Unable to Uninstall or Install Symantec Endpoint Protection

Just an update on this issue; I followed nlcafe's advice & used Windows Cleanup Utility, and that got SEP out of the Add or Remove Programs list. Following that, it appeared that SEP reinstalled without problems, but wouldn't scan the disk. So I uninstalled it again, which failed. So then I used a couple of utilities I read about on the Symantec forums, SEP1132bitRemoval and CleanWipe. They appeared to do the job, but CleanWipe would stop with "Removing website" in the command window. Subsequent reinstalls from the server-derived client failed to work. When I run the standalone installer, it gives me the Modify/Repair/Remove options, so it's seeing something remaining of the previous install. Choosing any of those options goes so far, then fails.

Each of you guys supplied part of what I needed, so I split it almost equally amongst you. Thanks for your help!

Just an update on this issue... I ended up wiping the drive and reinstalling everything on the machine in question, which was maybe a little overkill, but it was effective.

What brings me back to this question is that I had another machine doing the same thing again this week, but I was able to get Symantec uninstalled and reinstalled with much less hassle. It turned out that one of the Symantec services that was set to start automatically was hanging when it started, and was stuck in the "Starting..." mode in the Services window. I disabled that service (and all the other Symantec services), rebooted, and both instances of Symantec Antivirus that showed up in the Add/Remove Programs control panel uninstalled without incedent, and fresh copy of SEP installed without incedent as well.

A much easier fix than wiping the machine. Hopefully someone else can put this solution to use.

I ran into this as well, where the client wouldn't uninstall because it couldn't stop a service.  When I looked in the services for the server it stated it was "stopping" until I rebooted the box.  Upon further investigation I noticed that MR3 wasn't fully removed (and I was already on MR4 SP2 going to 11.0.5).

The cleanwipe utility is an option only if you don't have the Symantec Endpoint Protection Client installed on a Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager (SEPM) server box.  I basically spent a month on the phone with Symantec last Friday afternoon and they let me go with no solution to fix this.

However, I was thinking over the weekend and this is what I would advise to do and it works even on a SEPM server box:

1) Boot into safe mode.
2) Tell your system that it's safe to run the Windows Installer service by editing the registry.

Method 1:  Go to Start -> Run then type:
REG ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\
Minimal\MSIServer /VE /T REG_SZ /D Service net start msiserver

However, if you try this and have minimal success, you may always use method 2:

Start -> Run -> (type) Regedit
Open up the hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\
Minimal\MSIServer
If the "MSIServer" key isnt there& create it!
Then edit the Reg_Sz string value data to include Service as indicated below:

3.  (only if you had to use method 2) Start the service by clicking on Start -> Run and typing:
net start msiserver

I too looked at that 7 page uninstall document full of registry keys at a font I can't even read (I'm not 18 anymore) and figured there's no way I'm doing that.  It's important to note that the manual uninstall also states it wouldn't work on the SEPM server as it may make it non-functional.  Therefore, this was the only thing I could do to take the client off.  

After doing this I was able to push/reinstall the Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.0.5 product in normal mode on my Windows 2003 R2 x86 server.

Sorry to hear that you had to reinstall your computer, that really stinks.  I just joined (right now Im trying to earn my brownie points) and figured this out today; I just wish I saw/knew this sooner.