Get Rid of the Ask Toolbar

The Ask Toolbar is classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program), as it is typically installed alongside other programs, such as Java, during the installation process. Removing the program that you installed when Ask was added to your system will not remove the Ask Toolbar. Ask does everything it can to latch onto your system, so you'll have to do a bit more than simply uninstall it. Luckily, with the right free tools, you can completely remove the Ask Toolbar and take your browser back.

Steps

Uninstalling the Software (Windows Only)

  1. Open the Control Panel. You can access this from the Start menu. Windows 8 users can press ⊞ Win to open the Start screen and then type "control panel".[1]
    • Mac users don't need to worry about this part as Ask only affects the browsers themselves on OS X. If you are using a Mac, Get-Rid-of-the-Ask-Toolbar.
  2. Select "Uninstall a program" or "Programs and Features". If you're using Windows XP, select "Add or Remove Programs".
  3. Find "Ask Toolbar", "Ask Toolbar" and "Ask Toolbar Updater". Select each one and then click the Uninstall button. Follow the prompts to remove the software.
  4. Repeat for any other programs that have "Ask" in the Name or Publisher columns. There may be more Ask software installed which may be making it difficult remove.
  5. Use Revo Uninstaller to remove troublesome entries. If you are having difficulty uninstalling the Ask programs, you can use the free Revo Uninstaller program to help remove them. Click here for detailed instructions on using Revo to get rid of stubborn programs.

Resetting Your Browsers

  1. Reset Internet Explorer. Even if you don't use Internet Explorer to surf the web, it is still used in a variety of Windows functions, so you'll want to make sure that you reset Internet Explorer first. Mac users can skip down to the browsers that they use regularly.
    • Open Internet Explorer.
    • Click the Tools menu or the Gear button and select "Internet options". If you don't see the Tools menu, press Alt.
    • Click the Advanced tab and then click Reset...
    • Check the "Delete personal settings" box and then click Reset.
  2. Reset Google Chrome. Ask infects all of your browsers, so if you use Google Chrome you'll need to reset it. This applies to both Windows and Mac computers.
    • Open Google Chrome and click the Menu button (☰).
    • Select "Settings".
    • Click the "Shows advanced settings" link at the bottom of the page.
    • Scroll down and click Reset settings. Click Reset to confirm.
  3. Reset Firefox. Ask infects all of your browsers, so if you use Mozilla Firefox you'll need to reset it. This applies to both Windows and Mac computers.
    • Open Firefox and click the Menu button (☰).
    • Click the Help (?) button at the bottom of the menu.
    • Select "Troubleshooting Information".
    • Click Refresh Firefox... and then Refresh Firefox to confirm.
  4. Reset Safari. Ask infects all of your browsers, so if you use Safari you'll need to reset it. This applies to Mac computers.[2]
    • Click the Safari menu and select "Preferences".
    • In the "General" tab, set your homepage to your desired website.
    • Click the "Extensions" tab and find any toolbars from Ask. Select the toolbar and click . Repeat for any extensions that you don't recognize.

Removing Lingering Files

  1. Download the tools you'll need. Ask toolbars will leave a lot of lingering files, which can lead to reinfections if left on your system. Download the following free tools to help clean out the Ask files. It is helpful to use multiple programs, as they all tend to find different files.
    • AdwCleaner (Windows) - general-changelog-team.fr/en/tools/15-adwcleaner
    • Malwarebytes Antimalware (Windows) - malwarebytes.org
    • HitmanPro (Windows) - surfright.nl/en/hitmanpro
    • AdwareMedic (Mac OS X) - adwaremedic.com/index.php
  2. Install and run AdwCleaner. After running it, click the "Scan" button top begin scanning your computer for Ask files (as well as other adware you may not know you have). The scan may take up to thirty minutes.
    • Once the scan is complete, click the "Clean" button to remove any infected files.
  3. Install and run Malwarebytes Antimalware. The free version will perform all of the tasks you need. Make sure to check for updates once the program is installed, though this usually happens automatically.
    • Click the "Scan Now" button to begin scanning the computer. This will take a little while to complete (30-60 minutes).
    • Click "Quarantine All" and then "Apply Actions" once the scan is complete to quarantine all of the infected files that are found.
  4. Install and run HitmanPro. during installation, uncheck the option that allows HitmanPro to scan your computer every time it starts up, as this slow it down it down unnecessarily.
    • HitmanPro will begin scanning your computer immediately after it finishes installing. Click the "Activate free license" button at the end of the scan to remove any files that it finds.
  5. Run AdwareMedic (Mac only). This is one of the more powerful anti-adware programs available for OS X, and does not need to be installed. Simply run the downloaded program and click "Scan for Adware" to begin scanning your Mac for adware-infected files.
    • When the scan is complete, click to remove all of the infected files that were found.
  6. Restart your computer and run the scans again. While it's likely that your computer is now free of the Ask Toolbar, it doesn't hurt to run all of your scans again after restarting your computer. They may be able to find files that they couldn't find the first time around.

Preventing Future Infections

  1. Read every screen when installing software. Toolbars are typically installed alongside other programs when you download them from the internet. You can almost always opt out of these additional toolbars, but you'll need to read every screen when downloading and installing a program.
  2. Always select a "Custom" installation. Never choose "Express" when installing a downloaded program, as this will almost always automatically install unwanted toolbars.
  3. Download from trusted locations. You're less likely to get an installer filled with adware if you download directly from the developer. While this isn't always the case, you'll be exposed to less if you go through the developer's website instead of websites like Download.com or Softonic.com.

Tips

  • If Ask is the default search engine that comes up in Windows 7 Internet Explorer, follow this simple procedure for getting rid of it. Click on Start Menu in the lower left corner. Type in Internet Explorer. Select "Change the Search Provider in Internet Explorer". Delete the Ask address and replace it with https://google.com/ or whatever search engine you want. Click OK and it should be fixed.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0%2c2817%2c2421591%2c00.asp
  2. ↑ http://support.mindspark.com/link/portal/30028/30031/Article/1543/Toolbar-Removal-Instructions-for-Mac-OSx-Users
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