How to remove "mywebsearch" toolbar from Outlook 2003

[Jeff Ingman]

- have an unwanted toolbar appearing in my Outlook send-mail window.

Amongst other items it includes links to SmileyCentral and CursorMania.

I found removal instructions on the Web that suggested using the Windows
Add/Remove Programs tool... but this toolbar does not appear in the list when
I open Add/Remove.

How do I get rid of this interloper?

 

[andee39]

Sounds like you have a program installed that the toolbar is part of. Do you
see any mention of My WebSearch, SmileyCentral or CursorMania in Add/Remove
Programs?

 

[K. Orland]

My Web Search also known as the My Way Speedbar is the Internet Explorer
toolbar part of the Fun Web Products suite of utilities such as Smiley
Central, Cursor Mania, My Mail Stationary, My Mail Signature, PopSwatter,
Popular Screensavers, and the My Way website portal. The toolbar allows easy
access to search engine results and a 404 Error Redirector called My Total
Search among other things to your browser. This is not to be confused with
the IBIS Web Search toolbar.

Although none of these products claim to be spyware, they do slow your
computer down. All of the products use cookies to track usage, although they
claim not to use cookies or anything else to track personally identifiable
information. That being said, I would still recommend uninstalling the
toolbar and other Fun Web Products if you feel your computer runs better
without them. They are found by most spyware removal tools such as SpyBot and
AdAware.

 

[Jeff Ingman]

Kathleen...

Thanks for the excellent info.

I'm irked w/ bozos who perpetrate software (and lull me to install it w/out
the slightest hint I'm about to attach a digital tar-baby to my PC) and write
their code so you can't bleep it with Windows Add/Remove. Ugh!

If anyone out there knows em... please ask how it might feel to discover
that somehow... someone left a cow pie in ur pocket.
........................
Lastly a real question... is their free software that will bleep this #$%^
toolbar?
...........................................

 

[K. Orland]

You can use a spyware removal tool, I would recommend using two - AdAware and
SpyBot, as mentioned in my previous post. They are both free.

You can also do the following steps BUT you will still need to download and
install SpyBot and AdAware (and make sure you update the definition files
before scanning):

First, uninstall the My Web Search option from Add/Remove Programs

1) Click on Start, Settings, Control Panel

2) Double click on Add/Remove Programs

3) Find "My Web Search" in the list of installed programs and click on
Change/Remove to uninstall it. You may also want to uninstall any of the
following items associated with FunWebProducts.

My Web Search (Smiley Central or FWP product as applicable)
My Way Speedbar (Smiley Central or other FWP as applicable)
My Way Speedbar (AOL and Yahoo Messengers) (beta users only)
My Way Speedbar (Outlook, Outlook Express, and IncrediMail)
Search Assistant - My Way

4) Reboot your Computer and run HijackThis

5) With HijackThis, scan for and fix any of the entries shown above that may
be remaining.

6) Next, open My Computer, Drive C, and double-click on the Program Files
folder

7) Right-click and delete the folders for:

FunWebProducts

MyWebSearch

8) MyWebSearch should now be completely uninstalled from your computer.

9) There will be some minor registry entries left behind by the uninstall,
however these can be cleaned up by running SpyBot Search and Destroy or
Ad-Aware SE or left alone.

All of the information I've given you was easily Googled by typing in:
"remove My Websearch" in the search bar.