Science and Technology : Norton is Hiding on My Computer

[river]

I thought I had uninstalledd Norton from my computer. It doesn't show up in a search even when I search hidden folders. Symantec seemed to be connected to Norton so I deleted that to and it doesn't show up in the hidden files either but I found symantec in the common files folder. I was able to delete all the exe files in the Symantec folder but it would not let me delete the dll files.

Yet ever time I start my computer the Noerton Protection Center tries to install something on my computer. Fortunately it is something that requires permission so I have the option of canceling it. I looked where Windows Vista lets you determine which programs are automatically started up. symantec is there but it won't let me disable it. when I try to change the permissions for symantec's dll files it goes through the motions but then converts back to system immediately.

How can Nortonbe on my computer yet not on my computer? why can't I find it and get rid of it?

brw, my computer seems to be running much smoother since I got rid of the Symantec exe files but the mouse pointer still sticks a little bit and it sometimes seems like someone else is controlling it but not as much as before.

 

[Clyde C Coger Jr]

In the Spirit of Sankofa!

I thought I had uninstalledd Norton from my computer. It doesn't show up in a search even when I search hidden folders. Symantec seemed to be connected to Norton so I deleted that to and it doesn't show up in the hidden files either but I found symantec in the common files folder. I was able to delete all the exe files in the Symantec folder but it would not let me delete the dll files.

Yet ever time I start my computer the Noerton Protection Center tries to install something on my computer. Fortunately it is something that requires permission so I have the option of canceling it. I looked where Windows Vista lets you determine which programs are automatically started up. symantec is there but it won't let me disable it. when I try to change the permissions for symantec's dll files it goes through the motions but then converts back to system immediately.

How can Nortonbe on my computer yet not on my computer? why can't I find it and get rid of it?

brw, my computer seems to be running much smoother since I got rid of the Symantec exe files but the mouse pointer still sticks a little bit and it sometimes seems like someone else is controlling it but not as much as before.

river,

You are going to have to get a special tool to remove Norton, google it!

 

[anAfrican]

check in the registry.

you'll not be able to delete the dlls until vista is restarted without norton/symantec running as they have already been loaded. you might be able to get rid of them if you can boot into safe mode.

(i tried to respond without my usual sarcasm, but ... so i went back and tossed in bare bones thoughts without the editorial.

but ... <grin>

er ... oops. smh - that behavior is so typical of norton/symantec (aren't they related in that one is the company and one is the application or something?) i'm not sure how they've tweaked vista over xp and, prayerfully, i won't ever know.

i would speculate, however, that, like every other thing that gets installed on a windows box, that there exists entries in the registry. used to be that one could start->run regedit and edit the registry. course, all will tell you that this is a "dangerous thing to do" and to "leave tweaking the registry to trained professionals", but i've always been (and always will be) a do-it-yourselfer kind of guy.

personally, symantec, norton, mcafee and zone alarm are all things that i would absolutely not run on a box were i running windows. but, there will be many to jump in and tell me that my opinion on this matter is just something that doesn't make sense. <shrug> bottom line, though, these are the exact reasons that i won't run windows ... although as badly as i am missing getting into chat and spinning some tunes ....

again, check in the registry. if you can get there, search for symantec, norton or whatever key words fit and consider whether or not you might want to remove what you find. i'm not sure if there are tools that would help/allow access to the registry, nor if, in fact, vista will let a mere user/administrator/consumer access/modify the registry anymore since they know so much better what the consumer computing experience should be.)

 

[anAfrican]

river,

You are going to have to get a special tool to remove Norton, google it!

yikes! a "special tool" to remove a program? wow!! smh

it's rea-a-a-ally too-oo-oo-oo ba-a-a-ad that pe-e-e-eple are stuck with windows like tha-a-a-at ...

 

[Clyde C Coger Jr]

In the Spirit of Sankofa!

yikes! a "special tool" to remove a program? wow!! smh

it's rea-a-a-ally too-oo-oo-oo ba-a-a-ad that pe-e-e-eple are stuck with windows like tha-a-a-at ...

anAfrican,

Yep! I can identify with her because I had the same problem. Norton is a big monster, killing computers.