Phantom Norton

Merry Day After Christmas!

Here is the situation I have: The system is a Dell Dimension with
Windows XP Home SP2. AOL 9.0 is used for Internet access, and AOL
Security Center was installed. (Windows Security Center diabled.) More
recently, Norton's Internet Security 2006 was installed *ON TOP* of the
AOL Security. (My client was laboring under the fallacy that if *one*
suite of Internet security was good, *two* must be even better!)
Predictably, the system slowed to a crawl, and now my client has asked
for Norton to be removed.

I downloaded Norton Removal Tool from Symantec's web page and ran it.
But though the program appears to be removed, AOL Security still insists
that Norton is installed, and will not activate its own Anti-Virus or
Firewall. I then suggested that I uninstall AOL Security as well, and
use AVG Free for anti-virus, Spybot for spyware, and Windows Firewall.
My client agreed, and I uninstalled AOL Security, reactivated Windows
Security Center, and installed AVG. But Windows Security Center *also*
says Norton is still there and AVG will not activate.

I then went into RegEdit and manually attempted to delete all residual
keys making reference to Symantec or Norton. This resulted in a trashed
registry. (Thank the gods for Last Known Good!!!)

So what do I need to do to exorcise this "phantom" of Norton Security
that Windows is still seeing, so that I can safely install an alternate
Anti-Virus/Firewall suite?

Dave

Dave Hardenbrook

I'd re-install Norton, then uninstall it using the add/remove programs
app in Control panel.

FWIW, the Norton "Removal tool" really isn't a substitute for "proper"
uninstallation....more of a "if the regular uninstall doesn't do it,
then try this" thing.






On Tue, 26 Dec 2006 23:31:45 GMT, Dave Hardenbrook
<> wrote:

>Merry Day After Christmas!
>
>Here is the situation I have: The system is a Dell Dimension with
>Windows XP Home SP2. AOL 9.0 is used for Internet access, and AOL
>Security Center was installed. (Windows Security Center diabled.) More
>recently, Norton's Internet Security 2006 was installed *ON TOP* of the
>AOL Security. (My client was laboring under the fallacy that if *one*
>suite of Internet security was good, *two* must be even better!)
>Predictably, the system slowed to a crawl, and now my client has asked
>for Norton to be removed.
>
>I downloaded Norton Removal Tool from Symantec's web page and ran it.
>But though the program appears to be removed, AOL Security still insists
>that Norton is installed, and will not activate its own Anti-Virus or
>Firewall. I then suggested that I uninstall AOL Security as well, and
>use AVG Free for anti-virus, Spybot for spyware, and Windows Firewall.
>My client agreed, and I uninstalled AOL Security, reactivated Windows
>Security Center, and installed AVG. But Windows Security Center *also*
>says Norton is still there and AVG will not activate.
>
>I then went into RegEdit and manually attempted to delete all residual
>keys making reference to Symantec or Norton. This resulted in a trashed
>registry. (Thank the gods for Last Known Good!!!)
>
>So what do I need to do to exorcise this "phantom" of Norton Security
>that Windows is still seeing, so that I can safely install an alternate
>Anti-Virus/Firewall suite?
>
>Dave

mhaase-at-springmind.com