Spyware, viruses, & security : Uninstall Norton Issue - unending uninstall
Uninstall Norton Issue - unending uninstall
by NorthBeachnik - 12/30/07 6:07 PMI know this is a long post but I am desperate and hope someone can help me with this issue.
I downloaded the correct Norton Uninstall Utility in order to prperly uninstall Norton SystemWorks 2007. The URL for the Uninstall Tool was recommended to me by CNET.com and I verified the URL through a Google search which lead me to the same tool at the same URL on the Norton site. I have been using PCs for 20 years and have used Norton, McAfee, AVG, Webroot,and a number of free anti-malware utilities. I am not a novice in this area and I understand well the difference between deleting a program in ADD/DELETE in Windows Control Panel and using the Norton Uninstall Utility Tool...which is why I was using the tool.
I printed out the uninstall instructions from the Norton site and then downloaded the Norton Uninstall Utility Tool to my desktop, as instructed. Then Windows started downloadin updates, lots of them them because I had not used this HP Pavilion 9410 Vista laptop in several months.
After the Windows downloads finished and the laptop restarted automatically, I followed the Norton instructions and double-clicked on the Norton Uninstall Utility icon. The program started. The laptop has 2gig of memory and I was running a 2gig Readyboost flashdrive in the Drive f: before and during the downloads and the running of the Norton uninstall. The Readyboost works as it should, flashing away when the drive is particularly busy with a cache-heavy task. I should also say that no other programs were/are running during the Norton Uninstall.
Well, HERE'S THE PROBLEM: NORTON UNINSTALL HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR MORE THAN 5 HOURS!!! There is a long rectangle with that left-to-right wave movement to tell you that something is happening. There is also a circle above that that goes around and around to tell you that something is happening.
At first the rectangle slowly filled in with the color green from left to right as progress was made. Every once in a while the screen would go black due to hibernation. If I touched the touchpad to move the cursor the laptop came back to life and the uninstall picked up where it left off and slowly the green line moved to the right. This meant that I had to stay up all last night until 7:00AM this morning.
Finally, the uninstall porgram reached the point where the description on the screen reads "Removing Registry Values". this seemed to go especially slowly. I figured this was because Norton is notorious for doing things to the Registry.
At this point, I fell asleep for one hour and then woke up. I touched the touchpad to move the cursor and un-hibernate the laptop. The circle was going around and the line was waving left to right so I thought things were happening, i.e. the registry values were being removed and the uninstall was finishing.
I fell asleep again until 3:00PM. I ran to the computer, touched the touchpad, and the black screen lit up. It showed the circle going around, the green line waving left to right and it has been doing this for three hours this afternoon with NO PROGRESS! The green line has not moved farther to the right. It looks like I am stuck where I was last night: 90% done with whatever this horizontal line represents. The screen still says "Removing Registry Values".
What do I do? Do I restart the computer and restart the Norton Uninstall Utility? Or is my Registry damaged or destroyed? This is a new computer in te sense that I have not used it but my data from my old computer was put on it by the computer shop AND I HAVE NO BACK UP OF MY DATA! I know I should have backed up first before uninstalling. I just wasn't thinking straight due to a recent illness and hospitalization.
Do I call Norton? This CRAPWARE was installed on my laptop and I do not know what my serial number is since I do not have a box. Is there an independent Norton-only forum of users that might be able to help me (as CNET and Castle Cops did with my work computer recentl when I had a malware problem)?
Any other suggestions???
Many thanks for reading this and offering any advice, help, or support!
Happy New Year to all in the CNET community!
Alex
you seem very knowledgeable so
by dawillie - 12/30/07 8:46 PM In reply to: Uninstall Norton Issue - unending uninstall by NorthBeachnikafter you have done the uninstall via settings add/ remove, why not go to the Registry and manually delete all references to Norton / Symantec.
the endless loop you are seeing is generally a corrupt registry entry.
the 'find' function in REGEDIT should find and allow you to remove all entries.
But don't know enough to edit registry refs to Norton
by NorthBeachnik - 12/30/07 10:39 PM In reply to: you seem very knowledgeable so by dawillieThanks for your answer which makes sense. I am knowledgeable theoretically about such things and I have edited the Registry a few times with an AST, Dell, or other Tech person on the phone telling me what to do. But I do not feel safe doing so myself.
In another Forum area here on CNET someone suggested I Add/Remove the Norton Systemworks after restarting and then try running the Uninstall Tool. If that fails, I guess I will have to look at the registry. I know how to run Hijack This. But I do not remember how to 1) simply find the registry and 2) regedit. How do I find the registry? Do I regedit from the C: prompt?
Thanks and a Happy 2008!
Alex
in Regedit 'find'
by dawillie - 12/31/07 6:16 PM In reply to: But don't know enough to edit registry refs to Norton by NorthBeachnikfirst type 'Norton'
delete all entries.
then type 'Symantec'
delete all entries.
finally go to c:\\windows\prefetch and look for anything with either name or do a search and delete all files, *.dlls folders etc with said name.
also look at c:\windows\program files
hard work but Norton is very proprietorial.
good luck and post back please.
dawillie...I've got some additional questions for you.
by doodler2 - 12/31/07 10:32 PM In reply to: in Regedit 'find' by dawillieSaw your timely post. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to jump ship and not renew my Symantec/Norton subscription (Norton Internet Security 2007). I used their removal tool and had no problems doing so. But, afterwards when I decided to check my registry to see how effective the removal was, I found a number of remaining listings. I checked my registry this way: Start > Run > Regedit > Edit tab > Find and I searched on "Symantec" and "Norton".
Some of what I found in my registry are folders clearly named Symantec or Norton.
In addition, some of what I found are string lines with the words "Symantec" or "Norton" in their descriptions. (Not sure if I'm describing them correctly. These lines are contained within folders and they have an "ab" symbol the precedes their descriptions. The folders they are in don't necessarily say Symantec or Norton, and not all of the string lines that appear when you open the folders contain Symantec or Norton in their descriptions...only some of them do.)
Here are my questions:
1) Is it safe to delete from my registry the folders clearly labeled "Symantec" and "Norton"?
2) Regarding the "ab" "strings" that I describe above that have "Symantec" or "Norton" in their descriptions, can I delete those specific entries? Should I also delete the folders they are contained in (even if the folders are not titled "Symantec" or "Norton"?
3) I have 4 profiles on my computer (Windows XP Service Patch 2). My understanding is I have to go through this exercise for each profile...correct?
Sorry for all the questions...but I'm learning. Thanks much in advance for your input
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