Tech Forum

I am trying to clean up a machine with Desktop 5.5 on it with the hopes of using it as a broadcast communicator. I am having trouble getting Symantec Client Security uninstalled. It asks for a password to uninstall - does anybody know what that password is?

First issue is that you'll have to make sure that FM group doesn't bug you for the return of that machine. The normal policy is that for every new machine they give you, they want the old one back for proper disposal.

Secondly, for security purposes, old MLS machines should have the hard drive wiped. I think that will take care of SAV.

Third, are you sure it's got enough power for that? I haven't tried it myself, but the messages from others is that most admin machines don't have the power for webcasting. If that's the case, I can't imagine a retired admin machine having the horsepower.

Only one way to find out if it will work...
But I really don't want the old Symantec stuff bogging things down. If I could get that password or an alternate method for removing it....

danebod wrote:If I could get that password or an alternate method for removing it....

What's wrong with wiping the hard drive and reinstalling the operating system? That will certainly remove Symantec, and has the added benefit of cleaning off any confidential information on the hard drive. A computer used for webcasting might be out in more public areas or used by people who aren't clerks, so it seems safest to scrub the hard drive and start fresh.

That also will have the positive effects of defragmenting the drive, cleaning out the registry, and removing any applications that might be taking memory, disk space, or CPU cycles. If you want to have any chance of this old computer working for webcasting, you'll need to squeeze every cycle out of it that you can.

danebod wrote:I am trying to clean up a machine with Desktop 5.5 on it with the hopes of using it as a broadcast communicator.

It will probably broadcast, but only at settings at or near the lowest resolution level, which I found in practice to be not very enjoyable to watch when projected on a big screen. As you move up in resolution, the processing power required to webcast climbs rapidly, which will quickly maximize what this machine is capable of.

IMO, the best role for a PC like this would be that of a webcast receiver, where it at least has a fighting chance of working.

aebrown wrote:What's wrong with wiping the hard drive and reinstalling the operating system? That will certainly remove Symantec, and has the added benefit of cleaning off any confidential information on the hard drive.

I might also add, wiping the hard drive is a mandatory step per church policy for any former admin PC. If you need help reloading a licensed version of Windows XP back on, drop me a private message and I'll step you through it.

the drive is clean and a new copy of 5.5 is back on as that is the only copy of xp I have available right now. It's not the issue. Thanks anyway.