 2007.4 version, Symantec recommends that you archive Norton product installation file the downloaded file in case you need to reinstall the program later. To archive the files, copy the files to a separate place on the hard drive or to a CD disc or DVD disc. Please let me know if the issue is resolved and if I can be of any further assistance. Best regards,Gitish PradhanSymantec Authorized Technical Support

[larry cronkite]

It said use Windows or better so I used Mac.

[Mike Cornelsen]

OK, it it's not too late for a response to this thread. I too am dumping Symantec. Here are the instructions I will use to unload it: http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_to_fully_remove_norton_from_pc.html

Based on the research from http://www.consumersearch.com/www/software/antivirus-software/
I've ordered ESET NOD32 (awaiting it's arrival as I write this).

[Rick Gifford]

I have always been a Norton fan... but nowadays my opinion has changed. Its a resource hog and can be a major headache when not functioning perfectly. McAfee causes so many problems and just isnt user friendly to those who arent real computer savey.

I switching over to Avast. We'll see how it goes. AVG and Avast are the top two rated free antiviruses out there right now.

Neither Nortons or McAfee is easy to completely uninstall. Do a google search and read all the horror stories.

A shame...

[Russ Filtz]

I'd get rid of the intrusive bloatware of Norton and/or McAfee. They seem more suited for corporate life. I've been using Eset's NOD32 for years and it works great, pretty much daily or more updates of the virus signatures. Best of all you can download it! Not for free of course, but no trip to store and box to store, etc. You get a user ID and password and can re-download if ever needed. There are LOTS of good AV software out there without the messed up/intrusive installs of Norton or McA.

[Chuck Wintle]

I'd get rid of the intrusive bloatware of Norton and/or McAfee. They seem more suited for corporate life. I've been using Eset's NOD32 for years and it works great, pretty much daily or more updates of the virus signatures. Best of all you can download it! Not for free of course, but no trip to store and box to store, etc. You get a user ID and password and can re-download if ever needed. There are LOTS of good AV software out there without the messed up/intrusive installs of Norton or McA.
Speaking of bloatware has anyone had the occasion to use Nero 8 lately ? This program installs everything under the sun on a PC including services, indexers etc. I used Nero for many years and at one time it was fairly good but lately it has become so bloated that, it too, consumes too many resources. I finally got rid of the entire Nero suite and now use ImgBurn.