Should I remove PC Advisor Toolbar?

Versions

Version	Distribution
6.12.0.11	100.00%

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from Conduit Ltd.

Remove PC Advisor Toolbar by Conduit

PC Advisor Toolbar is a Conduit distributed toolbar built on the community toolbar platform which provides web browser integration. This browser extension's primary purpose is to take control of the user's search functionality in order to generate a revenue share for the publisher and Conduit. In addition to search hijacking (although there should be options during bundle installation to prevent this), the toolbar will install itself in Internet Explorer as a toolbar and Browser Helper Object. In Chrome however, the toolbar will actually inject itself directly in the HTML of the web pages the user is browsing by create a custom iFrame and loading its code directly into the browser. Also, many installs contain 'Value Apps' which provides additional functionality as well as includes various ad/coupon supported extensions such as Cash Back and Price Gong. As for distribution, the toolbar is typically bundled with 3rd party publishers in order to try to maximize install revenue as typically payouts per installation is between a few cents and a couple dollars depending on the geographical location of the host. The platform in many cases installs a service 'engine' that is designed to protect the toolbar as well as the modified search and home pages to Conduit's affiliate search partner.

From the Privacy Policy: "Browsing Data about your web browsing is collected and analyzed by the Value Apps platform in real time, and it may include the web page that you are currently visiting and the content therein. This information may be used by us to trigger the relevant Apps you enabled, and we may share such information with our Partners so our Partners or us, as applicable according to the App provider, can suggest services or provide you with offers that may be relevant to you."

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 main program executable is prxtbPC_A.dll. Typically most users end up uninstalling this just after a few days. It also bundles additional software in the form of the Conduit Engine, which installs a potentially unwanted toolbar, and makes homepage and default search engine changes to a user's web browser. The software installer includes 11 files and is usually about 12.61 MB (13,218,993 bytes).

Displayed publisher: PC Advisor

URL: PCAdvisorToolbar.OurToolbar.com

Help link: PCAdvisorToolbar.OurToolbar.com/help

Installation folder: C:\Program Files\pc_advisor

Uninstaller: C:\Program Files\PC_Advisor\uninstall.exe toolbar

Estimated size: 12.61 MB

PC_AdvisorToolbarHelper1.exe
Total CPU:	0.4892737327%	0.031193% average
Kernel CPU:	0.29804920%	0.016088% average
User CPU:	0.19122453%	0.015104% average

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 PC Advisor 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 PC Advisor 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.

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.

HOW DOES IT RUN? Plugs into Internet Explorer

USER ACTIONS Uninstall it 78% Keep it 22%

MOST USED OS ~99% Windows 7 (SP1)

United States	83.33%
United Kingdom	16.67%

Conduit is an online platform that allows web publishers to create custom toolbars, web apps, and mobile apps at no cost.

Publisher URL: www.conduit.com

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