How do I remove old Norton virus definition files?

Norton Security | Norton Internet Security
1

Hello, I run Norton antivirus and I have 44 GB of old files and folders (named e.g. 20051012.006 and tmp****.tmp) in the folder virusdefs under Symantec Shared. I can not delete them. Windows XP tells me "access denied". What can I do?

2

I found the solution in an article on the forum, named "Virus Definition Folder: 26 GB!!". There is an option in the panel Norton AntiVirus Options. The checkbox Turn Protection on for my Symantec Product must not be checked. If it is, it seems Norton prevents the deletion of the old files. I unchecked the box and could then remove the files.

3

But.....it seems to me that you are running a very old version of Norton, which is not on par with the current threats!

 

If so, it is recommended, for performance and especially security reasons, that you upgrade at least to version 2012.

 

Regards, Hugo