84,488,480 programs installed

Should I remove Hotspot Shield?

What percent of users and experts removed it?
59% remove it41% keep it
Overall Sentiment
Bad
What do people think about it?
(click star to rate)
How common is it?
Global Rank #14,627
United States Rank #15,994
Reach 0.0195%
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 12.74 days
375.80 days >
Average installed length: 197.45 days

Versions

VersionDistribution
3.11 100.00%

Hotspot Shield 3.11

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 VPN is the ultimate Internet security solution that secures your browsing session, detects and blocks malware, protects your privacy and allows you to access blocked sites. Hotspot Shield is available both as a free VPN and a paid Hotspot Shield Elite subscription.
Overview
  • Starts automatically
  • Loads into the web browser
  • Adds a background Windows Service

Program detailsProgram details

Displayed publisher: AnchorFree Inc.
URL: www.hotspotshield.com/trial
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\Hotspot Shield
Uninstaller: C:\Program Files\Hotspot Shield\Uninstall.exe
Estimated size: 18.61 MB

Program filesFiles installed by Hotspot Shield 3.11

Program executable:hsswd.exe
Path:C:\Program Files\Hotspot Shield\bin\hsswd.exe
MD5:7b98291834a10a2185d84148a5dc0863
Additional files:
  • af_proxy_cmd.exe - Hotspot Shield 3.11
  • cmw_srv.exe
  • fbw.exe
  • FBWMgr.exe
  • HSSCP.exe
  • HssInstaller.exe
  • HssSrvlib.dll
  • HssIE.dll
  • HssIE_64.dll
  • HssInstaller64.exe
  • Uninstall.exe (by Tonec) - Internet Download Manager installer
  • cpau.dll
  • hssinst.dll
  • tapinstall.exe (by Windows (R) Codename Longhorn DDK provider) - Windows (R) Codename Longhorn DDK driver (Windows Setup API)
  • af_proxy.dll
  • cfghlp.dll
  • ConduitUninstaller.exe (by Conduit)
  • downlWithIDM.dll (by Tonec) - Internet Download Manager Module (Download with IDM IE menu handler)
  • downlWithIDM64.dll
  • ffinst.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
  • HSS-2-87-install-plain-504-plain.exe
  • hssfixme.exe
  • HSSTrayService.exe
  • IDMan.exe - Internet Download Manager (IDM)
  • idmbrbtn.dll - Internet Download Manager module (Internet Download Manager button)
  • idmbrbtn64.dll
  • idmfsa.dll - idmfsa Module (Internet Download Manager assistant)
  • idmftype.dll
  • IDMGetAll.dll
  • IDMGetAll64.dll
  • IDMGrHlp.exe - Internet Download Manager
  • IDMIECC.dll (by Internet Download Manager, Tonec) - IDM Browser Helper Object
  • IDMIECC64.dll (by Internet Download Manager, Tonec)
  • IDMIntegrator64.exe - IDMIntegrationModule (IDM Integration module)
  • idmmkb.dll
  • IDMShellExt.dll
  • IDMShellExt64.dll
  • IEMonitor.exe - IEMonitor Application (Internet Download Manager agent for click monitoring in IE-based browsers)
  • libcurl.dll (by The cURL library, http://curl.haxx.se/) - The cURL library (libcurl Shared Library)
  • libeay32.dll
  • libidn-11.dll
  • libpkcs11-helper-1.dll (by OpenSC Project) - pkcs11-helper (pkcs11-helper - An easy way to access PKCS#11 modules)
  • libssl32.dll
  • NetworkRep.dll
  • openvpn.exe
  • vistahlp.dll
  • wddll.dll
  • winhlp.dll

Program behaviorsBehaviors exhibited

4 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}.
  • IDMIECC64.dll is installed in Internet Explorer as a BHO (Browser Helper Object) under the name 'IDMIEHlprObj Class' with the class of {0055C089-8582-441B-A0BF-17B458C2A3A8} (IDM Helper).
  • 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}.
  • IDMIECC.dll is installed in Internet Explorer as a BHO (Browser Helper Object) under the name 'IDMIEHlprObj Class' with the class of {0055C089-8582-441B-A0BF-17B458C2A3A8} (IDM Helper).
Scheduled Task
  • Uninstall.exe is scheduled as a task with the class '{52E275C6-8AE8-4966-84D7-8CE4FDC98557}' (runs on registration).
3 Services
  • hsswd.exe runs as a service named 'Hotspot Shield Monitoring Service' (HssWd).
  • HSSTrayService.exe runs as a service named 'Hotspot Shield Tray Service' (HssTrayService).
  • cmw_srv.exe runs as a service named 'Hotspot Shield Service' (hshld).
Startup File (User Run)
  • IDMan.exe is loaded in the current user (HKCU) registry as an auto-starting executable named 'IDMan' and executes as C:\Program Files\Internet Download Manager\IDMan.exe /onboot.
Startup File (All Users Run)
  • IEMonitor.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'IEMonitor.exe' which loads as "C:\Program Files\Internet Download Manager\IEMonitor.exe".
Windows Firewall Allowed Program
  • IEMonitor.exe is added as a firewall exception for 'C:\Program Files\Internet Download Manager\IEMonitor.exe'.

Program resource utilizationResource utilization averages

IDMIntegrator64.exe
Memory:3.31 MB
21.09 MB average
Total CPU:0.0036425492%
0.031193% average
Kernel CPU:0.00215003%
0.016088% average
User CPU:0.00149252%
0.015104% average
CPU cycles/sec:191,851
8,062,084 average
Switches/sec:11
70 average
I/O reads/min:16 Bytes
435.61 KB average
IEMonitor.exe
Memory:1.75 MB
Total CPU:0.0021776039%
Kernel CPU:0.00136444%
User CPU:0.00081317%
CPU cycles/sec:29,473
Switches/sec:3
I/O reads/min:39 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 3.11, 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 3.11 you can restore them to their previous default settings.
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Mozilla Firefox
Google Chrome

OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 60%
Win Vista 0%
 
HOW IT STARTS
Automatically starts? Yes
(Found in the run registry)
 
USER ACTIONS
Uninstall it 59%
Keep it 41%

Windows OS versionsWindows

Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
Windows 7 70.57%
Windows 10 19.79%
Windows XP 4.95%
Windows Vista 4.69%
Which OS releases does it run on?
Windows 7 Home Premium 32.64%
Windows 7 Ultimate 23.50%
Windows 7 Professional 9.14%
Windows 8 Pro 5.48%
Microsoft Windows XP 4.96%
Windows 8 4.70%

Distribution by countryGeography

40.10% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
  United States 40.10%
  Iran 5.58%
  Saudi Arabia 5.08%
  United Arab Emirates 4.31%
  United Kingdom 3.55%
  Pakistan 3.30%
  Canada 3.05%
  Germany 2.79%
  Turkey 2.03%
  Singapore 1.78%
  Malaysia 1.78%
  India 1.52%
  MA 1.27%
  Indonesia 1.27%

OEM distributionPC manufacturers

What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
Hewlett-Packard 28.57%
Dell 22.01%
Acer 18.92%
GIGABYTE 6.56%
ASUS 6.56%
Toshiba 6.18%
Lenovo 4.63%
Samsung 4.63%
Intel 1.16%
Alienware 0.77%
Common models
HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook ... 8.86%
Dell Inspiron N5010 3.16%
Dell Inspiron N5110 2.53%
Dell Inspiron N4050 2.53%
HP Pavilion dv6700 Notebo... 2.53%
HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook ... 2.53%

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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