How to Remove Yahoo Toolbar

[Guest]

Just updateed to IE7 on my XP yesterday - so far I like it. Somehow I ended
up with the Yahoo Toolbar today. I thought I was being careful, using proper
protection, but evidently I missed a checkbox possibly while trying to
download Flash Player. Anyway, the first help I found was about removing
through the Add/Remove programs window. When I tried this a window popped up
saying something about couldn't uninstall because the uninstall log couldn't
be found. I didn't think about copying the message at that time and now I
don't remember the words exactly. After closing those windows I reopened the
Add/Remove window again, selected the Yahoo Toolbar and clicked Remove just
as I done a few moments before. This time "Yahoo Toolbar" disappeared from
the list. Did a restart - the Yahoo Toolbar was still on my browser page.
Then I found removal instructions explaining to click the pencil and click
uninstall. After doing the pencil thing I did a restart. The system shut down
OK but hung up on the startup. I couldn't get out of the loop and the power
button on the front of the tower had no effect so I pulled the plug. After a
couple of minutes I plugged the unit back in and pushed the start button on
the front of the tower. A screen came up chastising me severely for the
unplugging event and allowed me to go back to the last known 'Good' setting -
Did So. Have even emailed Yahoo Help. Don't expect to ever hear back on that
one. Would anyone have any ideas of how I can escape Yahoo's stranglehold? Is
it possible to add Yahoo to a spam blocker, or spy blocker, or such to
possibly avoid this mess in the future? All ideas, comments, and suggestions
will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Kay.

 

[Tom Willett]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/303047

| Just updateed to IE7 on my XP yesterday - so far I like it. Somehow I
ended
| up with the Yahoo Toolbar today. I thought I was being careful, using
proper
| protection, but evidently I missed a checkbox possibly while trying to
| download Flash Player. Anyway, the first help I found was about removing
| through the Add/Remove programs window. When I tried this a window popped
up
| saying something about couldn't uninstall because the uninstall log
couldn't
| be found. I didn't think about copying the message at that time and now I
| don't remember the words exactly. After closing those windows I reopened
the
| Add/Remove window again, selected the Yahoo Toolbar and clicked Remove
just
| as I done a few moments before. This time "Yahoo Toolbar" disappeared from
| the list. Did a restart - the Yahoo Toolbar was still on my browser page.
| Then I found removal instructions explaining to click the pencil and click
| uninstall. After doing the pencil thing I did a restart. The system shut
down
| OK but hung up on the startup. I couldn't get out of the loop and the
power
| button on the front of the tower had no effect so I pulled the plug. After
a
| couple of minutes I plugged the unit back in and pushed the start button
on
| the front of the tower. A screen came up chastising me severely for the
| unplugging event and allowed me to go back to the last known 'Good'
setting -
| Did So. Have even emailed Yahoo Help. Don't expect to ever hear back on
that
| one. Would anyone have any ideas of how I can escape Yahoo's stranglehold?
Is
| it possible to add Yahoo to a spam blocker, or spy blocker, or such to
| possibly avoid this mess in the future? All ideas, comments, and
suggestions
| will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Kay.

 

[PA Bear]

Options/settings in several third-party applications may be disallowing the
uninstall. These include Ad-aware's Ad-Watch, Spybot Tea Timer,
SpywareBlaster, SpySweeper, Norton AntiVirus, McAfee VirusScan and/or
Antispyware, and Zone Alarm (Free and Pro).

 

[Guest]

Thanks Tom and PA. The solutions page that Tom offered is one I followed
early on and it doesn't work in my particular case. From what you offered PA
it seems as if I am stuck with Yahoo Toolbar. I appreciate your taking time
to consider and answer my post. Kay.

 

[Guest]

PA, after reading your response I strarted messing with the mess again. When
the yellow bar showed up at the top of the page, instead of simply clicking
on the X as instructed as I had done so many times before, your words made
the words on the yellow bar mean something more then simply "Click Here". I
went back and trashed everything 'Anti' I had. Windows Defender, MS
Malicious..., Adaware, SpyBot, Hijack This, etc all went into the dumper. I
chose to leave Norton untouched. This time when I clicked uninstall and
restarted, no change. I disabled Norton, restarted - no change. Then I
disabled Yahoo Toolbar and Yahoo Toolbar Helper in the "Add-Ons that have
been used by IE" window, did a restart - Whee! It's gone. Two Days and how
many hours of lost production - BUT I'M FREE AT LAST! PA, I'm sure this
wouldn't be over yet without your help. Thanks, Kay.

 

[PA Bear]

YW, but...

If Norton AntiVirus (NAV) "protections" are responsible for you not being
able to uninstall Yahoo Companion (toolbar), simply disabling NAV won't make
any difference.

Ditto for "dumping" and/all of those "Anti's" (Windows Defender was NOT in
the list I posted).

IE Tools > Manage add-ons > Enable or disable add-ons > Does either Yahoo
entry persist in ANY of the available views in the Show box?

How did you upgrade to IE7 (e.g., via the IE7 homepage; Automatic Updates; a
Yahoo page)?

Did you recently install or update any of the following: CCleaner, Acrobat
Reader, Flash, Sun Java?
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE, OE, Security, Shell/User)

PA, after reading your response I strarted messing with the mess again.
When
the yellow bar showed up at the top of the page, instead of simply
clicking
on the X as instructed as I had done so many times before, your words made
the words on the yellow bar mean something more then simply "Click Here".
I
went back and trashed everything 'Anti' I had. Windows Defender, MS
Malicious..., Adaware, SpyBot, Hijack This, etc all went into the dumper.
I
chose to leave Norton untouched. This time when I clicked uninstall and
restarted, no change. I disabled Norton, restarted - no change. Then I
disabled Yahoo Toolbar and Yahoo Toolbar Helper in the "Add-Ons that have
been used by IE" window, did a restart - Whee! It's gone. Two Days and how
many hours of lost production - BUT I'M FREE AT LAST! PA, I'm sure this
wouldn't be over yet without your help. Thanks, Kay.

 

[Guest]

Even tho it was only a couple days ago, I don't remember where I downloaded
IE7 from. All I really remember was that it was a site I trust like MG, etc.
I don't think what finally worked was an anti. I got to it by going Tools on
the IE7 top tool bar > Manage Add-Ons > Enable or Disable Add-Ons, found
Yahoo Toolbar and Yahoo Toolbar Helper in the list and disabled both. Because
of that I suspect it is an IE7 Tool. And I also suspect my system is not rid
of the Yahoo software, it's probably just disabled. I'm probably stuck with
that stuff cluttering up my disk from now on. At least the Yahoo Helper icon
isn't poppingup everytime I hilite something and the Yahoo Toolbar isn't
gobbling up screen space. Thanks, Kay.