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Remove Password Protected Symantec Antivirus

by Jeff Sickles

Norton AntiVirus Clients or Symantec AntiVirus Clients (especially Corporate Edition Clients) can be installed as managed client by a Symantec AntiVirus Server. When a Symantec AntiVirus Client is managed, it will prompt for password when uninstalling client via a local computer Control Panel (Add or Remove Programs) applet. If you don’t know or forget the password, then the client is not able to uninstall or remove the software.

In the cases where Symantec AntiVirus server has been taken down and no longer exist, or the client computer has no access to company network, or the default client uninstall password does not work, the following hack will enable you to remove Symantec Antivirus without using a password:

1. Open Registry Editor (regedit).
2. Navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\INTEL\LANDesk\VirusPro tect6\CurrentVersion\Administrator Only\Security\
3. Change the value for useVPuninstallpassword key from 1 to 0.
4. Exit Registry Editor and now you can uninstall Symantec AntiVirus Client.

The trick should work on most version of Symantec AntiVirus client or Norton AntiVirus Client, including version 7, 8, 9 or 10.

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    • 4 Responses to “Remove Password Protected Symantec Antivirus”

    1. on 01 Jun 2008 at 10:13 pm   Jacki

      Hi Jeff.
      I appreciated being able to find the fix you posted for removing password protected symantec av client. I am trying to install a newer version of norton on a relative’s computer, which was a hand me down work computer that came with the NAV Client as well as pcAnywhere 9.
      I went through the process you described, and it seemed to work like a charm. As I was installing the newer version though, it went through all the motions, then got to the end of the process to find that it wouldn’t install due to the pcAnywhere. I tried the symantec removal tool only to be asked to remove pcA manually. When I went to do that through the add/remove field, I was asked for the source disk. Since this is a hand me down, I don’t have access to that. Would you be so inclined to provide another ‘magic’ fix like the first one? Thanks a bunch for the time! Jacki

    2. on 09 Aug 2008 at 2:03 pm   Jeff Sickles

      Jacki,

      Though this may sound strange, you might consider installing a trial version of PC Anywhere onto that computer. This way you will have the source media and it should upgrade or overwrite all of the existing entries made by the previous installation. THEN, you should be able to complete an uninstall of PCAnywhere since you will have the source media downloaded already. Make sense?

      You might also consider disabling the services for PCAnywhere to see if it is just a conflict with it running as opposed to being installed. Let me know how you make out!

    3. on 13 Aug 2008 at 11:11 am   Mike Swierczek

      Jeff,

      Thanks very much for posting this. The server that hosted that anti-virus software was dead for over two years, and we had disabled the Symantec Corporate Edition clients but been unable to remove them. Your tip made life a little easier.

      Thanks again,
      Mike

    4. on 16 Aug 2008 at 3:24 am   Natasha

      Hi thank u for the info.But I dont knwo how to chnage the value from 0 to 1.Could u plz explain?
      Regards
      natasha

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