ActiveSearch is an Internet Explorer search toolbar. ActiveSearch may launch pop-up advertisements, monitor your Internet activity, track your search requests, and report this information to its parent server. ActiveSearch may come bundled with various ad-supported software, or adware. ActiveSearch launches every time you open Internet Explorer. ActiveSearch may be related to 411Ferret.

Do I Have ActiveSearch?

You can search your computer manually, but it might take hours to find ActiveSearch’s hidden files. To save time, I recommend you automatically scan your PC for ActiveSearch and other spyware. Why not? It’s free.

Free ActiveSearch Scan, with SpyHunter

You can easily detect ActiveSearch with SpyHunter’s FREE spyware scanner. And if you’re really infected with ActiveSearch, you can buy the full version of SpyHunter to remove ActiveSearch and other spyware. Or you can use my instructions below and remove ActiveSearch for free.

I’m a big fan of SpyHunter. Here’s why: SpyHunter offers live support on the phone, and if SpyHunter doesn’t automatically remove ActiveSearch, you can get a custom fix for your computer.

Get Rid of ActiveSearch Manually

Manual removal of any spyware can be difficult. When you manually remove ActiveSearch, you have to fiddle with your registry and risk destroying your PC. It’s highly recommended you use an automatic spyware scanner to make sure you’re infected with ActiveSearch. Also, I recommend you backup your system any time before editing your registry.

To remove ActiveSearch manually, you need to delete ActiveSearch files. Not sure how to delete ActiveSearch files? Click here, and I’ll tell you. Otherwise, go ahead and…

Unregister ActiveSearch registry keys:

Remove ActiveSearch DLLs:

Delete ActiveSearch files:

Note: In any files I mention above, “%System%” is a variable referring to your PC’s System folder. Maybe you renamed it, but by default your System folder is “C:\Windows\System32″ on Windows XP, “C:\Winnt\System32″ on Windows NT/2000,” or “C:\Windows\System” on Windows 95/98/Me.

Relatedly, “%UserProfile%” is a variable referring to your current user’s profile folder. If you’re using Windows NT/2000/XP, by default this is “C:\Documents and Settings\[CURRENT USER]” (e.g., “C:\Documents and Settings\JoeSmith”).

ActiveSearch changed your homepage?

Click Windows Start menu > Control Panel > Internet Options. Next, under Home Page, select the General > Use Default. Type in the URL you want as your home page (e.g., “http://www.homepage.com”). Then select Apply > OK. You’ll want to open a fresh web page and make sure that your new default home page pops up.

Recommendation:

To save time and avoid risking destroying your computer, I highly recommend you use a spyware scanner, such as SpyHunter, to detect ActiveSearch and other spyware, adware, trojans, viruses, keyloggers, and more that can be hidden in your PC. It’s also recommended before you manually remove ActiveSearch you backup your system.

Free ActiveSearch Scan, with SpyHunter

Automatically detect ActiveSearch and other spyware on your PC with SpyHunter’s FREE spyware scan.

How to delete ActiveSearch files in Windows XP and Vista:

1. Click your Windows Start menu, and from “Search,” click “For Files and Folders…“
2. A speech bubble will pop up asking you, “What do you want to search for?” Click “All files and folders.”
3. Type any file name in the search box, and select “Local Hard Drives.”
4. Click “Search.” Once the file is found, delete it.

How to stop ActiveSearch processes:

1. Click the Start menu, select Run.
2. Type taskmgr.exe into the the Run command box, and click “OK.” You can also launch the Task Manager by pressing keys ALT + CTRL + DELETE or CTRL + Shift + ESC.
3. Click Processes tab, and find ActiveSearch processes.
4. Once you’ve found the ActiveSearch processes, right-click them and select “End Process” to kill ActiveSearch.

How to remove ActiveSearch registry keys:

Your Windows registry is the core of your Windows operating system, storing information about user settings, system preferences, and software, including which applications automatically launch at start up. Because of this, spyware, malware, and adware will often bury their own files into your Windows registry so that they automatically launch every time your start up your PC.

Because your registry is such a key piece of your Windows system, you should always backup your registry before you make any changes to it. Editing your registry can be intimidating if you’re not a computer expert, and when you change or a delete a critical registry key or registry value, there’s a chance you may need to reinstall your entire Windows operating system. Make sure your backup your registry before editing it.

1. Select your Windows menu “Start,” and click “Run.” An “Open” field will appear. Type “regedit” and click “OK” to open up your Registry Editor.
2. Registry Editor will open as a window with two panes. The left side Registry Editor’s window lets you select various registry keys, and the right side displays the registry values of the registry key you select.
3. To find a registry key, such as any ActiveSearch registry keys, select “Edit,” then select “Find,” and in the search bar type any of ActiveSearch’s registry keys.
4. As soon as ActiveSearch registry key appears, you can delete the ActiveSearch registry key by right-clicking it and selecting “Modify,” then clicking “Delete.”

Computer acting funny after you’ve edited your registry and deleted ActiveSearch registry keys? Just restore your registry with your backup.

How to remove ActiveSearch DLL files:

Like most any software, spyware, adware, and malware may also use DLL files. DLL is short for “dynamically linked library,” and ActiveSearch DLL files, like other DLLs, carryout predetermined tasks. To manually delete ActiveSearch DLL files, you’ll use Regsver32, a Windows tool designed to help you remove DLL and other files.

1. First you’ll locate ActiveSearch DLL files you want to delete. Open your Windows Start menu, then click “Run.” Type “cmd” in Run, and click “OK.”
2. To change your current directory, type “cd” in the command box, press your “Space” key, and enter the full directory where the ActiveSearch DLL file is located. If you’re not sure if the ActiveSearch DLL file is located in a particular directory, enter “dir” in the command box to display a directory’s contents. To go one directory back, enter “cd ..” in the command box and press “Enter.”
3. When you’ve located the ActiveSearch DLL file you want to remove, type “regsvr32 /u SampleDLLName.dll” (e.g., “regsvr32 /u jl27script.dll”) and press your “Enter” key.

That’s it. If you want to restore ActiveSearch DLL file you removed, enter “regsvr32 DLLJustDeleted.dll” (e.g., “regsvr32 jl27script.dll”) into your command box, and press your “Enter” key.

Freeware or Shareware:
Did you download and install shareware or freeware? These low-cost or free software applications may come bundled with spyware, adware, or programs like ActiveSearch. Sometimes adware is attached to the free software to “pay” developers for the cost of creating the software, and more often spyware is secretly and maliciously attached to free software to harm your computer and steal your personal and financial information.

Peer-to-Peer Software:
Do you use a peer-to-peer (P2P) program or other application with a shared network? When you use these applications, you put your system at risk for unknowingly downloading an infected file, including applications like ActiveSearch.

Questionable Websites: Did you visit a website that’s of questionable nature? When you visit malicious sites that are fishy and phishy, Trojans, spyware, and adware may be automatically downloaded and installed onto your computer, sometimes including applications like ActiveSearch.

It’s important to practice safer online habits to prevent being infected with ActiveSearch . You may want to scan your computer for the latest version of ActiveSearch and other security threats.

Slow computer performance: It only takes one or two spyware parasites like ActiveSearch to cause your computer to slow dramatically. If your PC takes longer than usual to reboot or if your Internet connection is unusually slow, your computer may be infected with malware.

New desktop shortcuts or switched homepage: Malware like ActiveSearch may change your Internet settings or redirect your default homepage to another web site. Malware may even add new desktop shortcuts on your PC.

Annoying popups on your PC: Malware may bombard your computer with popup ads, even when you’re not online. Malware may stop your regular Internet activity and track your surfing habits and gather personal information about you, putting your financial and personal information at risk.

ActiveSearch May Be Adware

Some adware may also fall under the category of spyware. Spyware is any software or malware (”malicious software”) used to spy or track your computer activity. While some spyware is legitimately and intentionally installed by parents or employers to monitor Internet activity on a computer, spyware may be installed maliciously. Often spyware may come bundled with downloads of free software or come in the form of a cookie via a website, and this spyware may track your Internet activity or may steal secret account usernames and passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal and financial information.

To protect yourself specifically against adware, there is software designed to detect and remove adware from your PC with a few clicks of your mouse, such as Adware Remover.

"ActiveSearch" keywords: Adware

"ActiveSearch" was posted on Friday, February 24th, 2006 at 10:33 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.