[Stupidity's Ugly Head]

I installed Symantec Endpoint protection some time ago, and my trial ran out. I usually switch from trial to trial because my boss won't authorize a purchase of antivirus software.

Anyhoo, I went about installing bitdefender, and bitdefender launched the symantec uninstall, and it seemed that SEP had peachily uninstalled. Bitdefender restarted my computer, and the "ohno!s" began:

Something had wiped out my windows user profile, firefox configurations, and all the little applications I use for window, as if I was a newly registered windows user. I figured a System Restore would bring me back to a happy place, so I did that.

I went back about a week, and Symatec was still uninstalled, but all of a sudden, whenever I right click something in explorer or a dialog box, I get two pop-ups as shown in the screenshot attached. Apparently there's something in the registry which is trying to initiate a quickscan, but since the program is no longer there, it starts to reinstall the program. I have no clue about the licensed version over trialware version, I'm dumbfounded by that message.

So I spent about ten minutes searching through the registry for symantec entries- there was a metric ton, so I thought if I went back even further in a SR, Symantec would magically be reinstalled. No dice.

So, now I've tried reinstalling endpoint, hoping it just writes over the entries and then let's me properly, manually uninstall it, but it gives me the same licensed/trialware message and cancels installation.

I tried installing avg free to see if that write over it, or wrests control from it, anything, but no such luck there, either.

So here I sit at my wit's end, hoping against hope that someone wiser than me has a good suggestion.

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Hello Stupidity's Ugly Head...

SEP (Symantec Endpoint Protection), like most Symantec products, is tough to uninstall completely...even when using uninstallers and removal tools of their own design. At this point, you are pretty much stuck with a manual removal. This is a tedious job, but it's the only method I am aware of that will address the problem as it now stands. The link below is to the manual removal instructions.

Remove SEP

A premium security suite is worth it's weight in gold in a corporate environment.

wannabe1

[wannabe1]

Hello Stupidity's Ugly Head...

SEP (Symantec Endpoint Protection), like most Symantec products, is tough to uninstall completely...even when using uninstallers and removal tools of their own design. At this point, you are pretty much stuck with a manual removal. This is a tedious job, but it's the only method I am aware of that will address the problem as it now stands. The link below is to the manual removal instructions.

Remove SEP

A premium security suite is worth it's weight in gold in a corporate environment.

wannabe1

[Stupidity's Ugly Head]

Most of the instructions were to piece-wise through the registry, so I went with the flow and just searched and deleted the registry entries that appeared for 'symantec'.

In my file system, there are a number of dlls that are write-protected, so I might try killbox with those. I can't see why a dll necessary to my system would be exclusively located in a symantec folder.

It amazes me that symantec's uninstall would leave behind so much rubble. Where do those subscription fees go, anyway?

Thanks for the link, wannabe!

[Stupidity's Ugly Head]

I've fiddled with the registry once more. While I no longer get endpoint trying to reinstall itself, and right-clicking files works as it should, any time that I right click on a folder, I get a vpshell popup as such:

Is there any way to reinstall windows or patch over the registry such that potholes are filled in without the necessity of re-installing all apps and redoing all of the user interface settings?

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Edited by Stupidity's Ugly Head, 10 November 2008 - 10:12 AM.