So you inherited a PC? Sweet. But dang, it has Symantec’s crapware Endpoint Protection 11 on it. Tried uninstalling, but you need a password? Don’t know it? Sorry dude.
Actually, there’s good news. There is a way to remove SEP 11 without the password. The first (and easier) way is detailed here. Unfortunately, that way didn’t work for me (I think Symantec disabled it in an update), so I found another way to remove it.
Disclaimer: Don’t do this on a work-issued PC. Your company may have policies about such things, which, if violated, could get you in trouble.
Steps to remove Symantec Endpoint Protection 11 WITHOUT knowing the uninstall password:
- Click on Start -> Run (or Window Key + R if you don’t have the Run menu item)
- Type smc -stop. If it prompts for a password, open regedit (Window Key + R; type regedit; hit ENTER) and then navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\SMC. Look for the smcexit key, delete it, and then type smc -stop in the Run box again. Note: my key was called smcexit-test or something like that, but deleting it had the same effect.
- Now, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\SMC. Look for the smcinstdata key; delete it.
- You should now be able to use Add/Remove programs (or Programs & Features in Vista & 7) to remove SEP 11 without supplying the uninstall password.
- You’re now free from the shackles of Symantec. Enjoy a 10-15% performance boost.
For a free replacement antivirus/anti-spyware program, I’d recommend Microsoft Security Essentials. I’ve used it for a couple years with no problems, and it seems to go easy on my system resources.
Did this guide work for you? Let me know either way below.
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Thank you!!!! It worked for me.
You’re welcome, Atul.
Great. Nothing except this helped me. Thank you very much!
Nice tweak for the password! THANKS!
Thanks for the info! Think I may have the last Symantec infested workstation off of our network now.
Ridding the world of Symantec … on uninstall at a time.
Glad it worked for you guys.
I found another method here (Also registry hack)
http://cyberst0rm.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-to-uninstall-symantec-anti-virus.html
I never leave a comment… but this helped soooo much! THANK YOU!!!!!
Like Matt I never leave feedback, but this was awesome. Couldn’t be easier. Thanks!
Matt, Zishbu:
Symantec is the worst. Good riddance I say. Thanks for reading.
One gold star for you sir! I’ve spent months trying to remove this software. It prevented my laptop from shutting for hours last week running a system scan I couldn’t turn off, and I had to like be somehwere! I forced it off by holding the power button and it fuxored the whole install. Never again!
This is 100% working!! It did removed the supplied password from Symantec End Point 11 without using any software. Thanks for sharing sir…
Hey Chris – thanks for the gold star.
I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again: I can’t stand the Symantec Endpoint Protection suite. It’s so bloated and intrusive, and it needs to go away. Glad the trick worked for you!
Osep, no problem. Just make sure you install another antivirus…again I recommend Microsoft Security Essentials.
Man you Awesome…!! thanks a ton, nothing else worked for me. THANKS..:)
fuck u….it dosen’t work….
Ohh this worked..ty so much
Thanks man, it worked perfectly :]
Jackie, Badr – no problem.
bimal singh – maybe you could elaborate so we can help you figure it out, instead of being a prick?
Alok – glad it worked.
error dialog “unable to delete value”
OS Vista SP2, running as administrator also through “net user administrator /active:yes”. is the registry key protected? please help to find solution
Bimal – Its user error, don’t be retarded and it will work
This worked great, thanks.
AntiSymantec, no need for name calling. But yeah it works fine, for me.
Hey Man thankX a 2 Ton…i searched everwhere but couldn’t find the process of uninstallation……But your method worked……Thanks Again….:D
thanks, worked like a charm
Dude, thank you……so……..much…….
Worked for me too, thanks a lot!
Man….you’re a genius…It worked…..
Thanks…..It good solve.
Siddharth — awesome!
I can’t thank you enough for this. It solved an enormous amount of problems at my work.
Hey! Thank you soo much!!! You don’t know how long I’ve been trying to uninstall Symantec, and this way worked amazingly well! Thanks so much!
Thanx a lot!
Worked like a charm!! Yours were the only instructions that (a) made sense to a technologically challenged person like me, and (b) actually worked. Thanks so much!
Worked for me too, thanks a bunch. Eset Nod32 here we come
Nice it’s Working.
Awesome. 1 Symantec install down, 10 bazillion to go….
Hey Andrew!
First i’d like to thank you for this posts, it helped me alot. Now to my problem:
I’ve had a Trojan yesterday, the notebook is NOT in the company network actually. Now i deinstalled Symantec. Will the security people get a notification about the infection anways? I hope not, otherwise i think i’ll get in big trouble.
PS: sorry for bad english i’m from europe.
THANKS ALOT!
timon
This worked for me after 3 attempts (the deleted files regenerated each time I restarted the pc).
So what I think happened that made it work right when I was about to give up is this:
After deleting the files in steps 2 and 3 I ran the -smc stop command from step 2 again and this time I was not prompted for a password.
Then I went and reopened the add/remove programs in control panel and clicked to remove the program. To my dismay the password window popped back up again. I closed that password window but I left the add/remove programs window open.
Then I noticed that the smc_exit_test file had regenerated. So then I deleted it again and went back to the add/remove programs window that I left open and clicked on the remove button next to the Symantec Endpoint. All of a sudden it worked!
I don’t have an explanation for how this happened.
I will never use a Symantec product again.
Thank you sir for freeing me from the grip of death of that parasite!
Thanks, Mark. It really had its “hooks” in your system, didn’t it? Almost like a…virus? Coincidence? You be the judge.
Hi Andrew
Just FYI, on Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 it doesn’t work. This reg key no longer exist… any thoughts?
Thanks!!
Perfect! Thanks so much!
Didn’t work for me. smcinstdata keeps coming back after deleting. Any ideas?
Problem solved. Password still set to default: “symantec”. Uninstall worked perfectly first time.
Andrew, I have tried to follow your commands to delete Symantec to no avail. Once I type the msc -stop I do not get any response. Please advise. Ricardo
Worked amazingly! Perfect guide. Thank you so much!
Perfect…it works for me.
Merci.
You are the bomb. I tried a few other methods, including the Help Desk Geek one, trying to kill the msiec (I spent over two hours and multiple restarts trying that one LOL).
I did disable all the Symantec services, and renamed the ccapp file in the program files\common shares\symantec folder prior to finding your page.
NOTE: To disable the “one service that won’t let you stop it or disable it” (I think it was Symantec Management Client) …just go into services, and first disable it, then click the Recovery tab and change all the failures to Take No Action and in the Log On tab choose to This account, and enter a user with administrator rights (create one if you don’t) and enter in the password (create one if you don’t have one) and apply. And restart.
…the smc -stop from the Run worked fine (no error …and I didn’t even see an smcexit key), and was able to immediately delete the SmcInstData key.
And when I went to Add-Remove this time, and clicked the Symantec Remove key, there weren’t ANY questions. It took awhile removing, and then a pop-up said I needed to restart.
Perfect.
Thanks very much!!!!!
You rock man it actually works.
Andrew,
Just to let you know I am a Windows System Administrator on a development Network with a Big Name Defense Contractor. So I do qualify as the one person who can legally remove Symantec Endpoint Protection from a PC or Server, but I did not remove the anti-virus for most of the reasons listed (Hate the program, inherited the PC and it came with it, and so forth). My reasons for this is the previous Windows Admin on this project did not leave any of the passwords for this project so I could update the skylink file (this is what replaced the grc dat file in previous versions of Symatec Anti-Virus)so my management console could mange the anti-virus clients on my projects pc. I would get the “Enter Password” Box. Your method allowed me to update the skylink file and update the clients without having to either remove or rip out the symantec Endpoint client, Thanks for making me look good.
Fun thread. Thanks to all you contributors, I’ve got smc SEP stopped and not starting as a service. But I cannot get it uninstalled. Still prompts for password. My installation (v.11.0.6005.562) does not have the smcexit key (or anything like it). It does have the SmcInstData key, but I’ve deleted it and still get the password prompt. I’ve got MS Sec Ess running, so I’m fine, but I’d like to get the uninstall completed. Any *more* ideas?
Wait! I’m trying again after seeing “frustrated”‘s post re: smcinstdata coming back. I failed to notice that it did show up again in the registry. I removed it again, then immediately tried the uninstall. It just finished and is prompting for the reboot. Thank you!
It really works. I don’t know how others are not able to do it.
Thanks a lot.Works so nice .
I’ve found that when I delete SmcInstData key, it immediately returns back, so uninstall process requires password again. I’v tried Flair’s method several times, but unfortunately. Then I’ve changed security settings for registry branch, containing this key, namely, revoked permissions for all user including SYSTEM (break of inheritance needed) and it has stopped to appear! After that uninstal process runs successfully without password!
Works so well! One time I thought If I should just delete the symatrc in the program files in the drive well thank you for the method.
Thanks for this tip, nothing else worked for me except this.
Cheers….
thanks, this is the best guide & this worked for me.
this is the worst virus program ever
[...] Run the uninstall again from the Control Panel. Hope it works, because that’s all the tips I have. You can also try these steps. [...]
Thanks a lot – perfect solution
thank you so much dude…. it works
Try Thanks Buddy
Thanks !
Saved me a lot of time not doing a manual uninstall.