84,488,480 programs installed

Should I remove Dictionary.com 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?
Global Rank #36,207
United States Rank #21,721
Reach 0.0031%
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 34.03 days
917.79 days >
Average installed length: 482.23 days

Versions

VersionDistribution
4.1.0.5 1.61%
1.17.7.0 29.03%
1.17.3.0 16.13%
1.15.15.0 4.84%
1.15.14.0 1.61%
1.15.2.0 20.97%
1.14.1.0 25.81%

Other programs by Ask.com

Dictionary.com Toolbar

What is Dictionary.com Toolbar?

The DictionaryBoss Toolbar installs into your Internet browser and allows you to search the Internet with Ask, a potentially unwanted program that changes and redircts all of your search results as well as DNS errors, and modifies your home page to ask.com or some other webpage. Ask.com automatically becomes your default search service which hijacks all your search requests as well as tracks your Internet surfing behavior to send you targeted advertising.

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 1.17.7.0, with over 98% 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. A vast majority of those who have this installed end up removing it just after a couple weeks. The software installer includes 7 files and is usually about 2.18 MB (2,283,520 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
  • Connects to a server over the Internet
  • Typically distributed through a pay-per-install bundle
  • May modify the web browser's home page
  • Many experts agree, if you don't use it you should remove it!
Warning, multiple anti-virus scanners have detected possible malware in Dictionary.com Toolbar.
updater.exe (31b522014fc560c122cdfa72d47ca940) has been flagged by the following 2 scanners:
Anti-Virus softwareVersionDetection
Baidu-International 4.0.3.1486 PUA.Win32.AskToolbar.81
ESET-NOD32 8.10201 a variant of Win32/Bundled.Toolbar.Ask.G
Dictionary.com Toolbar 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: help.ask.com/link/portal/30015/30018/Article/1/How-do-I-remove-the-Ask-com-Toolbar
Help link: about.ask.com/en/docs/about/index.shtml
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: 2.18 MB

Program filesFiles installed by Dictionary.com Toolbar

Program module:GenericAskToolbar.dll
Name:Toolbar
Ask Toolbar
Path:C:\Program Files\Ask.com\GenericAskToolbar.dll
MD5:e5c4e4b11d40d272c1be19d5fc4d7832
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...
Additional files:
  • precache.exe
  • SaUpdate.exe
  • UpdateTask.exe
  • (Malware detected) updater.exe (by Ask) - Updater (Ask Updater)

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 2:30 AM).
Startup File (All Users Run)
  • updater.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'Updater.exe' which loads as "C:\Program Files\Ask.com\Updater\Updater.exe".
Network connections
  • updater.exe connects to a23-67-250-91.deploy.akamaitechnologies.com (23.67.250.91 port 80).

Program resource utilizationResource utilization averages

updater.exe
Memory:3.98 MB
21.09 MB average
Total CPU:0.0001011287%
0.031193% average
Kernel CPU:0.00004446%
0.016088% average
User CPU:0.00005667%
0.015104% average

How do I remove Dictionary.com Toolbar?

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

OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 63%
Win 7 3%
 
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 66.13%
Windows Vista 20.97%
Windows XP 12.90%
Which OS releases does it run on?
Windows 7 Home Premium 52.46%
Windows Vista Home Premiu... 19.67%
Microsoft Windows XP 13.11%
Windows 7 Professional 8.20%
Windows 7 Ultimate 3.28%
Windows 7 Starter 1.64%

Distribution by countryGeography

88.89% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
  United States 88.89%
  Canada 3.03%
  Australia 2.02%
  United Kingdom 2.02%
  Hong Kong 1.01%
  Mexico 1.01%
  Israel 1.01%
  Malaysia 1.01%

OEM distributionPC manufacturers

What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
Dell 29.63%
Hewlett-Packard 27.78%
Toshiba 7.41%
Acer 7.41%
ASUS 7.41%
Sony 5.56%
Sahara 3.70%
Samsung 3.70%
Lenovo 3.70%
American Megatrends 1.85%
Gateway 1.85%
Common models
TOSHIBA Satellite A665 3.45%
HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook ... 3.45%
Micro-Star MS-7501 1.72%
LENOVO 7454CTO 1.72%
HP-Pavilion BS048AV-ABA p... 1.72%
Hewlett-Packard Presario ... 1.72%

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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