How to uninstall (remove) Ask Toolbar

What is Ask Toolbar?

Ask Toolbar is a program that let you search the Web with its own Ask.com Search Engine. This program is not a virus, it does not trace your surfing on the Internet, does not show you different ads without your wish, you also don’t need to enter some personal information and register if you want to use it. But there are some cases when this program installs itself into your web browser without your permission. This can be done with the help of Trojan or some other viruses, but still the program itself is not a virus, as we have already mentioned. But still some people notice the change of the home pages that were happen together with the appearance of Ask Toolbar. This toolbar can be also protected from the removal. So, it can be not very easy to uninstall Ask toolbar, but still we are going to help you with this problem. At first let us remove the program and then we will return your home page back if you like, it is great that any browser let you to change homepage at any time.

How is Ask Toolbar installed on your PC?

Basically, Ask Toolbar can be installed from so called downloaders mainly distributed on download sites (cnet.com). But Ask got it distribution from bundling with Java updates and Adobe products. You may not spotted checkbox that said: Install Ask Toolbar and search.ask.com search engine and this resulted in Ask Toolbar installation.

How to remove Ask Toolbar from your PC?

It impossible to change the default setting of your browser, if the toolbar is installed, because it will change them back after every computer startup. It is very annoying when you are forced to use the search engine and the home page that you do not want to use. Usually, this toolbar changes them to search.ask.com and shows you commercial web-pages in the search results no matter what request you have entered. The only action that you can do to change the situation is to remove Ask Toolbar with its search and homepage settings. To remove Ask Toolbar uninstall it from Control Panel, then delete files and regkeys and reset browser settings.

In our view, there are 3 products that potentially have Ask Toolbar in their database. They also can help you reset browser settings. You can try to use them for removing Ask Toolbar.

Recommended Solution:

Norton is a powerful removal tool. It can remove all instances of newest viruses, similar to Ask Toolbar – files, folders, registry keys.

Download Norton*Trial version of Norton provides detection of computer viruses for FREE. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Norton.

Alternative Solution:

Norton Antivirus – detects files, registry values and folders of viruses that show the same behavior as Ask Toolbar.

Download Norton

You can try both of these products to remove Ask Toolbar

Or uninstall Ask Toolbar manually:

Uninstalling from Control Panel

Windows XP:

Click Start.
Control Panel.
Then click Add or Remove Programs.
Find Ask Toolbar.
Click Uninstall.

Learn more about uninstallation of programs in Windows XP.

Windows 7/Windows Vista:

Click Start.
Then Control Panel.
Click Uninstall a Program.
Find Ask Toolbar and click Uninstall.

Learn more about uninstallation of programs in Windows 7.

Windows 8/Windows 8.1:

Open the Menu.
Click Search.
After that click Apps.
Then Control Panel.
Then as in Windows 7, click Uninstall a Program under Programs.
Find Ask Toolbar, select it and click Uninstall.

Learn more about uninstallation of programs in Windows 8 (8.1).

After that remove Ask Toolbar from your browser.

Google Chrome:

Open Google Chrome
Type chrome://extensions/.
Find Ask Toolbar.
Click the trash can icon to remove it.
Also look for other suspicious extensions.

Learn more about removing extensions from Chrome.

Mozilla Firefox:

Open Firefox.
Type about:addons.
Go to Extensions.
Choose Ask Toolbar.
Click Disable or Remove button.
If remove button is not available – use one of the antispyware products above.

Learn more about removing extensions from Firefox.

Internet Explorer:

Open IE.
Click on the cogwheel in the right upper corner.
Click Manage Add-ons.
Select Toolbars and Extensions.
Click Disable Ask Toolbar.
Click More information link in the left-bottom corner.
Click Remove button.
If this button is grayed out – use one of the antispyware products above.

Learn more about removing extensions from IE.

Remove following registry entries:

HKLMSOFTWAREAskToolbar
HKLMSOFTWAREClassesAppIDGenericAskToolbar.DLL
HKLMSOFTWAREClassesAppID{9B0CB95C-933A-4B8C-B6D4-EDCD19A43874}
HKLMSOFTWAREClassesCLSID{D4027C7F-154A-4066-A1AD-4243D8127440}
HKLMSOFTWAREClassesInterface{6C434537-053E-486D-B62A-160059D9D456}
HKLMSOFTWAREClassesInterface{91CF619A-4686-4CA4-9232-3B2E6B63AA92}
HKLMSOFTWAREClassesInterface{AC71B60E-94C9-4EDE-BA46-E146747BB67E}
HKLMSOFTWAREClassesTypeLib{2996F0E7-292B-4CAE-893F-47B8B1C05B56}
HKLMSOFTWAREClassesGenericAskToolbar.ToolbarWnd

Then remove following files:

GenericAskToolbar.dll
precache.exe
SaUpdate.exe
Updater.exe
UpdateTask.exe

And these folders

C:Documents and Settings{username}Application DataMozillaFirefoxProfiles5htm4ivx.default-1363093561953
C:Documents and SettingsA{username}Local SettingsApplication DataGoogleChromeUser DataDefaultExtensionsaaaapjanjmpekndokbeikcfkglmcedkn
C:Documents and Settings{username}Local SettingsApplication DataMozillaFirefoxProfiles5htm4ivx.default-1363093561953
C:Documents and Settings{username}Local SettingsApplication DataAskToolbar
C:Documents and Settings{username}Local SettingsTempAskSearch
C:Documents and Settings{username}Local SettingsTemp{86D4B82A-ABED-442A-BE86-96357B70F4FE}
C:Program FilesAsk.com