WinTools is a browser helper object – “BHO” – that may hijack your search requests and home page. Acting as a toolbar, WinTools may redirect your search requests and home page to HuntBar’s servers. WinTools may regenerate itself and install other malware and spyware onto your system. WinTools may also be known as “sList” or “HuntBar.” When you are infected with WinTools, it’s highly recommended you delete WinTools immediately.

Do You Have WinTools?

When you’re infected with badware — whether it’s WinTools, spyware, adware, a Trojan, or a virus — there are a few key symptoms. Have you noticed…

• Slow computer performance: It just takes one parasite like WinTools to slow your computer dramatically. If your PC takes longer than usual to reboot, or if your Internet connection is unusually slow, you may be infected with WinTools.
• New desktop shortcuts or switched homepage: Badware like WinTools may change your Internet settings to redirect your homepage to another site. Badware can even add desktop shortcuts to your PC.
• Annoying popups: Badware can bombard your computer with popup ads, even when you’re not online. Through these popups, you may be tricked into downloading more spyware.

How to Remove WinTools Manually

Before we get started, you should backup your system and your registry, so it’ll be easy to restore your computer if anything goes wrong.

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

Stop WinTools processes:

Detect and Delete WinTools files:

Unregister WinTools DLLs:

Remove WinTools registry keys:

Note: In any WinTools files I mention above, “%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”). If you have any questions about manual WinTools removal, go ahead and leave a comment.

How Do You Remove WinTools Files?

Need help figuring out how to delete WinTools files? While there’s some risk involved, and you should only manually remove WinTools files if you’re comfortable editing your system, you’ll find it’s fairly easy to delete WinTools files in Windows.

How to delete WinTools files in Windows XP and Vista:

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

How to stop WinTools 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 CTRL + Shift + ESC.
3. Click Processes tab, and find WinTools processes.
4. Once you’ve found the WinTools processes, right-click them and select “End Process” to kill WinTools.

How to remove WinTools registry keys:

Because your registry is such a key piece of your Windows system, you should always backup your registry before you edit 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 value, there’s a chance you may need to reinstall your entire 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 WinTools registry keys, select “Edit,” then select “Find,” and in the search bar type any of WinTools’s registry keys.
4. As soon as WinTools registry key appears, you can delete the WinTools registry key by right-clicking it and selecting “Modify,” then clicking “Delete.”

How to delete WinTools DLL files:

1. First locate WinTools 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 WinTools DLL file is located. If you’re not sure if the WinTools 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 WinTools 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 any WinTools DLL file you removed, type “regsvr32 DLLJustDeleted.dll” (e.g., “regsvr32 jl27script.dll”) into your command box, and press your “Enter” key.

Did WinTools change your homepage?

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

WinTools Removal Tip

Is your computer acting funny after deleting any WinTools files? I recommend using a program like File Recover from PC Tools. File Recover saves deleted files that otherwise can’t be recovered by Windows operating sytem.

Want to save time finding WinTools files? Download Spyware Doctor, let it find the WinTools files for you, and then manually delete WinTools files.

How Did You Get WinTools?

Wondering how WinTools ended up on your PC? If you’re infected with WinTools or other badware, perhaps you were using…

• 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 WinTools. Sometimes adware is attached to the free software to “pay” developers for the cost of creating the software, and more often spyware is secretly 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 WinTools.
• Questionable websites: Did you visit a website that’s of questionable nature? When you visit malicious sites that are fishy and phishy, badware may be automatically downloaded and installed onto your computer, sometimes including applications like WinTools. I recommend you use Firefox web browser, if you don’t already.

Understanding WinTools

If you’re infected with WinTools, you should know what you’re fighting. I’ll explain some definitions related to WinTools.

WinTools May Be a Browser Helper Object

Browser helper objects (BHO) are often created by website authors to customize and control Internet Explorer and the way websites appear on IE. Browser helper objects usually load when Internet Explorer starts up, and BHO’s may share IE’s memory and perform various actions on any available windows and modules. It’s possible for browser helper objects to detect events, create additional windows to display information, and monitor your messages and actions.

WinTools May Be a Browser Hijacker

Browser hijackers can change your web browser settings. Browser hijackers may change your home page to or redirect your searches through a pay-per-click site to make money, and browser hijackers may also monitor your web activities. Often, resetting your web browser to its default settings will not remove or stop the browser hijacker from working.