Hotbar

[pllyryn'yaho]

When sending messages in answer bank I have had problems sending text without a load of gibberish going along with it.The ed and and a couple of other kind people said i had loaded "hotbar" and to get rid.I'm a geek but with their help have eliminated everything on my computer using the word hotbar.Still I am no better off.Is this the end of my keeping in touch with crossword friends in answer bank

[Ralph]

Did you use an uninstall entry in Add/Remove Programs? There is an uninstall program available from Hotbar themselves which can be found on THIS page, along with keys to delete from the registry. Only mess with the registry if you're a confident geek!

[pllyryn'yaho]

Hello Ralph,I've tried to download the uninstall programme but I keep getting the message that I can't because of current settings.I'm absolutely hopeless so worried about deleting the wrong things.The only thing I don't recognise in the programmes is "Internet Explorer Q896688 and Internet Explorer Q902325

[Ralph]

Hi pllyryn'yaho, have you used any antispyware software recently? AdAware apparently does a good job of removing Hotbar and Spybot S&D is also worth downloading and running. Both are free (don't bother with any Pro versions or the like) and will happily work alongside each other. It's worth getting both because one will find things the other won't.

What operating system are you using? If you're using Windows Me or XP, then you've got System Restore which is handy if you're not confident about editing the registry. It'll be a kind of safety net. Create a Resore Point using Start... Programs... Accessories... System Tools... System Restore. Now go to Start... Run..., type Regedit and click OK. With the list of registry entries in the first link I posted, find them in the Registry Editor, right-click them and choose Delete. If it asks you if you're sure, you are!

Continued.......

[Ralph]

..............

If you're using a version of Windows without System Restore, 98, 98SE or 2000 or even 95(!) then the procedure is almost identical. When you find the registry key you want to delete, before you do so, select it, click File... Export..., give it a memorable name and save it somewhere safe. Then delete it.

If things don't go according to plan, it's easy enough to get back to where you were. If you hit the F8 key repeatedly as your PC boots, you get a menu where you can choose a configuration to boot to. If you choose Safe Mode, then you can either go to the System Restore thing and roll back to the point you previously saved, or you can double-click on the exported registry keys (they've got a .reg filename extension) to reinstate them back into the registry.

The Internet Explorer Q......... entries in Add/Remove Programs are just updates & patches and shouldn't be anything nefarious. It is a bit curious that you can't download the uninstall program, but we'll look at that if none of the above proves effective. Good luck and let us know what happens!

[pllyryn'yaho]

Thank you so much for the advice I shall have a go.I'm on the 98 version by the way and as my daughter says a nightmare.I haven't knowingly downloaded anything for exactly the reasons that I'm having problems now.I'm too scared to what might appear on my pc.But this hotbar thingy is really spoiling my time on the ansewr bank.Why does it only show up here?Again thanks