Gretech Toolbar
What is Gretech Toolbar?
This is an ad-supported toolbar published by Ask.com. The toolbar/extension will install into your Internet browser or operating system and allows you to search the Internet with Ask.com by modifying the browser's search and home pages. An updater component may also automatically install alongside a Search Application in order to facilitate updates to the applicable Search Application. The browser default search feature will be set to the APN Search Service, and you will access such APN Search Service. During the Search Application download process, you may be given the option to reset your Internet browsers' default homepage (or similar page – e.g., a start page, start tab, etc.) to Ask.com or some other specified webpage. 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, its partners or affiliates.
About (from Ask.com)
The Search Application may install into your Internet browser or operating system and allows you to search the Internet with Ask.com (the “APN Search Service”), and may provide other features as further described herein or during the Search Application installation process. If you already have a Search Application on y... Read more
Overview
- Automatically starts with Windows
- Integrates into the web browser
- Connects to the Internet
- May modify the web browser's home page
- The wisdom of the experts agree, if you don't use it you should remove it!
Program details
URL: help.ask.com/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=149
Help link: about.ask.com/en/docs/about/index.shtml
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\ask.com\assets\oobe
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
Files installed by Gretech Toolbar
| Program executable: | updater.exe |
| Name: | Updater |
| Ask Updater |
| Path: | C:\Program Files\ask.com\updater\updater.exe |
| MD5: | 6ea1bf3f6e6b0613351411a3eb6b85a2 |
| Ask Updater runs in the background of Windows and automatically starts up when your PC boots. It checks for software udpates and automatically downloads and installs them if found.
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Behaviors exhibited
Startup File (All Users Run)
- updater.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'ApnUpdater' 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).
Resource utilization averages
Show technical details
| updater.exe |
| Memory: | 3.68 MB | |
| Total CPU: | 0.0091227712% | |
| Kernel CPU: | 0.00551148% | |
| User CPU: | 0.00361129% | |
| CPU cycles/sec: | 1,896,826 | |
| Switches/sec: | 3 | |
| I/O reads/min: | 26 Bytes | |
How do I remove Gretech Toolbar?
You can uninstall Gretech Toolbar from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window's Control Panel.
- 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.
- When you find the program Gretech 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).
- Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove Gretech Toolbar.
- 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 Gretech Toolbar you can restore them to their previous default settings.
Microsoft Internet Explorer
- Open Internet Explorer and click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
- 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.
- The changes will take effect the next time you open IE.
Mozilla Firefox
- At the top of the Firefox window, click the Firefox button, go over to the Help sub-menu and select Troubleshooting Information.
- To continue, click Reset Firefox in the confirmation window that opens. It will close and be reset.
- When it's done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click Finish and Firefox will open.
Google Chrome
- Open Chrome and click the Chrome menu on the browser toolbar.
- 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.
- 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.
- Restart Google Chrome.
OS VERSIONS
Win Vista (SP2) 50%
Win 7 (SP1) 50%
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HOW IT STARTS
Automatically starts? Yes
(Found in the run registry)
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USER ACTIONS
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Uninstall it 70%
Keep it 30%
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Windows
Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
| Windows Vista |
50.00% |
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| Windows 7 |
50.00% |
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Which OS releases does it run on? |
| Windows 7 Ultimate |
50.00% |
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| Windows Vista Home Basic |
50.00% |
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Geography
71.43% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
| United States |
71.43% |
| United Kingdom |
14.29% |
| BG |
14.29% |
PC manufacturers
What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
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