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How To Uninstall The Ask Toolbar
The Ask Toolbar and other applications are increasingly being bundled with programs; most notably freeware. It's usually installed during the installation of a program, and it's easy to miss the step where you can uncheck the Ask Toolbar option.
Ghacks has an article on how to uninstall the Ask Toolbar manually or with the Ask Toolbar Remover and includes a section on troubleshooting.
If you find yourself with an unasked install for this particular toolbar here's how to get rid of it.
Ask Toolbar Removal, How To Uninstall
Off for now,
Rhiannon
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Comments
I am trying to uninstall Ask Tool Updater. When I click uninstall it says " Not sufficient access Contact System Administrator"....can anyone help me? My windows live email has shut down and I read this might be the problem.
Thanks!
@Cheri ONeill;
It sounds like you need elevated administrator rights.
A few suggestions:
Follow the directions in the link above for downloading and installing the Ask Toolbar Remover; there's a new version that should remove it.
Downloads - AutoClean
Download and run the portable Revo Uninstaller version uninstaller according to the directions in the article; you can get it here:
Download Revo Uninstaller Freeware - Free and Full Download - Uninstall software, remove programs, solve uninstall problems
The portable version is listed at the bottom of the page.
If you are using Windows 7 you can go to the command prompt (Start/All Programs/Accessories), right click on the command prompt and choose Run As Administrator, then uninstall the file.
Another example of bundling with Ask is Glary Utilities. On install, it does offer the option not to install the toolbar, but beware of updating GU, as Ask in this case may install automatically.
If you are using Firefox, and are sure you've uninstalled Ask completely, check the browser's config options (type about:config in the address bar, then search for 'ask'). Most probably you'll find Ask traces there.
@Uallax;
Some freeware developers are bundling things like the Ask toolbar into the installation. It's good to keep on your toes.
Thanks for the tip about checking about the config options. :)
On a general note, altering the browser config can have unintended consequences. Mozilla has a complete list of about:config options if you need them.
I am also a devoted user of Revo Uninstaller, enough that I bought it a while back. I find a lot of Microsoft functions are easy to use from it, and it does indeed mop up Ask Toolbar. That should never be bundled with anything without breaking some law or another. That's it for the rant.
I didn't know there was a portable version of Revo. I must investigate.
David: There is indeed a portable version of Revo. :)
It's usually at the page that compares the free and paid versions of Revo.
Avira SP2 and Ask problems
http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2011/07/11/disable-avira-searchfree-...
Thanks vodomar. It would be good if the name of the program (Ask Toolbar) was identified first.
i too loves me my revo uninstaller..been using it for years.
Rhiannon,
I suspect you have a staff to prepare your articles. Hopefully next time they will do a spell check and catch words like incluldes.
Thanks and keep the articles coming!
Drew
Drew: If you see staff anywhere send them along. :)
Right now it's me, on the tired and frazzled side with iffy and intermittent internet access.
That word may not have slid by the spell check, but it sure slid right by me. :)
The freeware REVO UNINSTALLER always finds the Ask Toolbar; and always removes every last bit of it.
Plus, it's probably the best uninstaller, just generally, there is; and should be on every machine, in any case (or so, at least, it is my recommendation).
Shame on people for trying to sneak it past us, though. I'm trying to remember a normally trusted software maker who surprised me the other day by doing that. I've been meaning to fire-off an email asking him if I should now consider him untrustworthy. Wish I could remember what it was. I want to say the Shark007 Win7 codecs, but I'm not sure. And no one who just read that should assume that I'm remembering that correctly... though, as I think about it, I think that was it. I'll have to go back and check.
Anyway... hope that helps!
____________________________
Gregg DesElms
Napa, California USA
A couple of things worth mentioning here.
Revo is an excellent tool but it does require an element of Windows knowledge to use it effectively. If used consistently in "advanced" mode, sooner or later you will delete shared files which will stop something working. If this was say a firewall with HIPS component being deleted, you could end up losing your network connection.
WinPatrol Free, amongst its other uses, flags anything to do with Ask and will offer the option to kill it during an install process should you have missed an opt-out box, or ticked the wrong one.
Even without a bundled toolbar, some programs will still connect out to Ask during the install process which not everyone might want :) Even a supposed "end of life" firewall like Kerio 2.1.5 will alert for this, enabling you to deny the connection. Some of the more modern firewalls list Ask as a trusted process and so will not offer this block.
Gregg: Thanks for the tip - Revo is one of my all time favorite programs.
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