How to Remove Existing Antivirus Software Before Installing Symantec AntiVirus (Windows XP)

You should remove existing vendor's antivirus software, such as VirusScan, AntiVirus Deluxe, and AntiVirus Toolkit, before installing Symantec AntiVirus10.1.6 on your computer. This also includes removing earlier versions of Symantec AntiVirus, including Symantec AntiVirus 10.0.1 and 10.0.2 before installing Symantec AntiVirus 10.1.6.

To uninstall existing antivirus software, do the following:

1. Click the Start button and select Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Add or Remove Programs option.
3. Select your antivirus program from the list, then click the Remove button.
4. Click Yes when prompted to remove your existing antivirus software. This may take 60 - 120 seconds.
5. If one or all of the following messages display -- it may take 10 to 15 seconds for each message to appear -- respond as follows, otherwise skip to step 6:
• If the Remove Shared File window displays, and asks if you want to remove a shared file, click the No to All button, and then click No when the Remove Programs from your Computer window is displayed.
• If the Remove Program Directory window displays and identifies remaining files in the antivirus software directory that you are removing and then asks if you would like to delete them, click the Yes button. For example, the path of the directory may look like the following: C:\Program Files\name of antivirus vendor\name of antivirus directory.
• If the following message displays, click the Yes button: "There are files in Quarantine. Would you like to permanently delete the quarantined files?"
• If the following message displays, click the Yes button: "A read only file, C:\program files\name of antivirus vendor you are removing\name of antivirus directory you are removing\setup.exe, was found while attempting to copy files to the destination location. To overwrite this file, click the Yes button, otherwise click the No button."
6. When prompted to restart your computer, click Yes.
7. Close the the Control Panel window, close the Add or Remove Programs Properties window, and then install Symantec AntiVirus 10.1.6 from the Supported Product web page or the PennConnect 2007 DVD-ROM.