How to Manually Remove Norton AntiVirus

Though Norton comes with an uninstaller, it does not completely remove the program.

Norton AntiVirus is a program that protects against viruses, worms, trojans and other malicious threats a computer may contract when connected to a network. Though Norton protects the user, it is also sometimes seen as a nuisance program because the uninstaller packaged with the program does not completely remove the software from the system. To fully removal Norton AntiVirus from your computer, you will need to manually delete the software.

Instructions

1. Click on "Start" and select "Control Panel." Within the Control Panel, click on "Add/Remove Programs."

2. Scroll down the list on installed programs until you locate Norton AntiVirus. Select the program and click the option to uninstall it. Once it has finished uninstalling from your computer, you will be asked to reboot your computer. Click "Yes."

3. Navigate to "Start," "My Computer," "C:" and "Program Files." Look for folders with the names "Symantec" and "Norton." Right-click and select "Delete" on any folder containing these entries.

4. Double-click on the "Common Files" folder within "Programs." Look for "Symantec" or "Norton" folders. Right-click and delete any folders containing these names.

5. Reboot your computer.

6. Navigate to "Start," "Search" and "All Files and Folders." Type "Norton" into the box and select every option except "case sensitive." Wait for the search to complete. Delete any folders that appear.

7. Search again. Use the same settings except search for "Symantec" instead of "Norton." Delete any results that appear.

8. Click on "Start" and select "Run." Alternatively, you may hold down the "Windows" key and press "R" on your keyboard.

9. Type "Regedit" into the box. Hit "OK."

10. Click "+" next to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER." Scroll down and click on "Software." Right-click on "Symantec" and hit "Delete."

11. Scroll down to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE." Locate and click on "Software." Right-click on "Symantec" and hit "Delete."

12. Reboot your computer. Run the "Regedit" tool once more. (Follow Steps 8 and 9.) Click "+" next to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE." Click the "+" on "Software," "Microsoft," "Windows" and "CurrentVersion."

13. Choose the "Run" folder. Delete every entry pertaining to "Symantec" or "Norton."

Tips & Warnings

• It is recommended that you back up your registry before making any changes to it.

References

• Ask Dave Taylor: How can I fully remove Norton Antivirus from my system
• Kaspersky: How to remove Norton Antivirus by Symantec?