Using the Norton SystemWorks cleanup utility (SYMClean)
Situation:
This document explains how to use the SYMClean utility. SYMClean is typically used in any of the following situations:
- When the Windows® Add/Remove Programs utility fails to fully remove Norton SystemWorks 2002/2001.
- You encountered problems while installing Norton SystemWorks, and a technician advised you to use SYMClean.
- You see a message while installing Norton SystemWorks that indicates
that a previous version was detected, even though you already
uninstalled the previous version.
Solution:
SYMClean is designed to remove leftover Norton SystemWorks files and
registry entries that may be interfering with the Norton SystemWorks
installation.
Important:
Do not use this document to remove Norton SystemWorks 2003 or later.
SYMClean has not been updated to remove those versions. If Add or Remove
Programs failed to completely remove Norton SystemWorks 2003 or later,
then read
Using the Norton Removal Tool. That document provides a completely automated removal tool for Norton 2003 or later products.
Before you begin:
- If you have not already tried to uninstall Norton SystemWorks
automatically, use the Windows uninstall utility rather than the
SYMClean utility to uninstall Norton SystemWorks. SYMClean is a small
program that should be used for emergency manual uninstallation only
after you have tried to uninstall Norton SystemWorks using the Windows
uninstall utility.
- SYMClean 2003 does not remove Norton SystemWorks 2003/2004 or
its component products. It is designed to remove only older versions of
Norton SystemWorks and its components. Using SYMClean to remove Norton
SystemWorks 2003/2004 results in an incomplete uninstallation, and
requires that you perform a manual uninstallation to more fully remove
Norton SystemWorks. For more information on what items SYMClean removes,
read the document Introduction to SYMClean.
How to use the Windows uninstall utility
To use the Windows uninstall utility
- Open the utility. Use one of the following methods:
- Click Start > Programs > Norton SystemWorks > Uninstall Norton SystemWorks.
- Click Start > Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs. In Windows XP, click Add/Change rather than Add/Remove.
- Select Norton SystemWorks.
- Click Change/Remove or Remove. The option that you see depends on your operating system.
- Follow the prompts.
How to use the SYMClean utility
To run the SYMClean utility, use each of the following sections in the order that they are listed.
To obtain the SYMClean utility
- If you have the Norton SystemWorks 2003 CD, you can find the SYMClean utility in the Support\SymClean folder on the CD.
- If you do not have the Norton SystemWorks 2003 CD, or you want
to ensure that you have the latest version of SYMClean, download the
SYMClean utility:
- Download SYMClean from the Symantec FTP site.
- Select "Save this file to disk," and then click OK.
- Set "Save In" to Desktop, and then click Save. The step saves the file to your desktop.
To prepare to use SYMClean
- If Norton AntiVirus is installed, disable Email Protection and
Script Blocking. That is, if Norton AntiVirus is installed either as a
stand-alone product or as a part of Norton System Works or Norton
Internet Security, you must disable Email Protection and Script
Blocking before using SYMClean. For more information, read the document
that is appropriate for the version of Norton AntiVirus that is
currently installed:
How to enable or disable email scanning in Norton AntiVirus 2002 and 2003
How to disable script blocking in Norton AntiVirus 2002 or 2003
- Close all programs.
To start SYMClean
- Double-click the file SYMCLEAN.EXE saved on your desktop. This step
starts the SYMClean utility. You see the Symantec Application Cleanup
Utility dialog box:

Note:
If you see the message "The SYMClean tool has detected no additional
items that need to be removed. You can proceed to install your Symantec
Applications," then either you have already removed all current and
previous versions of Norton SystemWorks and its components or SYMClean
will not work. If you have not already removed Norton SystemWorks, use a
manual uninstall method instead. Read the document Message: "The SYMClean tool has detected no additional items. . ." and the NSW installation still detects NSW programs.
To run SYMClean
- Choose the uninstallation method:
- Click Add/Remove if you have not used the Add/Remove
Programs utility to uninstall Norton SystemWorks and its components.
This step starts the Windows Add/Remove Programs utility. Follow the
prompts. If the utility completes without problems, continue with step
10 (restart the computer and install NSW).
- Click Continue if you have used the Add/Remove
Programs utility to uninstall Norton SystemWorks and its components and
you still encounter a problem when trying to install NSW, or if the
component that you want to uninstall is not listed. The following dialog
box appears:

You can choose to uninstall individual programs, but we recommend that
you uninstall all of them before running the Norton SystemWorks
installation.
- Click Remove All. This choice uninstalls all of the listed products. You see a warning message that prompts for confirmation.
- Click Yes to proceed. If you see the message "Do you
want to completely remove Netscape (7.0) and all its components?",
answer No. Netscape 7.0 and older Norton SystemWorks versions both use
the file NSuninst.exe. Removing that file may prevent Netscape from
functioning correctly.
- When you see a prompt to restart the computer, answer Yes.
- If you uninstalled only Norton AntiVirus, then follow the instructions in the document How to uninstall Norton AntiVirus using the Rnav2003.exe removal utility.
- Restart the computer, and install NSW.
For additional information to prepare your computer before installing new software, see the document
How to prepare your computer before installing Norton SystemWorks.
If SYMClean displays a message that says there is no previous Norton SystemWorks installation to remove
When SYMClean displays a message that says there is no previous Norton
SystemWorks installation to remove, the problem is typically caused by
one of the following situations:
- You deleted Norton SystemWorks files before running SYMClean. To
remove NSW, perform a manual uninstall of Norton SystemWorks or of the
component products that are part of NSW. See the section "Manual
uninstall documents" for links to documents that provide instructions for uninstalling NSW.
- You deleted Norton SystemWorks registry entries before running
SYMClean. To remove NSW, perform a manual uninstall of Norton
SystemWorks or of the component products that are part of NSW. See the
section "Manual uninstall documents" for links to documents that provide instructions for uninstalling NSW.
- Your computer may have a problem with Microsoft Internet
Explorer. To resolve the problem, download the Microsoft Windows
Scripting Host 5.7 and install it. For more information, read Reinstalling the Windows Script files.
- You want to uninstall Norton Ghost. The latest version of
SYMClean (which is SYMClean for Norton SystemWorks 2003) does not remove
Ghost. Try removing Ghost by using the Windows uninstall utility. See
the section "To use the Windows uninstall utility." In step 2, select Norton Ghost rather than Norton SystemWorks.
When you cannot install Norton SystemWorks after using SYMClean
If the Norton SystemWorks installation still has problems after you used
SYMClean, then SYMClean may have not have removed all the leftover
files and registry entries. This may happen if Windows was upgraded
after Norton SystemWorks or one of its component products was installed.
In this situation, you may need to perform a manual uninstallation of
Norton SystemWorks or of the component products that are part of Norton
SystemWorks. See the References section for links to documents that
provide instructions for uninstalling Norton SystemWorks.
How to obtain the latest version of SYMClean
To obtain the latest version of SYMClean, click the previous SYMCLN.EXE icon, or download SYMClean from the Symantec FTP site.
To download SYMClean from the FTP site
- Download SYMClean from the Symantec FTP site.
- Select "Save this file to disk," and then click OK.
- Set "Save In" to Desktop, and then click Save. The step saves the file to your desktop.
Technical Information:
Why use SYMClean
Norton SystemWorks is not intended to be installed over the older
versions of NSW. If you encounter problems while installing NSW, the
problems may be due to an incomplete uninstall of the previous version.
In some cases, the Windows uninstall utility does not remove all of the
Norton SystemWorks files and registry entries. SYMClean is designed to
remove leftover Norton SystemWorks files and registry entries that may
be interfering with the Norton SystemWorks installation.
Document ID: 2001101612274407
Last Modified: 20.10.2008
Date Created: 16.10.2001
Operating System(s): Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP
Product(s): Norton SystemWorks 2003