84,488,480 programs installed

Should I remove Ask Toolbar?

What percent of users and experts removed it?
81% remove it19% keep it
Overall Sentiment
Bad
What do people think about it?
(click star to rate)
How common is it?
Global Rank #265
United States Rank #319
Reach 2.1865%
(Not enough data to show 30 day installation trends)
Uninstallation trends (last 30 days)
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 16.16 days
476.60 days >
Average installed length: 250.41 days

Versions

VersionDistribution
4.1.0.7 0.05%
4.1.0.5 1.29%
4.1.0.4 0.02%
4.1.0.3 0.13%
4.1.0.2 1.06%
4.1.0.1 0.00%
1.9.1.0 3.99%
1.9.0.0 0.03%
1.8.0.0 1.56%
1.7.1.0 0.04%
1.7.0.0 0.16%
1.6.9.0 2.22%
1.6.8.0 0.05%
1.6.6.0 3.32%
1.6.5.0 0.13%
1.6.3.0 0.00%
1.6.2.0 0.13%
1.6.14.0 0.21%
1.6.13.0 0.16%
1.6.12.0 0.04%
1.6.1.0 0.04%
1.5.5.0 0.00%
1.5.2.0 0.18%
1.5.1.0 0.09%
1.5.0.0 1.14%
1.4.4.0 0.08%
1.4.3.0 0.00%
1.4.0.0 0.02%
1.3.5.0 0.01%
1.3.3.0 0.11%
1.3.2.0 0.00%
1.3.1.0 0.03%
1.17.9.0 0.16%
1.17.7.0 1.22%
1.17.6.0 0.94%
1.17.3.0 1.66%
1.17.2.0 0.74%
1.17.1.0 0.56%
1.17.0.0 1.03%
1.16.1.0 0.07%
1.16.0.0 0.00%
1.15.9.0 2.68%
1.15.8.0 0.16%
1.15.6.0 0.12%
1.15.5.0 0.99%
1.15.4.0 6.88%
1.15.31.0 1.01%
1.15.29.0 0.94%
1.15.26.0 1.97%
1.15.25.0 5.75%
1.15.24.0 1.08%
78 versions

Other programs by Ask.com

Ask Toolbar

What is Ask Toolbar?

The Ask Toolbar is a web-browser add-on that can appear as an extra bar added to the browser's window and/or menu. It is often installed (sometimes without warning) during the installation of other software. Ask.com has entered into partnerships with some software security vendors, whereby they are paid to distribute the toolbar alongside their software. When you use the Toolbar to submit a query, the Toolbar forwards such query information to Ask servers. Ask.com uses this information to process your web search requests and to return a search results page to you.

About  (from Ask.com)

Ask Toolbar lets you perform a search from wherever you are on the Web. It's free to download and fits right in your browser. No matter what site you're visiting, simply go to the Ask Toolbar already in your browser, and type in your search. Additional features include map information, the latest headlines, financial s...  Read more

Overview

The most used version is 1.15.4.0, with over 60% of all installations currently using this version. Upon installation and setup, it defines an auto-start registry entry which makes this program run on each Windows boot for all user logins. 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 main program executable is GenericAskToolbar.dll. Typically most users end up uninstalling this just after a few days. The software installer includes 85 files and is usually about 1.57 MB (1,650,415 bytes). SaUpdate.exe is the automatic update component of the software designed to download and apply new updates should new versions be released.
  • Possible malware installed by this program
  • Automatically starts with Windows
  • Loads into the web browser
  • Typically distributed through a pay-per-install bundle
  • The experts agree, you should remove it!
Warning, multiple anti-virus scanners have detected possible malware in Ask Toolbar.
precache.exe (1088fb32a5611c8167751196d68af644) has been flagged by the following 43 scanners:
Anti-Virus softwareVersionDetection
Lavasoft Ad-Aware 1121 Worm.Generic.377772
AhnLab-V3 2013.12.20 Trojan/Win32.Gen
Avira AntiVir 7.11.120.204 W32/Tapin
avast! 2014.9-140109 Win32:Agent-AODJ [Trj]
AVG 2015.0.3599 Worm/Delf
Bitdefender 1.0.20.45 Worm.Generic.377772
Bkav FE 1.3.0.4613 W32.FakeExeYHPtv
CAT-QuickHeal 1.14.12.00 W32.Grenam.A
Clam AntiVirus 0.98/18355 WIN.Virus.Gnamer
CMC Antivirus 1.1.0.977 Worm.Win32.Delf!O
Commtouch SDK 5.4.1.7 W32/Renamer.A.gen!Eldorado
Comodo Security 17470 Worm.Win32.Delf.nj
Dr.Web 9.0.0.09 Trojan.Inject1.28681
Emsisoft Anti-Malware 8.14.01.09.02 Worm.Generic.377772
ESET-NOD32 8.9190 Win32/Delf.NRJ
Fortinet FortiGate 1/9/2014 W32/Renamer.BQT!tr
F-Prot v6.4.7.1.166 W32/Renamer.A.gen
F-Secure 11.2014-09-01_5 Worm.Generic.377772
G Data 14.1.22 Worm.Generic.377772
IKARUS anti.virus t3scan.2.2.29 Virus.Win32.Renamer
Jiangmin KV140109 Worm/Delf.yg
K7 AntiVirus 13.174.10575 Trojan
K7GW 13.174.10575 Trojan ( 000c8b551 )
Kaspersky 14.0.0.4492 Virus.Win32.Renamer
Kingsoft AntiVirus 331020.49267 Win32.Troj.Generic.(kcloud)
McAfee 5600.7255 W32/Gnamer
McAfee-GW-Edition 7.7255 W32/Gnamer
Microsoft Security Essentials 1.10201 Virus:Win32/Grenam.A
MicroWorld-eScan 15.0.0.27 Worm.Generic.377772
NANO AntiVirus 0.28.0.57029 Trojan.Win32.Renamer.lnwkz
Norman 10.20140109 Renamer.M
nProtect 13.12.19.01 Trojan/W32.Agent.534016.BS
Panda Antivirus 14.01.09.02 Trj/Renamer.H
Rising Antivirus 23.00.65.14107 PE:Trojan.Win32.Generic.129D5E3F!312303167
Sophos 4.96 W32/Renamer-K
SUPERAntiSpyware 10856 Trojan.Agent/Gen-Soriam
Symantec 1/9/2014 rev. 5 W32.Tapin
The Hacker 6.8.0.1.9 Trojan/Delf.nrj
Total Defense 37.0.10649 Win32/Tapi.D
Trend Micro 10.465.09 TROJ_AGENT_005249.TOMB
TrendMicro-HouseCall 7.2.9 TROJ_AGENT_005249.TOMB
Vba32 AntiVirus 3.12.24.3 Worm.Delf
VIPRE Antivirus 24542 Virus.Win32.Grenam.a (v)
SaUpdate.exe (54b8419dd679fdc3e85bcd0277ac58d6) has been flagged by the following 3 scanners:
Anti-Virus softwareSoftware versionDetection
Antiy-AVL 2.0.3.7 Backdoor/Win32.Poison
Jiangmin 16.0.100 Trojan/Agent.iyrr
TrendMicro-HouseCall 9.700.0.1001 TROJ_GEN.F47V0224
GenericAskToolbar.dll (28f1fcebb44fbef947ecc10eb117b2e8) has been flagged by the following 2 scanners:
Anti-Virus softwareSoftware versionDetection
Baidu-International 3.5.1.41473 Adware.Win32.AskToolbar.D
ESET-NOD32 12035 a variant of Win32/Bundled.Toolbar.Ask.G potentially unsafe
UpdateTask.exe (84781c2f441dd0c567e595dbbfb3302f) has been flagged by the following 2 scanners:
Anti-Virus softwareSoftware versionDetection
avast! 6.0.1289.0 Win32:Malware-gen
G Data 22 Win32:Malware-gen
       View all 50 all detections

Program detailsProgram details

URL: help.ask.com/link/portal/30015/30018/Article/1/How-do-I-remove-the-Ask-com-Toolbar
Help link: help.mysearch.com/searchbar.html
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\Ask.com\
Uninstaller: MsiExec.exe /X{86D4B82A-ABED-442A-BE86-96357B70F4FE}
(The Windows Installer is used for the installation, maintenance, and removal.)
Estimated size: 1.57 MB

Program filesFiles installed by Ask Toolbar

Program module:GenericAskToolbar.dll
Name:Toolbar
Ask Toolbar
Path:C:\Program Files\ask.com\GenericAskToolbar.dll
MD5:e5c4e4b11d40d272c1be19d5fc4d7832
(From the publisher) “The Ask Toolbar is a free browser add-on that allows you to search the Web using the Ask.com search engine directly from Internet Explorer or Firefox browsers. The toolbar software DOES NOT monitor the websites visited...”
Additional files:
  • GenericAskToolbar.dll - Toolbar (Ask.com Toolbar)
  • AviraBrowserSecurity.exe (by APN) - AviraBrowserSecurity
  • AviraCallingIDhelper.dll (by APN) - AviraHelper (Avira COM API Helper)
  • precache.exe
  • SaUpdate.exe
  • TaskScheduler.exe
  • UpdateTask.exe

Program behaviorsBehaviors exhibited

Internet Explorer BHO
  • GenericAskToolbar.dll is installed in Internet Explorer as a BHO (Browser Helper Object) under the name 'Ask Toolbar' with the class of {D4027C7F-154A-4066-A1AD-4243D8127440} (Ask Toolbar BHO).
Internet Explorer Toolbar
  • GenericAskToolbar.dll is loaded as Internet Explorer Toolbar with the name 'Ask Toolbar' with the class of {D4027C7F-154A-4066-A1AD-4243D8127440}.
Internet Explorer URL Search Hook
  • GenericAskToolbar.dll loads into IE as a URL Search Hook named 'UrlSearchHook Class' with a class of {00000000-6E41-4FD3-8538-502F5495E5FC} in order to redirect unknown URL searches.
Internet Explorer Web Browser
  • GenericAskToolbar.dll installs an IE Web Browser in Internet Explorer named 'Ask Toolbar' with a class of {D4027C7F-154A-4066-A1AD-4243D8127440}.
Scheduled Task
  • UpdateTask.exe is scheduled as a task named 'Scheduled Update for Ask Toolbar' (runs daily at 12:05).
Scheduled Task (Boot/Login)
  • precache.exe is automatically launched at startup through a scheduled task named Express DownloaderUpdate.
Startup File (All Users Run)
  • precache.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'SmartAudio' which loads as C:\Program Files\CONEXANT\SAII\SAIICpl.exe /t.

Program resource utilizationResource utilization averages

UpdateTask.exe
Total CPU:0.0001958789%
0.031193% average
Kernel CPU:0.00012723%
0.016088% average
User CPU:0.00006865%
0.015104% average

How do I remove Ask Toolbar?

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

OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 61%
Win 10 0%
 
HOW IT STARTS
Automatically starts? Yes
(Found in the run registry)
 
USER ACTIONS
Uninstall it 81%
Keep it 19%

Windows OS versionsWindows

Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
Windows 7 69.68%
Windows Vista 11.26%
Windows XP 10.84%
Windows 10 8.19%
Windows Server 2003 0.03%
Which OS releases does it run on?
Windows 7 Home Premium 39.77%
Windows 7 Ultimate 17.36%
Microsoft Windows XP 10.73%
Windows Vista Home Premiu... 8.97%
Windows 7 Professional 8.71%
Windows 10 Home 1.77%

Distribution by countryGeography

44.91% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
  United States 44.91%
  Germany 9.71%
  Iran 5.50%
  United Kingdom 3.55%
  Canada 2.44%
  Italy 1.99%
  Brazil 1.75%
  France 1.73%
  Australia 1.52%
  India 1.44%
  Israel 1.20%
  Netherlands 1.15%
  Belgium 0.99%
  Taiwan 0.93%

OEM distributionPC manufacturers

What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
Hewlett-Packard 28.81%
Dell 24.16%
Acer 17.43%
GIGABYTE 6.76%
ASUS 6.69%
Toshiba 5.97%
Samsung 2.84%
Intel 2.09%
Lenovo 1.96%
American Megatrends 1.47%
Sahara 1.01%
Medion 0.82%
Common models
HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook ... 7.79%
HP Pavilion g6 Notebook P... 5.49%
HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook ... 5.46%
Dell Inspiron 1545 3.49%
Dell Inspiron N5110 3.47%
HP G62 Notebook PC 2.62%

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

comments9 comments

user comment
user comment
alphajayover a year ago
Remove it!
user comment
wsxsxsxover a year ago
Yes, you should remove it. Now!
user comment
Brianne (expert)over a year ago
Ask.com (formally known as Ask Jeeves) is a very intrusive website/program that, underhandedly (without your permission and without your knowledge), is being installed on your computers. It can show up as ask.com and updater.com. The latter being VERY difficult to remove from your computer using the Control Panel or even attempting to remove it in Safe Mode. I had to install Revo Uninstaller to remove the updater.com program from my computer! Not only do they sneak the program in a bundle with other software you are installing, but they make it very hard to uninstall it from your computer! What are they doing? Or better yet, what are they harvesting from your computer that they have to install it without your knowledge or permission and make it almost impossible to uninstall?!?! Remove it!!!
user comment
cristianerover a year ago
Please remove this if you want a fluent pc.
user comment
Stanley89over a year ago
This is a piece of useless junk that gets installed in your system, sometimes without your knowledge, "hiding" behind other softwares. Why would someone need it? Besides that, it's a complete waste of time to remove.
expert comment
karenRW (Expert)over a year ago
Does anybody actually use Ask.com on purpose?
expert comment
jerry (Expert)over a year ago
This toolbar has made Internet Explorer really slow. Consumes lots of bandwidth and makes your internet slow. The annoying part is that I have never installed/ even visited Ask.com website. Do not install any software package that includes this toolbar as part of the installation package on your computer under any circumstances.
user comment
WaffleStealer654over a year ago
People remove this, because installers trick you into installing it! :(
user comment
Just a software guyover a year ago
Wow, what an annoying toolbar. Now the Oracle Java installation includes this when installing the latest Java version. I found this URL about it (http://www.java.com/en/download/faq/ask_toolbar.xml). On the Java web site it states that "The Ask Toolbar is integrated with the Java download. During the installation of Java, users are presented with an option of downloading the Ask Toolbar. If you do not wish to install the Ask Toolbar, you can remove the check in the box. If selected, the Ask Toolbar will be installed a few minutes after the Java installation has completed to ensure that Java has installed successfully." Really? Is there no way to stop getting all these bundled toolbars and adware programs? The good news is that this program quickly found it and I selected to remove it.