How to Get Rid of the Ask Toolbar
Open the Control Panel., Select "Uninstall a program" or "Programs and Features"., Find "Ask Toolbar", "Ask Toolbar" and "Ask Toolbar Updater"., Repeat for any other programs that have "Ask" in the Name or Publisher columns., Use Revo Uninstaller to...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Open the Control Panel.
You can access this from the Start menu.
Windows 8 users can press ⊞ Win to open the Start screen and then type "control panel".Mac users don't need to worry about this part as Ask only affects the browsers themselves on OS X.
If you are using a Mac, skip down to the next section to learn how to reset your browsers. -
Step 2: Select "Uninstall a program" or "Programs and Features".
If you're using Windows XP, select "Add or Remove Programs". , Select each one and then click the Uninstall button.
Follow the prompts to remove the software. , There may be more Ask software installed which may be making it difficult remove. , If you are having difficulty uninstalling the Ask programs, you can use the free Revo Uninstaller program to help remove them.
Click here for detailed instructions on using Revo to get rid of stubborn programs. , Even if you don't use Internet Explorer to surf the web, it is still used in a variety of Windows functions, so you'll want to make sure that you reset Internet Explorer first.
Mac users can skip down to the browsers that they use regularly.
Open Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools menu or the Gear button and select "Internet options".
If you don't see the Tools menu, press Alt.
Click the Advanced tab and then click Reset...
Check the "Delete personal settings" box and then click Reset. , Ask infects all of your browsers, so if you use Google Chrome you'll need to reset it.
This applies to both Windows and Mac computers.
Open Google Chrome and click the Menu button (☰).
Select "Settings".
Click the "Shows advanced settings" link at the bottom of the page.
Scroll down and click Reset settings.
Click Reset to confirm. , Ask infects all of your browsers, so if you use Mozilla Firefox you'll need to reset it.
This applies to both Windows and Mac computers.
Open Firefox and click the Menu button (☰).
Click the Help (?) button at the bottom of the menu.
Select "Troubleshooting Information".
Click Refresh Firefox... and then Refresh Firefox to confirm. , Ask infects all of your browsers, so if you use Safari you'll need to reset it.
This applies to Mac computers.Click the Safari menu and select "Preferences".
In the "General" tab, set your homepage to your desired website.
Click the "Extensions" tab and find any toolbars from Ask.
Select the toolbar and click Uninstall.
Repeat for any extensions that you don't recognize. , Ask toolbars will leave a lot of lingering files, which can lead to reinfections if left on your system.
Download the following free tools to help clean out the Ask files.
It is helpful to use multiple programs, as they all tend to find different files.
AdwCleaner (Windows)
- general-changelog-team.fr/en/tools/15-adwcleaner Malwarebytes Antimalware (Windows)
- malwarebytes.org HitmanPro (Windows)
- surfright.nl/en/hitmanpro AdwareMedic (Mac OS X)
- adwaremedic.com/index.php , After running it, click the "Scan" button top begin scanning your computer for Ask files (as well as other adware you may not know you have).
The scan may take up to thirty minutes.
Once the scan is complete, click the "Clean" button to remove any infected files. , The free version will perform all of the tasks you need.
Make sure to check for updates once the program is installed, though this usually happens automatically.
Click the "Scan Now" button to begin scanning the computer.
This will take a little while to complete (30-60 minutes).
Click "Quarantine All" and then "Apply Actions" once the scan is complete to quarantine all of the infected files that are found. , during installation, uncheck the option that allows HitmanPro to scan your computer every time it starts up, as this slow it down it down unnecessarily.
HitmanPro will begin scanning your computer immediately after it finishes installing.
Click the "Activate free license" button at the end of the scan to remove any files that it finds. , This is one of the more powerful anti-adware programs available for OS X, and does not need to be installed.
Simply run the downloaded program and click "Scan for Adware" to begin scanning your Mac for adware-infected files.
When the scan is complete, click Remove Selected to remove all of the infected files that were found. , While it's likely that your computer is now free of the Ask Toolbar, it doesn't hurt to run all of your scans again after restarting your computer.
They may be able to find files that they couldn't find the first time around. , Toolbars are typically installed alongside other programs when you download them from the internet.
You can almost always opt out of these additional toolbars, but you'll need to read every screen when downloading and installing a program. , Never choose "Express" when installing a downloaded program, as this will almost always automatically install unwanted toolbars. , You're less likely to get an installer filled with adware if you download directly from the developer.
While this isn't always the case, you'll be exposed to less if you go through the developer's website instead of websites like Download.com or Softonic.com. -
Step 3: Find "Ask Toolbar"
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Step 4: "Ask Toolbar" and "Ask Toolbar Updater".
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Step 5: Repeat for any other programs that have "Ask" in the Name or Publisher columns.
-
Step 6: Use Revo Uninstaller to remove troublesome entries.
-
Step 7: Reset Internet Explorer.
-
Step 8: Reset Google Chrome.
-
Step 9: Reset Firefox.
-
Step 10: Reset Safari.
-
Step 11: Download the tools you'll need.
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Step 12: Install and run AdwCleaner.
-
Step 13: Install and run Malwarebytes Antimalware.
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Step 14: Install and run HitmanPro.
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Step 15: Run AdwareMedic (Mac only).
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Step 16: Restart your computer and run the scans again.
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Step 17: Read every screen when installing software.
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Step 18: Always select a "Custom" installation.
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Step 19: Download from trusted locations.
Detailed Guide
You can access this from the Start menu.
Windows 8 users can press ⊞ Win to open the Start screen and then type "control panel".Mac users don't need to worry about this part as Ask only affects the browsers themselves on OS X.
If you are using a Mac, skip down to the next section to learn how to reset your browsers.
If you're using Windows XP, select "Add or Remove Programs". , Select each one and then click the Uninstall button.
Follow the prompts to remove the software. , There may be more Ask software installed which may be making it difficult remove. , If you are having difficulty uninstalling the Ask programs, you can use the free Revo Uninstaller program to help remove them.
Click here for detailed instructions on using Revo to get rid of stubborn programs. , Even if you don't use Internet Explorer to surf the web, it is still used in a variety of Windows functions, so you'll want to make sure that you reset Internet Explorer first.
Mac users can skip down to the browsers that they use regularly.
Open Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools menu or the Gear button and select "Internet options".
If you don't see the Tools menu, press Alt.
Click the Advanced tab and then click Reset...
Check the "Delete personal settings" box and then click Reset. , Ask infects all of your browsers, so if you use Google Chrome you'll need to reset it.
This applies to both Windows and Mac computers.
Open Google Chrome and click the Menu button (☰).
Select "Settings".
Click the "Shows advanced settings" link at the bottom of the page.
Scroll down and click Reset settings.
Click Reset to confirm. , Ask infects all of your browsers, so if you use Mozilla Firefox you'll need to reset it.
This applies to both Windows and Mac computers.
Open Firefox and click the Menu button (☰).
Click the Help (?) button at the bottom of the menu.
Select "Troubleshooting Information".
Click Refresh Firefox... and then Refresh Firefox to confirm. , Ask infects all of your browsers, so if you use Safari you'll need to reset it.
This applies to Mac computers.Click the Safari menu and select "Preferences".
In the "General" tab, set your homepage to your desired website.
Click the "Extensions" tab and find any toolbars from Ask.
Select the toolbar and click Uninstall.
Repeat for any extensions that you don't recognize. , Ask toolbars will leave a lot of lingering files, which can lead to reinfections if left on your system.
Download the following free tools to help clean out the Ask files.
It is helpful to use multiple programs, as they all tend to find different files.
AdwCleaner (Windows)
- general-changelog-team.fr/en/tools/15-adwcleaner Malwarebytes Antimalware (Windows)
- malwarebytes.org HitmanPro (Windows)
- surfright.nl/en/hitmanpro AdwareMedic (Mac OS X)
- adwaremedic.com/index.php , After running it, click the "Scan" button top begin scanning your computer for Ask files (as well as other adware you may not know you have).
The scan may take up to thirty minutes.
Once the scan is complete, click the "Clean" button to remove any infected files. , The free version will perform all of the tasks you need.
Make sure to check for updates once the program is installed, though this usually happens automatically.
Click the "Scan Now" button to begin scanning the computer.
This will take a little while to complete (30-60 minutes).
Click "Quarantine All" and then "Apply Actions" once the scan is complete to quarantine all of the infected files that are found. , during installation, uncheck the option that allows HitmanPro to scan your computer every time it starts up, as this slow it down it down unnecessarily.
HitmanPro will begin scanning your computer immediately after it finishes installing.
Click the "Activate free license" button at the end of the scan to remove any files that it finds. , This is one of the more powerful anti-adware programs available for OS X, and does not need to be installed.
Simply run the downloaded program and click "Scan for Adware" to begin scanning your Mac for adware-infected files.
When the scan is complete, click Remove Selected to remove all of the infected files that were found. , While it's likely that your computer is now free of the Ask Toolbar, it doesn't hurt to run all of your scans again after restarting your computer.
They may be able to find files that they couldn't find the first time around. , Toolbars are typically installed alongside other programs when you download them from the internet.
You can almost always opt out of these additional toolbars, but you'll need to read every screen when downloading and installing a program. , Never choose "Express" when installing a downloaded program, as this will almost always automatically install unwanted toolbars. , You're less likely to get an installer filled with adware if you download directly from the developer.
While this isn't always the case, you'll be exposed to less if you go through the developer's website instead of websites like Download.com or Softonic.com.
About the Author
Donna Jordan
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow practical skills tutorials.
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