Like most Windows software, Norton security products, published by the
Symantec Corp., come with an uninstall option to remove the software
from your computer.
Unfortunately, neither Symantec's bundled uninstaller — nor a
little-known, special utility from the company — removes every single thing.
Incomplete removal poses a risk to users
My Jan. 24 round-up on reviews of security suites reported that
Symantec's Norton Internet Security 2008 had garnered Editors' Choice
awards from PC Magazine and PC World — more top prizes than any
competing suite. Soon after my article appeared, dozens of readers wrote
in to complain about their experiences with Symantec software. Among
other problems, they cited the difficulties they've had uninstalling
Norton security products.
In addition, a number of sources confirm that security software in
general, and the Norton product line in particular, do a poor job of
removing their products.
Why are incomplete uninstalls a problem? In addition to leaving useless
data on a customer's machine, such Registry entries may in some cases
cause conflicts for other software.
For example, self-described industry guru Dave Taylor warns that "the
presence of uninstalled security software in the Registry can conflict
with newly installed security software and cause system freezes."
Mark Hasting, creator of a site known as PC Hell, reports hearing from
many users who want to remove Norton products. "I've even received mail
from computer users trying to install an antivirus product," he
explains, "and they are told to uninstall Norton before they can
proceed, even though it appears Symantec products are not running on the
system."
Hasting, it should be noted, makes an identical claim about McAfee's
antivirus and security products.
To examine the problem for myself, I used a test computer to analyze the
uninstall process of the full version of Norton Internet Security 2008.
I also tested a trial version of that product and Norton 360, a related,
all-in-one security package.
In every case, I found that one .dll file (symlcrst.dll) and a few other
other files and folders were not removed by Symantec's uninstall
routine. Also, the Windows Registry still showed numerous references to
the removed products.
That a wide range of Symantec products are difficult to completely
uninstall is suggested by the Symantec support site itself. The site
offers a free Norton Removal Tool. Although the Symantec Knowledge Base
claims the tool is only for failed installations or damaged products,
the company continues to update the utility to remove a host of its
products. This include Norton 360, Norton Ghost, Norton Save & Restore,
pcAnywhere, WinFax, and any Norton Internet Security product dated 2003
through 2008.
To test the effectiveness of this utility, I ran the Norton Removal Tool
after doing a normal uninstall of Norton Internet Security 2008. I then
restarted the computer. Although the tool did remove some Registry
entries and delete some stray folders on the hard disk, it still didn't
do a thorough job. For example, key Registry entries, such as
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Symantec
remained, as well as a .dll in the Program Files\Common Files folder.
Symantec products aren't the only security software that present
uninstall challenges. The tips-and-hints site PC Hell provides
instructions for removing well-known products from McAfee, Avast, AVG,
and AntiVir. It also includes links to special uninstall utilities
provided by McAfee and Avast, in addition to a Registry cleaner from
AntiVir.
I installed and uninstalled the latest trial version of McAfee
SecurityCenter on a test machine running Windows XP Pro. The results,
while not perfect, seemed less troublesome than the Norton examples.
McAfee SecurityCenter's uninstaller left behind three small data files
(with .txt, .bak, and .dat extensions). It also left a handful of
Registry entries, but these appear to be harmless artifacts of the product.
Symantec clarifies its uninstall approach
Symantec spokespeople defend the behavior of its install and uninstall
routines. According to Jody Gibney, senior product manager for the
Norton Internet Security product line, the install and uninstall process
has undergone a major overhaul since the 2006 versions. "Between Norton
Internet Security 2006 and Norton Internet Security 2008, we've managed
to reduce the number of Registry entries left behind," she said in a
telephone interview.
Gibney acknowledges that one DLL is intentionally left behind. This is a
DRM (digital rights management) component intended to protect the
company against a person installing a trial version multiple times to
avoid paying for the product. Symantec does not remove any Registry
entries related to this component.
If a user has installed multiple Norton products, all of which use the
Norton LiveUpdate utility to install patches and virus definitions,
Gibney points out that the uninstaller for one product will not remove
that component — even if that product was the first to install the
files. Naturally, if someone forgets or doesn't know that they other
Norton products are still installed, the presence of LiveUpdate may
appear to indicate an incomplete uninstall.
In my tests, the Add or Remove Programs control panel displayed separate
uninstall options for Norton Internet Security 2008 and LiveUpdate.
Uninstalling the Norton product also removed the LiveUpdate component,
apparently because no other Norton products still remained on my test
machine.
Gibney advises against using the Norton Removal Tool as an uninstall
method. Instead, she recommends using the product's Uninstall command
(found within Windows' Start menu) or the Add or Remove Programs control
panel. "Only use the Norton Removal Tool if you have a problem," she
says. Otherwise, you may cause problems for Norton Ghost or other Norton
products you may have installed.
"We've put a ton of effort into Norton Internet Security 2008 and will
do the same for Norton Internet Security 2009," says Gibney. "People who
have a valid subscription are entitled to a 2008 update," she adds,
indicating that this will eliminate most uninstall problems.
How to remove Norton products from your system
Fortunately, if you need to remove a Norton security product from your
system, a number of Web resources exist to help you do so. The correct
approach varies, depending on whether you're removing only one of
several Symantec products or all of them:
Removing only one Symantec product when more than one is installed
Open the Control Panel and use the Add or Remove Programs applet (in
Windows XP) or the Programs and Features applet (in Vista) to see the
number of Symantec programs that may be installed. If several are
present, and you wish to uninstall only one, run that program's
uninstall function to remove it.
Removing all Symantec products, however many are installed
Whether you have only one Symantec product or several installed, if
you're removing them all, open the Control Panel and use the same applet
described in the previous paragraph to find them. Uninstall each program
in turn. If the LiveUpdate utility still shows up in the Control Panel
applet, select the option to remove it.
After you've uninstalled all Symantec products, including the LiveUpdate
utility, you can clean up your Registry further by following the
instructions at the Symantec support site. This involves running the
Norton Removal Tool for your particular product.
As noted above, however, even the Norton Removal Tool will not remove
every trace of Symantec programs. You may find leftover Symantec folders
under your Program Files\Common Files folder, the Documents and Settings
folder (in XP), and the Users folder (in Vista). Don't use Registry
tools to simply delete every reference to Norton or Symantec. Many of
these entries are completely harmless (for example, when the name turns
up in an MRU or "most recently used" list).
For the most thorough removal, the Dave Taylor support site provides
detailed instructions for removing Symantec files and Registry entries
from an XP system. Users of Vista shouldn't have much difficulty
translating the same steps for that operating system.
Software publishers expect users to agree to and obey restrictive
license agreements. In return, customers have every right to expect
developers to create products that leave a system completely free of
that software when uninstalled.
Makers of security software, in particular, have a responsibility to
make sure that removal of a product doesn't compromise security further
by making it difficult for other security products to be installed.
Readers receive a gift certificate for a book, CD, or DVD of their
choice for sending tips we print. Send us your tips via the Windows
Secrets contact page.
That's why I prefer End Users' experiences over professional reviews
(unless there aren't any end users) because the professionals don't
test it long enough to give a correct assessment where as the end
users get to know the software better because they take more time and
because of the number of end users.
And I have even a stronger preference to steer clear of Symantec's desktop
security tools. The Windows Secrets article is not too far off, particularly if
you drill down to another cited article that explains the gory details of
removing the Symantec web from Windows. The gory details reflect my own
experience with this overly complicated rubbish... Ben Myers
On Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:55:08 -0600, RnR <rnrtexas@gmail.com> wrote:
>On Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:48:42 -0500, Tony Harding <ToHard@nowhere.org>
>wrote:
>
>> From WindowsSecrets Issue 139 • 2008-02-07
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>
>
>That's why I prefer End Users' experiences over professional reviews
>(unless there aren't any end users) because the professionals don't
>test it long enough to give a correct assessment where as the end
>users get to know the software better because they take more time and
>because of the number of end users.
On Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:34:56 -0500, Ben Myers
<ben_myers_spam_me_not@charter.net> wrote:
>And I have even a stronger preference to steer clear of Symantec's desktop
>security tools. The Windows Secrets article is not too far off, particularly if
>you drill down to another cited article that explains the gory details of
>removing the Symantec web from Windows. The gory details reflect my own
>experience with this overly complicated rubbish... Ben Myers
>
>
Agreed. My days of Symantec aren't too good either so I steer clear
of them now at all costs. I've learned to use other products in their
place.
Symantec uninstaller may not finish the job 
Linear Mode
