Uninstall Symantec Antivirus Client with Password
October 9, 2008 · by Anthony
In certain cases you might be asked for a password when you try to uninstall Symantec Antivirus from your computer. Typically this will happen with an antivirus client that was installed as part of an enterprise version. The reason for this is that the client deployment was part of a managed client setup. Antivirus updates are released to the clients from a central server, so other than being installed at the user’s computer they are managed from the server.
As a result, you can not simply uninstall the antivirus client software from your PC, at least not without entering a password. Although the default password is “symantec”, chances are your system administrator changed the default to something else.
Apart from probably not getting updated antivirus definitions, you can also not install other antivirus software. Ideally you would ask the system administrator to remove the Symantec antivirus client software from your computer on the Symantec System Center, which is used on the server. But if this is not possible for whatever reason, you need an alternative.
How to Use the Registry to Deactivate the Symantec Uninstall Password
If uninstalling Symantec antivirus from the server is no longer possible, you need to deactivate the uninstall password. Follow the steps below to disable the password.
- From the Start menu, select Run.
- In the Run dialog box, type regedit and press Enter.
- In the Registry Editor, locate and open the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\INTEL\LANDesk\VirusProtect6\ CurrentVersion\Administrator Only\Security
- In this registry key, locate the entry called UseVPUninstallPassword.
- Right-click the entry and select Modify in the popup menu. Change the Value from 1 to 0.
- Close the Registry Editor.
Now you can try to uninstall the Symantec antivirus client from your computer. Simply by using the Control Panel’s Add or Remove Programs.
Good luck!
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2 Responses to “Uninstall Symantec Antivirus Client with Password”
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Dear sir,
I tried above method to uninstall the symantec anti virus client security from my computer.but it’s not responding and still i could not uninstall……kindly reply to solve the problem.
@Karthik - What does “it is not responding” mean in your statement? Please clarify the steps you took. Did you actually find the registry key on your computer? And change the value from 1 to 0?
Anthony