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Should I remove Guffins Internet Explorer Toolbar?

What percent of users and experts removed it?
68% remove it32% keep it
Overall Sentiment
Bad
What do people think about it?
(click star to rate)
How common is it?
United States Rank #35,539
Reach 0.0014%
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 19.47 days
574.29 days >
Average installed length: 301.74 days

Other programs by Mindspark Interactive Network

Guffins Internet Explorer Toolbar

What is Guffins Internet Explorer Toolbar?  (from Mindspark Interactive Network)

The Search Application may include functionality to prevent certain accidental or surreptitious changes your homepage, new tab page and/or default search settings by third parties. Such functionality will block and notify you of such attempted changes. The defense functionality will not prevent changes made by APN, i...  Read more

Overview

Guffins Internet Explorer Toolbar is a software program developed by Mindspark Interactive Network. During setup, the program creates a startup registration point in Windows in order to automatically start when any user boots the PC. 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 primary executable is named u4Bar.dll. Many users end up uninstalling this after less than a month of it being installed. The setup package generally installs about 62 files and is usually about 8.56 MB (8,980,495 bytes). Relative to the overall usage of users who have this installed on their PCs, most are running Windows 7 (SP1) and Windows 10. While about 82% of users of Guffins Internet Explorer Toolbar come from the United States, it is also popular in Australia and United Kingdom.
  • Malware detected in the program
  • Automatically starts with Windows
  • Integrates into the web browser
  • Installs a Windows Service
  • The wisdom of the experts agree, if you don't use it you should remove it!
Warning, multiple anti-virus scanners have detected possible malware in Guffins Internet Explorer Toolbar.
u4Bar.dll (f86336c978311761bc3e2a80b08d46bc) has been flagged by the following 5 scanners:
Anti-Virus softwareVersionDetection
avast! 2014.9-140111 Win32:Mindspark-A [PUP]
AVG 2015.0.3598 Zango
ESET-NOD32 8.8963 a variant of Win32/Toolbar.MyWebSearch.W
Kingsoft AntiVirus 331020.49267 Win32.Troj.Undef.(kcloud)
VIPRE Antivirus 22702 MyWebSearch.J (v) (not malicious)
u4barsvc.exe (b3dae11b5316528e6853a94d39e141e3) has been flagged by the following 18 scanners:
Anti-Virus softwareSoftware versionDetection
Agnitum Outpost 5.5.1.3 PUA.Toolbar.MyWebSearch!
AhnLab-V3 2014.11.14.00 PUP/Win32.MyWebSearch
Antiy-AVL 1.0.0.1 RiskWare[WebToolbar:not-a-virus]/Win32.MyWebSearch
avast! 8.0.1489.320 Win32:Mindspark-A [PUP]
AVG 15.0.0.4189 MyWebSearch
AVware 1.5.0.21 MyWebSearch.J (v)
Baidu-International 3.5.1.41473 Adware.Win32.MyWebSearch.aI
ESET-NOD32 10722 a variant of Win32/Toolbar.MyWebSearch.AE
Fortinet FortiGate 5.0.999.0 Riskware/MyWebSearch
G Data 24 Win32.Adware.Mindspark.C
Kaspersky 12.0.0.1225 not-a-virus:WebToolbar.Win32.MyWebSearch.si
Kingsoft AntiVirus 2013.4.9.267 Win32.Troj.MyWebSearch.si.(kcloud)
Malwarebytes 1.75.0.1 PUP.Optional.MindSpark
NANO AntiVirus 0.28.6.63362 Riskware.Win32.Toolbar.dfqijl
Qihoo-360 1.0.0.1015 Win32/Virus.WebToolbar.30b
Tencent 1.0.0.1 Win32.Trojan.Falsesign.Pgms
VIPRE Antivirus 34774 MyWebSearch.J (v) (not malicious)
Zillya 2.0.0.1982 Adware.MyWebSearch.Win32.1228
APPINTEGRATOR.EXE (b6940fe9d6fc34ef59f1028ae6018fe1) has been flagged by the following 16 scanners:
Anti-Virus softwareSoftware versionDetection
AhnLab-V3 2014.10.30.00 PUP/Win32.MyWebSearch
Antiy-AVL 1.0.0.1 RiskWare[WebToolbar:not-a-virus]/Win32.MyWebSearch
avast! 8.0.1489.320 Win32:Mindspark-A [PUP]
AVG 14.0.0.4040 MyWebSearch
AVware 1.5.0.21 MyWebSearch.J (v)
Baidu-International 3.5.1.41473 Adware.Win32.MyWebSearch.am
ESET-NOD32 10639 a variant of Win32/Toolbar.MyWebSearch.AJ
Fortinet FortiGate 5.0.999.0 Riskware/MyWebSearch
G Data 24 Win32.Adware.Mindspark.C
Kaspersky 12.0.0.1225 not-a-virus:WebToolbar.Win32.MyWebSearch.si
Kingsoft AntiVirus 2013.4.9.267 Win32.Troj.MyWebSearch.si.(kcloud)
Malwarebytes 1.75.0.1 PUP.Optional.MindSpark
Qihoo-360 1.0.0.1015 Win32/Virus.WebToolbar.30b
Tencent 1.0.0.1 Win32.Trojan.Falsesign.Pgcq
TrendMicro-HouseCall 9.700.0.1001 Suspicious_GEN.F47V0812
VIPRE Antivirus 34342 MyWebSearch.J (v) (not malicious)
u4medint.exe (4de35f24efb8446518e0586fd54043b8) has been flagged by the following 15 scanners:
Anti-Virus softwareSoftware versionDetection
AhnLab-V3 2014.10.25.00 PUP/Win32.MyWebSearch
avast! 8.0.1489.320 Win32:Mindspark-A [PUP]
AVG 14.0.0.4040 MyWebSearch
AVware 1.5.0.21 MyWebSearch.J (v)
Baidu-International 3.5.1.41473 Adware.Win32.MyWebSearch.bQ
ESET-NOD32 10616 a variant of Win32/Toolbar.MyWebSearch.AJ
Fortinet FortiGate 5.0.999.0 Riskware/MyWebSearch
G Data 24 Win32.Adware.Mindspark.C
Kaspersky 12.0.0.1225 not-a-virus:WebToolbar.Win32.MyWebSearch.si
Kingsoft AntiVirus 2013.4.9.267 Win32.Troj.MyWebSearch.si.(kcloud)
Malwarebytes 1.75.0.1 PUP.Optional.MindSpark
Qihoo-360 1.0.0.1015 Win32/Virus.WebToolbar.30b
Tencent 1.0.0.1 Win32.Trojan.Falsesign.Pial
VIPRE Antivirus 34214 MyWebSearch.J (v) (not malicious)
Zillya 2.0.0.1966 Adware.MyWebSearch.Win32.1392
NPu4Stub.dll (9ade7f86a1eff0dd4f3d9adfd0a90118) has been flagged by the following 15 scanners:
Anti-Virus softwareSoftware versionDetection
Antiy-AVL 1.0.0.1 Trojan/Win32.TSGeneric
avast! 8.0.1489.320 Win32:Mindspark-A [PUP]
AVG 14.0.0.4007 Zango
Baidu-International 3.5.1.41473 Adware.Win32.WebSearch.aIRK
ESET-NOD32 10300 Win32/Toolbar.MyWebSearch.AI
Fortinet FortiGate 5.1.152.0 Adware/Websearch
Kaspersky 12.0.0.1225 not-a-virus:AdWare.Win32.WebSearch.di
Kingsoft AntiVirus 2013.4.9.267 Win32.Troj.Undef.(kcloud)
Malwarebytes 1.75.0.1 PUP.Optional.MindSpark
McAfee 6.0.4.564 Artemis!9ADE7F86A1EF
nProtect 2014-08-22.01 Trojan-Clicker/W32.WebSearch.48504
Panda Antivirus 10.0.3.5 Adware/WebSearch
SUPERAntiSpyware 5.6.0.1032 Trojan.Agent/Gen-Graftor
TrendMicro-HouseCall 9.700.0.1001 Suspicious_GEN.F47V0815
VIPRE Antivirus 32454 MyWebSearch.J (v) (not malicious)
AppIntegrator64.exe (143d634f4f93155d3a4d430c2cf60d11) has been flagged by the following 12 scanners:
Anti-Virus softwareSoftware versionDetection
AhnLab-V3 2014.10.09.00 PUP/Win32.MyWebSearch
Antiy-AVL 1.0.0.1 RiskWare[WebToolbar:not-a-virus]/Win32.MyWebSearch
avast! 8.0.1489.320 Win32:Mindspark-A [PUP]
AVG 14.0.0.4037 Zango
Baidu-International 3.5.1.41473 Adware.Win32.MyWebSearch.Aki
Fortinet FortiGate 5.1.152.0 Riskware/MyWebSearch
Kaspersky 12.0.0.1225 not-a-virus:WebToolbar.Win32.MyWebSearch.si
Malwarebytes 1.75.0.1 PUP.Optional.MindSpark
Panda Antivirus 10.0.4.2 Adware/WebSearch
Qihoo-360 1.0.0.1015 Win32/Virus.WebToolbar.30b
Tencent 1.0.0.1 Win32.Trojan.Falsesign.Dvqb
VIPRE Antivirus 33754 MyWebSearch.J (v) (not malicious)
u4SrcAs.dll (04b64f0232c841341e632517edc6c137) has been flagged by the following 5 scanners:
Anti-Virus softwareSoftware versionDetection
avast! 8.0.1489.320 Win32:Mindspark-A [PUP]
AVG 13.0.0.3169 Zango
Kingsoft AntiVirus 2013.4.9.267 Win32.Troj.Undef.(kcloud)
TrendMicro-HouseCall 9.700.0.1001 TROJ_GEN.F47V1208
VIPRE Antivirus 25024 MyWebSearch.J (v) (not malicious)
       View all 86 all detections
Bundled relationships

Program detailsProgram details

URL: support.mindspark.com
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\Guffins\bar\1.bin
Uninstaller: rundll32 "C:\Program Files\Guffins\bar\1.bin\u4Bar.dll",O mindsparktoolbarkey="Guffins" uninstalltype="IE"
Estimated size: 8.56 MB

Program filesFiles installed by Guffins Internet Explorer Toolbar

Program module:u4Bar.dll (Malware detected)
Name:MindSpark Toolbar Platform for Internet Explorer and Firefox
MindSpark Toolbar Platform
Path:C:\Program Files\Guffins\bar\1.bin\u4Bar.dll
MD5:f86336c978311761bc3e2a80b08d46bc
Additional files:
  • T8EPMSUP.DLL - Mindspark Toolbar Platform for Internet Explorer and Firefox (Mindspark Toolbar Platform)
  • (Malware detected) u4bar.dll - MindSpark Toolbar Platform for Internet Explorer and Firefox (MindSpark Toolbar Platform)
  • u4highin.exe - Run a MindSpark DLL as an App
  • u4medint.exe
  • u4regfft.dll
  • u4regiet.dll
  • u4hkstub.dll - MindSpark Toolbar Platform IE Search Box Protector Stub
  • u4reghk.dll - MindSpark Toolbar Platform IE Search Box Protector
  • (Malware detected) APPINTEGRATOR.EXE - Mindspark Toolbar Platform for Internet Explorer
  • (Malware detected) AppIntegrator64.exe
  • APPINTEGRATORSTUB.DLL
  • AppIntegratorStub64.dll
  • ASSISTMONITOR.DLL
  • ASSISTMONITOR64.DLL
  • CREXT.DLL
  • CrExtPu4.exe
  • DPNMNGR.DLL
  • HKFXMGR.DLL
  • HKFXMGR64.DLL
  • HPG.DLL
  • Hpg64.dll
  • T8EXTEX.DLL
  • T8EXTPEX.DLL
  • T8HTML.DLL
  • T8RES.DLL
  • T8TICKER.DLL
  • TOOLBARGUARD.DLL
  • TOOLBARGUARD64.DLL
  • (Malware detected) u4barsvc.exe
  • u4bprtct.dll
  • u4datact.dll
  • u4dlghk.dll
  • u4dlghk64.dll
  • u4feedmg.dll
  • u4htmlmu.dll
  • u4httpct.dll
  • u4idle.dll
  • u4mlbtn.dll
  • u4Plugin.dll
  • (Malware detected) u4SrcAs.dll - Mindspark Search Assistant for Internet Explorer (Mindspark Search Assistant)
  • (Malware detected) NPu4Stub.dll - MindSpark Toolbar Platform Plugin Stub (MindSpark Toolbar Platform Plugin Stub for 32-bit Windows)
  • u4auxstb.dll - MindSpark Toolbar Platform
  • u4auxstb64.dll - Mindspark Toolbar Platform
  • u4ieovr.dll
  • u4radio.dll - MindSpark Radio
  • TPIMANAGERCONSOLE.EXE - TPIManager (Third-Party Product Installer)
  • installKeys.js

Program behaviorsBehaviors exhibited

2 Internet Explorer BHOs
  • u4bar.dll is installed in Internet Explorer as a BHO (Browser Helper Object) under the name 'Toolbar BHO' with the class of {9fea7743-7c8b-4d4d-9b54-a088eb853287}.
  • u4SrcAs.dll is installed in Internet Explorer as a BHO (Browser Helper Object) under the name 'Search Assistant BHO' with the class of {8561f2a1-d885-4852-8289-81ae4ad0ad99}.
Internet Explorer Extension
  • u4bar.dll is installed as an Internet Explorer extension using the class {92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263}.
Internet Explorer Toolbar
  • u4bar.dll is loaded as Internet Explorer Toolbar with the name 'MyImageConverter' with the class of {4a8a0b3b-eeb7-4e90-b359-3e01b2c15e82}.
2 Internet Explorer URL Search Hooks
  • u4SrcAs.dll is loaded in Internet Explorer as a URL search hook using the CLSID {67caccf8-d059-4e1b-a6c4-7e9746cab185} and is used by IE to redirect the address of an unknown typed URLs.
  • u4bar.dll loads into IE as a URL Search Hook named 'McAfee SiteAdvisor Toolbar' with a class of {0EBBBE48-BAD4-4B4C-8E5A-516ABECAE064} in order to redirect unknown URL searches.
Internet Explorer Web Browser
  • u4bar.dll installs an IE Web Browser in Internet Explorer named 'MyNewsGuide' with a class of {AB5EDA4A-9772-468B-9931-45618A940EB6}.
Mozilla Plugin
  • NPu4Stub.dll is loaded into Mozilla Firefox under the product name '@Guffins.com/Plugin' with a plugin key of '@Guffins.com/Plugin' for all users of the PC.
2 Scheduled Tasks
  • AppIntegrator64.exe is scheduled as a task named 'Price Fountain' (runs daily at 4:45 PM).
  • u4medint.exe is scheduled as a task with the class '{CEC2F177-6434-48CF-AEA5-AB1F3AD5E60A}' (runs on registration).
3 Scheduled Tasks (Boot/Login)
  • AppIntegrator64.exe is automatically launched at startup through a scheduled task named 7.
  • u4medint.exe is automatically launched at startup through a scheduled task named 2.
  • APPINTEGRATOR.EXE is automatically launched at startup through a scheduled task named OnlineMapFinder AppIntegrator 32-bit_Reg_HKLMWow6432Run.
Service
  • u4barsvc.exe runs as a service named 'InboxNowService' (InboxNow_drService).
3 Startup Files (User Run)
  • u4medint.exe is loaded in the current user (HKCU) registry as an auto-starting executable named 'MapsGalaxy EPM Support' and executes as "C:\Program Files2\MAPSGA~2\bar\1.bin\39medint.exe" T8EPMSUP.DLL,S.
  • APPINTEGRATOR.EXE is loaded in the current user (HKCU) registry as an auto-starting executable named 'PowerSuite' and executes as "C:\Program Files1\Uniblue\POWERS~1\launcher.exe" delay 20000 -m.
  • AppIntegrator64.exe is loaded in the current user (HKCU) registry as an auto-starting executable named 'Hoolapp Android' and executes as "C:\users\user\appdata\Roaming\HOOLAP~1\Hoolapp.exe" /Minimized.
5 Startup Files (All Users Run)
  • AppIntegrator64.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'FromDocToPDF Search Scope Monitor' which loads as "C:\Program Files2\FROMDO~2\bar\1.bin\65srchmn.exe" /m=2 /w /h.
  • u4bar.dll is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'VideoDownloadConverter' which loads as rundll32 C:\Program Files1\VIDEOD~2\bar\1.bin\4zbar.dll,S.
  • u4medint.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'Utility Chest Search Scope Monitor' which loads as "C:\Program Files2\UTILIT~2\bar\1.bin\49srchmn.exe" /m=2 /w /h.
  • APPINTEGRATOR.EXE is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'ListingsPortal Search Scope Monitor' which loads as "C:\Program Files2\LISTIN~1\bar\1.bin\e9srchmn.exe" /m=2 /w /h.
  • u4barsvc.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'SuddenlyMusic AppIntegrator 64-bit' which loads as C:\Program Files2\SUDDEN~2\bar\1.bin\AppIntegrator64.exe.

Program resource utilizationResource utilization averages

u4highin.exe
Memory:2.15 MB
21.09 MB average
Total CPU:0.0020603325%
0.031193% average
Kernel CPU:0.00137664%
0.016088% average
User CPU:0.00068370%
0.015104% average
CPU cycles/sec:7,200
8,062,084 average
I/O reads/min:13 Bytes
435.61 KB average
I/O writes/min:669 Bytes
105.02 KB average
u4medint.exe
Memory:2.25 MB
Total CPU:0.0011411218%
Kernel CPU:0.00073377%
User CPU:0.00040735%
CPU cycles/sec:2,741
I/O reads/min:30 Bytes
I/O writes/min:9 Bytes
u4barsvc.exe
Memory:888.64 KB
Total CPU:0.0002876265%
Kernel CPU:0.00017843%
User CPU:0.00010920%
CPU cycles/sec:4,696
I/O reads/min:16 Bytes

How do I remove Guffins Internet Explorer Toolbar?

You can uninstall Guffins Internet Explorer Toolbar 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 Guffins Internet Explorer Toolbar, 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 Guffins Internet Explorer Toolbar.
  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 Guffins Internet Explorer Toolbar you can restore them to their previous default settings.
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Mozilla Firefox
Google Chrome

OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 63%
Win Vista (SP2) 11%
 
HOW IT STARTS
Automatically starts? Yes
(Found in the run registry)
 
USER ACTIONS
Uninstall it 68%
Keep it 32%

Windows OS versionsWindows

Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
Windows 7 62.96%
Windows 10 25.93%
Windows Vista 11.11%
Which OS releases does it run on?
Windows 7 Home Premium 48.15%
Windows 8 14.81%
Windows 7 Ultimate 7.41%
Windows Vista Home Premiu... 7.41%
Windows 10 Home 3.70%
Windows 7 Professional 3.70%

Distribution by countryGeography

81.58% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
  United States 81.58%
  Australia 7.89%
  United Kingdom 7.89%
  Ireland 2.63%

OEM distributionPC manufacturers

What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
Hewlett-Packard 30.77%
Dell 26.92%
Acer 26.92%
Toshiba 7.69%
Samsung 3.85%
GIGABYTE 3.85%
Common models
HP Pavilion g7 Notebook P... 7.41%
TOSHIBA Satellite P75-A 3.70%
TOSHIBA Satellite C660 3.70%
Samsung RV411/RV511/E3511... 3.70%
HP-Pavilion NC047AA-ABU s... 3.70%
HP-Pavilion KJ387AA-ABA a... 3.70%

About Mindspark Interactive Network

Mindspark is a business unit of IAC that focuses on interactive products and web portals and operates IAC's interactive products and web portals such as Life123, Myway.
Publisher URL: www.mindspark.com

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