84,488,480 programs installed

Should I remove Hotspot Shield?

What percent of users and experts removed it?
42% remove it58% keep it
Overall Sentiment
Poor
What do people think about it?
(click star to rate)
How common is it?
Global Rank #40,305
United States Rank #39,454
Reach 0.0024%
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 49.67 days
811.02 days >
Average installed length: 426.13 days

Versions

VersionDistribution
2.84 100.00%

Hotspot Shield 2.84

What is Hotspot Shield?

If you are using the free Service, AnchorFree may deliver third-party Advertisements within the content of any web page accessed. Advertisements may be injected into the top of the page, inserted directly into the page content, or even displayed to overlay the page. A “hotspot” is a Wi-Fi connection access point. Usually this type of connection is public; therefore, it is completely insecure. Hotspot Shield allows you to create a VPN, or virtual private network, so you can transfer your data securely. When you access the Internet through such connections, you risk having your computer or mobile infected by a virus or even an intruder to enter your system. Moreover, the dangers exist that a malicious person can intercept your information and use it for unfriendly reasons. Hotspot Shield bundles a branded version of the Conduit Toolbar, which delivers search based advertising and results. During installation the user is presented in some cases with the option to install the toolbar (on by default). Once accepted, the packaged executable, ConduitInstaller.exe, will download and install the necessary components for the Conduit Toolbar.

About  (from AnchorFree Inc)

Hotspot Shield is the world's most popular Virtual Private Network (VPN) that secures your browsing session, detects and blocks malicious websites, makes you private and anonymous online, and allows you to access any blocked content. Hotspot Shield allows you to Secure your Web session, data, online shopping, and perso...  Read more
Overview
  • Integrates into the web browser
  • Installs a Windows Service

Program detailsProgram details

Displayed publisher: AnchorFree Inc.
URL: www.hotspotshield.com
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\Hotspot Shield
Uninstaller: C:\Program Files\Hotspot Shield\Uninstall.exe
Estimated size: 9.36 MB

Program filesFiles installed by Hotspot Shield 2.84

Program executable:HssSrv.exe
Path:C:\Program Files\Hotspot Shield\HssWPR\HssSrv.exe
MD5:80d9d2cb3a13334015636744f52429b2
Hotspot Shield allows you to create a VPN, or virtual private network, so you can transfer your data securely. When you access the Internet through such connections, you risk having your computer or mobile infected by a virus or even an...
Additional files:
  • af_proxy_cmd.exe
  • fbw.exe
  • HssIE.dll
  • HssIE_64.dll
  • HssInstaller.exe
  • HssInstaller64.exe
  • HssSrv.exe
  • openvpnas.exe
  • openvpntray.exe
  • Uninstall.exe
  • af_proxy.dll
  • cfghlp.dll
  • ConduitUninstaller.exe (by Conduit)
  • FBWMgr.exe
  • gui-ara.dll
  • gui-bur.dll
  • gui-chi.dll
  • gui-eng.dll
  • gui-fre.dll
  • gui-ger.dll
  • gui-jpn.dll
  • gui-per.dll
  • gui-rus.dll
  • gui-spa.dll
  • gui-tur.dll
  • gui-vie.dll
  • hssfixme.exe
  • hssinst.dll
  • HSSTrayService.exe
  • hsswd.exe
  • libeay32.dll
  • libpkcs11-helper-1.dll (by OpenSC Project) - pkcs11-helper (pkcs11-helper - An easy way to access PKCS#11 modules)
  • libssl32.dll
  • openvpn.exe
  • tapinstall.exe (by Windows (R) Codename Longhorn DDK provider) - Windows (R) Codename Longhorn DDK driver (Windows Setup API)
  • vistahlp.dll
  • wddll.dll
  • zlib1.dll (by Zlib) - Zlib (Zlib: general purpose data compression / decompression library)

Program behaviorsBehaviors exhibited

2 Internet Explorer BHOs
  • HssIE_64.dll is installed in Internet Explorer as a BHO (Browser Helper Object) under the name 'Hotspot Shield Class' with the class of {F9E4A054-E9B1-4BC3-83A3-76A1AE736170}.
  • HssIE.dll is installed in Internet Explorer as a BHO (Browser Helper Object) under the name 'Hotspot Shield Class' with the class of {F9E4A054-E9B1-4BC3-83A3-76A1AE736170}.
4 Services
  • openvpnas.exe runs as a service named 'Hotspot Shield Service' (hshld).
  • hsswd.exe runs as a service named 'Hotspot Shield Monitoring Service' (HssWd).
  • HssSrv.exe runs as a service named 'Hotspot Shield Routing Service' (HssSrv).
  • HSSTrayService.exe runs as a service named 'Hotspot Shield Tray Service' (HssTrayService).

Program resource utilizationResource utilization averages

HssSrv.exe
Memory:2.18 MB
21.09 MB average
Total CPU:0.0027985799%
0.031193% average
Kernel CPU:0.00183786%
0.016088% average
User CPU:0.00096072%
0.015104% average
CPU cycles/sec:102,107
8,062,084 average
Switches/sec:20
70 average
I/O reads/min:41 Bytes
435.61 KB average
openvpnas.exe
Memory:6.74 MB
Total CPU:0.0132214771%
Kernel CPU:0.00547745%
User CPU:0.00774403%
CPU cycles/sec:1,641,515
Switches/sec:4
I/O reads/min:5.02 KB
I/O writes/min:4 Bytes
openvpntray.exe
Memory:16.61 MB
Total CPU:0.0087109561%
Kernel CPU:0.00680488%
User CPU:0.00190608%
CPU cycles/sec:1,771,166
Switches/sec:20
I/O reads/min:391 Bytes
I/O writes/min:470 Bytes

How do I remove Hotspot Shield?

You can uninstall Hotspot Shield 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 Hotspot Shield 2.84, 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 Hotspot Shield.
  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 Hotspot Shield 2.84 you can restore them to their previous default settings.
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Mozilla Firefox
Google Chrome

OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 67%
Win XP 2%
 
HOW IT RUNS
Windows Service? Yes
(Installs a service)
 
USER ACTIONS
Uninstall it 42%
Keep it 58%

Windows OS versionsWindows

Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
Windows 7 68.75%
Windows 10 22.92%
Windows Vista 6.25%
Windows XP 2.08%
Which OS releases does it run on?
Windows 7 Home Premium 39.58%
Windows 7 Ultimate 14.58%
Windows 7 Home Basic 6.25%
Windows 7 Professional 6.25%
Windows 8 Pro with Media ... 6.25%
Windows 8.1 Pro 6.25%

Distribution by countryGeography

45.45% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
  United States 45.45%
  Canada 7.27%
  Philippines 5.45%
  Germany 3.64%
  United Kingdom 3.64%
  Iran 3.64%
  Saudi Arabia 3.64%
  Turkey 3.64%
  YE 3.64%
  United Arab Emirates 1.82%
  AL 1.82%
  Argentina 1.82%
  Colombia 1.82%
  Spain 1.82%

OEM distributionPC manufacturers

What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
Toshiba 19.44%
Dell 16.67%
Acer 16.67%
Hewlett-Packard 13.89%
Lenovo 11.11%
ASUS 8.33%
Sony 5.56%
Intel 2.78%
GIGABYTE 2.78%
American Megatrends 2.78%
Common models
Dell Inspiron N5110 10.81%
TOSHIBA Satellite C660 5.41%
TOSHIBA Satellite C655 2.70%
TOSHIBA SATELLITE L755 2.70%
TOSHIBA Satellite L500 2.70%
TOSHIBA Satellite L300D 2.70%

About AnchorFree Inc

AnchorFree provides online privacy and security solutions for Web users, advertisers, and publishers.
Publisher URL: www.anchorfree.com

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