84,488,480 programs installed

Should I remove Avira SearchFree Toolbar plus Web Protection?

What percent of users and experts removed it?
85% remove it15% keep it
Overall Sentiment
Bad
What do people think about it?
(click star to rate)
How common is it?
Reach 0.0002%
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 21.34 days
152.19 days >
Average installed length: 79.96 days

Versions

VersionDistribution
1.15.25.0 33.33%
1.15.23.0 66.67%

Other programs by Ask.com

Avira SearchFree Toolbar plus Web Protection

What is Avira SearchFree Toolbar plus Web Protection?

Avira SearchFree Toolbar plus Web Protection installs with the Ask.com internet browser toolbar and keeps it automatically updated. Avira SearchFree Toolbar gets installed through bundled software. The default settings will automatically install the Avira SearchFree Toolbar as soon as you install the host bundler software on your PC.

Upon install, the software will: Set and keep Ask.com as the default search provider. Set the browser homepage and new tabs page to Ask.com.Protect the settings through a background process that will monitor for changes and if detected will reset the search and homepages back to Ask.com ("A number of other browser add-on products (made by other companies) bundle and offer Ask search tools during installation of their products. This includes the Ask default homepage or new tab page, and if not declined at the time of installation, that setting will be changed in your browser".

The toolbar is installed with many version of the Free Avira AntiVirus software and is distributed through APN, LLC.

About  (from Ask.com)

Avira's Web search shows complete search results. Marks each search result as safe or risky so you can avoid going to risky sites. Get notified if any site you are browsing is safe or risky. Maintain your browsing privacy. Automatically blocks companies from tracking your activity. You can adjust settings for sites you...  Read more
Overview
  • Automatically starts with Windows
  • Loads into the web browser
  • Connects to a server over the Internet
  • Typically distributed through a pay-per-install bundle
  • Hijacks the browser's default search provider
  • The experts agree, you should remove it!
Avira SearchFree Toolbar plus Web Protection has been found to be bundled with 3rd party software. If you have not purposefully installed this, you should be safe uninstalling it.

Program detailsProgram details

URL: sp.ask.com/toolbar
Help link: about.ask.com/en/docs/about/index.shtml
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\ask.com\assets\oobe
Uninstaller: MsiExec.exe /X{86D4B82A-ABED-442A-BE86-96357B70F4FE}
(The Windows Installer is used for the installation, maintenance, and removal.)
Estimated size: 3.89 MB

Program filesFiles installed by Avira SearchFree Toolbar plus Web Protection

Program executable:offercast_avirav7_.exe
Path:C:\Program Files\Avira\AntiVir Desktop\offercast_avirav7_.exe
MD5:ae88282d08916c00a324f6a269924ea9
  • updater.exe (by Ask) - Updater (Ask Updater)

Program behaviorsBehaviors exhibited

Startup File (All Users Run)
  • updater.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'ApnUpdater' which loads as "C:\Program Files\Ask.com\Updater\Updater.exe".
Network connections
  • updater.exe connects to 63.116.243.51 (port 80).

Program resource utilizationResource utilization averages

updater.exe
Memory:3.74 MB
21.09 MB average
Total CPU:0.0882168889%
0.031193% average
Kernel CPU:0.04567402%
0.016088% average
User CPU:0.04254287%
0.015104% average
Switches/sec:6
70 average

How do I remove Avira SearchFree Toolbar plus Web Protection?

You can uninstall Avira SearchFree Toolbar plus Web Protection from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window's Control Panel.
  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 Avira SearchFree Toolbar plus Web Protection, 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 Avira SearchFree Toolbar plus Web Protection.
  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.

How do I reset my web browser?

If your web browser homepage and search settings have been modfied by Avira SearchFree Toolbar plus Web Protection you can restore them to their previous default settings.
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Mozilla Firefox
Google Chrome

OS VERSIONS
Win Vista (SP2) 33%
Win 7 (SP1) 33%
 
HOW IT STARTS
Automatically starts? Yes
(Found in the run registry)
 
USER ACTIONS
Uninstall it 85%
Keep it 15%

Windows OS versionsWindows

Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
Windows Vista 33.33%
Windows XP 33.33%
Windows 7 33.33%
Which OS releases does it run on?
Windows Vista Ultimate 33.33%
Windows 7 Ultimate 33.33%
Microsoft Windows XP 33.33%

Distribution by countryGeography

62.50% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
  United States 62.50%
  Brazil 12.50%
  France 12.50%
  Italy 12.50%

OEM distributionPC manufacturers

What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
American Megatrends 50.00%
ASUS 50.00%

About Ask.com

Ask focuses on search traffic through various methods, the number being installation of its toolbars through a lot of bundle and rebrand programs.
Publisher URL: www.ask.com

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