Posted on 02/16/2005 7:03:21 AM PST by wouldntbprudent
Sorry for the vanity, but my head is about to explode trying to figure out how to get rid of hotbar, which mysteriously appeared on my computer.
I know I can trust you guys for the real story on what to do.
I know Laura advertises some kind of spyware blocker, but I have no clue about any of this. Any help (here or pm me) would be GREATLY appreciated.
after all of that... Go to start run... type regedit....
do a find on hotbar and delete any keys you see that are named hotbar.
or just go to Hkey_Local_Machine\Software and delete it from there...
and Hkey_Current_users\software and do the same there.
I got rid of it from my machine by downloading "Hijack This" (free) and following the directions.You're lloking for what the registry calls a BHO (browser helper object.
No sense using a grenade when a nuke will do.
many thanks for the link
Lack of a firewall while going to sites you shouldn't visit.
Download Ad-aware Personal Edition (AdAware SE is also what it is called)
Install and update, then run. This should get rid of your toolbar problem.
If this seems complicated to you
DO NOT MESS WITH THE REGISTRY
Also, do not reformat, reinstall, or any of the other drastic actions suggested. Freepmail me for help if AdAware does not take care of it and I will help you rid your system of this junk without harming your system.
That won't get rid of spyware nasties like a BHO for IE.
Don't do that .... Never do a clean install if utilities and a little elbow grease can fix the problem...
"No sense using a grenade when a nuke will do."
I know it sounds like overkill, but I spent a week trying to fix a problem. The spyware prevented SP2 from loading properly, and corrupted XP. I felt so much better after the clean install, which took less than a day, and significantly improved performance.
ROTFL! What he said!
Google has a wealth of info
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=remove+hotbar
I had constant problems with adware and spyware, so I downloaded the free version of AdAware SE which did a good job of removing it. However, as soon as I went back out on the net, the spyware quickly was reloaded. So I forked out a few bucks for the AdAware SE Plus version that runs AdWatch constantly to block attempts at installing spyware. Since then I have had no problems, none at all.
The way I did it was this. (In XP) Open IE, click on 'tools', scroll down to 'manage add-ons', find the 'hotbar' add-on and disable it. Write down the specific file name listed there, do a search for it, delete it.
I tried 'Spy Sweeper', 'Adaware 6' and 'Spybot' none could find it.
This is true both with IE and Firefox and is even slightly evident on the Windows ME screen itself - so it's a computer problem not a monitor problem - I had the same problem when I tried using an alternate monitor.
I've searched the HP website, Microsoft and Google for causes and solutions but can't seem to isolate the problem. I restored the computer back as far as possible (before the problem) but that didn't help. Any ideas?
Article on clean install. I don't know why so many here are opposed to this approach. It is like a spring cleaning of the house and garage.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/honeycutt_02october07.mspx
run spybot or adaware
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