Norton Internet Security Won't Uninstall (cheeky bastard)

It wont uninstall! (fumes)

I go to add and remove programs and click on remove and what I get is this box that says: "Installation is missing the instops.dat Setup will now exit"

Now What do I do?

I found a Norton removal tool I have downloaded it and now my problem is... I don't know how long it will take... it dosent give me an estimated time It just asked me to setup and then the box just stayed there... is that normal?

Any and all help is appreciated!

~Gu~

[EDIT] http://service1.symantec.com/Support...05033108162039 (courtesy of Dan Penny's suggestion/question to eazy-dawg AND jephree)
^-^

Here is the latest version:

http://service1.symantec.com/Support...05033108162039

It might take some time. I'd let it run at least 10 minutes before wondering if it were not working.

Thanks a bunch! (I've been there already and downloaded that very same tool)
Well considering how huge my computer space is and how packed it is I suppose I shouldn't freak out just yet... I'll give it a few hours...

You're the best Jephree! ^-^

~Gu~

It certainly should not take an hour.

If it doesn't work in 10 minutes there is probably some issue blocking it.

Next step would be a manual removal.

So what do you propose I do?
How do I go about doing that?
(not sure how to do that)

First try that tool several times.

If it always fails then create a Restore Point.


start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore



Then go through the following:

Remove Programs
--------------------------------------------------
Uninstall Programs Manually

Just because Windows XP has the Add/Remove Programs feature it doesn't mean your application will appear in the list. Furthermore, even if it does appear, it's no guarantee that the uninstall feature will work. When you run across one of these situations the items listed below will help in getting rid of the application. Be aware that these steps may not remove everything associated with the application and can impact other applications on the computer. Have a backup or restore point and use caution.

*

Find the directory for the application and delete all the files in the directory. Delete the directory. e.g. click C: under My Computer then Program Files etc.
*

Open regedit (start/run regedit) and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.
*

Open regedit and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.
*

To remove the application entry from Add/Remove Programs (if present) open regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Uninstall and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.
*

Some applications have Services attached to them. If this is the case, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Servic es, locate and delete the service.
*

In Windows Explorer, navigate to the individual user settings and delete program references. Common places to check would be:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs and delete relevant entries.
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup and delete relevant entries.
C:\Documents and Settings\%YourUserID%\Start Menu\Programs and delete relevant entries.
[Do this for each User ID listed]
C:\Documents and Settings\%YourUserID%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup and delete relevant entries.
[Do this for each User ID listed]

If no entries were found in the previous step and the application launches automatically, navigate to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows
and delete the entry.


After that clean your registry:

Registry Cleaner
--------------------------------------------------


I use this freeware which is a moderate digger:

RegSeeker




Before using any cleaner you should back up your registry.

ERUNT is a great free tool for that:

[ERUNT] Registry Backup and Restore for Windows
http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/


[ERUNT Download URLs]
http://www.aumha.org/downloads/erunt.zip
http://www.aumha.org/downloads/erunt-setup.exe


[Installing & Using ERUNT]
http://www.winxptutor.com/regback.htm
http://www.silentrunners.org/sr_eruntuse.html
http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-on...runt/erunt.txt


After all that empty your Recycle Bin and perform any other regular maintenance that you do.

Well! The tool worked (after an hour and a half... ) Thanks for your help and the quick guide to manually removing norton.

Now do you know of any anti virus freeware?

Never use Norton nor McAfee for anything.

For "home" use there are two decent programs for free:

AVG: http://free.grisoft.com/

or

AVAST: http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html

The XP firewall in general is all you need as to a firewall.