Removal of leftovers after using Norton's official uninstaller

bawldiggle · 07 May 2017

My new Win-7 PRO x64 sytem came with a file SymSilent.exe
ie, C:\Program Files (x86)\SymSilen\SymSilent.exe
- a simple web search led to Symantec

There were/are no programs for Symantec nor Norton on "Add remove Programs" (?)
Using the official Symantec/Norton Download the removal tool to uninstall your Norton product NRnR.exe and rebooting using the Symantec window [Reboot now] invitation, ... All Norton/Symantec "leftovers" remain as if the uninstaller had not run.

At the end of the uninstall process I opted to NOT reinstall anything.
Using the Registry default Find feature (before and after using the "NRnR.exe") the unstaller has not removed crud from the registry ...

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Symantec\SymSilent
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\services\SymSilent
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\services\SymSilent
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\SymSilent
... nor has it removed the SymSilent.exe in C:\Program Files (x86)\SymSilent\ ... folder

RegScanner (by Nirsoft) uncovered 45 keys for "SymSilent" (none as MRU keys)
My suspician is the SymSilent.exe is click bait for curious-careless fingers
- from 20+ years experience and being bitten by Norton/Symantec trickery in the past ...

? Can I assume it is safe to delete the SymSilent folder ?
- I am inclined to use CCleaner to remove the Registry entries ?

This is a new machine ... I want to remove as much crud as possible

Comments appreciated ?

-------------
Lenovo E540 Laptop
Win-7 PRO x64
AV: Bitdefender Internet Security 2017
... so far ... many more apps to install

Callender · 07 May 2017

Try running this command:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\SymSilen\SymSilent.exe" /uninstall

As for leftovers personally I wouldn't remove anything without a reg backup.

iko22 · 07 May 2017

Better to reinstall SymSilent and then use your registry cleaner to search for .exe locations and other third party dependencies.
Sometimes the registry cleaner's own uninstaller is better than the programs uninstaller (might be slower).

Other locations I've found leftovers include: services.msc configuration; firewall rules configuration; C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files <x86>; device manager; Startup folder and taskbar toolbar.

Layback Bear · 07 May 2017

Removing any anti virus program of any kind will leave a bunch of things in the registry even if one uses the so called proper removal tool/program.

I have always had to do a regedit to find and remove them all.

As Callender has posted, a registry back up or a system clone would be advisable.

The last one I tested and removed using their tool was Panda.
Their was over a (100) left over registry entries and it did take some time to find and remove them all.

Because these entries are considered security items, I have not found any cleaning program that will remove them.

Jack