Should I remove Advanced Searchbar?

Versions

Version	Distribution
3.36	75.00%
3.35	12.50%
3.30	6.25%
3.28	6.25%

from AST, Inc

Remove Advanced Searchbar by AST, Inc

Advanced Searchbar is a software program developed by AST, Inc. The most common release is 3.36, with over 98% of all installations currently using this version. Upon being installed, the software adds a Windows Service which is designed to run continuously in the background. Manually stopping the service has been seen to cause the program to stop functing properly. It adds a background controller service that is set to automatically run. Delaying the start of this service is possible through the service manager. The program adds a toolbar to Microsoft Internet Explorer. A scheduled task is added to Windows Task Scheduler in order to launch the program at various scheduled times (the schedule varies depending on the version). The software is designed to connect to the Internet and adds a Windows Firewall exception in order to do so without being interfered with. The primary executable is named advancedsearchbar.dll. Many users end up uninstalling this after less than a month of it being installed. The setup package generally installs about 19 files and is usually about 4.64 MB (4,867,100 bytes). Relative to the overall usage of users who have this installed on their PCs, most are running Windows 7 (SP1) and Windows XP. While about 85% of users of Advanced Searchbar come from the United States, it is also popular in Sweden and Pakistan.

Displayed publisher: Advanced Searchbar

URL: www.advancedsearchbar.com/contactus.html

Help link: www.advancedsearchbar.com/help.html

Installation folder: C:\Program Files\AdvancedSearchbar

Uninstaller: C:\Program Files2\ADVANC~1\UNWISE.EXE C:\Program Files2\ADVANC~1\INSTALL.LOG

Estimated size: 4.64 MB

1. On the Start menu (for Windows 8, right-click the screen's bottom-left corner), click Control Panel, and then, under Programs, do one of the following:
• Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall a Program.
• Windows XP: Click Add or Remove Programs.
2. When you find the program Advanced Searchbar, click it, and then do one of the following:
• Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall.
• Windows XP: Click the Remove or Change/Remove tab (to the right of the program).
3. Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove Advanced Searchbar.
4. If for some reason uninstallation fails, please install Microsoft's uninstall fixer utility which will help fix problems with programs that can't be uninstalled at support.microsoft.com.

1. Open Internet Explorer and click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
2. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Reset. Select the Delete personal settings check box if you would also like to remove search providers, Accelerators and home pages. When Internet Explorer finishes applying default settings, click Close, and then click OK.
3. The changes will take effect the next time you open IE.

1. At the top of the Firefox window, click the Firefox button, go over to the Help sub-menu and select Troubleshooting Information.
2. To continue, click Reset Firefox in the confirmation window that opens. It will close and be reset.
3. When it's done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click Finish and Firefox will open.

1. Open Chrome and click the Chrome menu on the browser toolbar.
2. Select Settings. In the "Search" section, click Manage search engine. Check if (Default) is displayed next to your preferred search engine. If not, mouse over it and click Make default. Mouse over any other suspicious search engine entries that are not familiar and click X to remove them.
3. When the "Show Home button" checkbox is selected, a web address appears below it. If you want the Homepage button to open up a different webpage, click Change to enter a link.
4. Restart Google Chrome.

OS VERSIONS Win 7 (SP1) 44% Win XP 6%

HOW DOES IT RUN? Plugs into Internet Explorer

USER ACTIONS Uninstall it 64% Keep it 36%

Which Windows OS versions does it run on?

United States	84.62%
Sweden	3.85%
Pakistan	3.85%
BA	3.85%
Hungary	3.85%

What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?

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