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Security Toolbar 7.1

Purge your system of Security Toolbar for good

If you were to try to explain how the Internet worked to someone who had never used it before, you would be in for quite a challenge. There are so many interesting aspects to how the Internet works, such as all of the cool add-on programs that operate with our web browsers to make them more efficient, more fun, or just plain safer. One program that claims to be able to make your web surfing safer is Security Toolbar. Like its name implies, SecurityToolbar says it can help protect your computer from viruses, spyware, malware, and more, but many people find that once they install it, they can't get rid of it.

What is Security Toolbar?

Security Toolbar (aka SecurityToolbar and Security Toolbar 7.1) is a program that tries to get users to download rogue anti-spyware programs. Once Security Toolbar is installed on your machine, it will greet you with pop-up windows and fake computer scans that claim your machine is infected with a number of viruses, spyware programs, and other problems that it really doesn't have. The point of SecurityToolbar is to entice you to purchase and then download programs to fix these imaginary problems. Once you purchase these programs and install them, you will usually start to receive new pop-up windows telling you that you need other programs right away and that your computer is still in danger.

What you might notice with Security Toolbar

There are several things you might notice if you have Security Toolbar installed on your computer. The first thing will be the fact that a brand new toolbar that you've never seen before will show up on Internet Explorer or in Firefox, depending on which browser you use to surf the Internet. You may attempt to remove the toolbar manually through your browser's options, but often times you can't.

Second, you may notice that your start page has been permanently changed from the page you chose to the home page for Security Toolbar or to the home page of the rogue anti-spyware program that the toolbar is trying to get you to buy. Even if you manually change your home page, it will almost always revert back on its own.

As annoying as these problems are, they are just the tip of the iceberg. You will likely be flooded with pop-up windows when you surf around the Internet. Programs like Security Toolbar use a timer, so that for every five or ten pages you click on, you'll get a pop-up advertising the rogue anti-spyware program it is trying to get you to purchase. Sometimes, these pop-up windows are so bad that you can't surf any longer, and you will be forced to either close out your browser or even restart your computer.

If you choose to use some of the options available on the Security Toolbar, you will notice that it will completely take over your computer to the point where you can't use any other programs. This is because programs like Security Toolbar are famous for gobbling up all of your computer resources. Even if you haven't clicked on a button on Security Toolbar, you will notice that all of your computer and Internet programs will likely move slower, since rogue anti-spyware programs like this are always running in the background of your machine from the time you turn it on until the time you turn it off.

How did Security Toolbar get there?

Often times, people download and install a program like Security Toolbar without knowing it. You may have recently downloaded a new program for your computer from a site you thought was trustworthy, but that program may have had Security Toolbar packaged with it.

It could be a situation where the company you downloaded that program from is paid to add Security Toolbar to all of its downloads. You may also have visited a website that automatically installed the program on your computer. If you think you might have visited a website like that, it is highly recommended that you never visit that site again.

Remove Security Toolbar

If you would like to remove Security Toolbar from your computer for good, you have two options available to you. You can download a trustworthy anti-spyware program like ParetoLogic's XoftSpySE and perform a full scan on your computer which would rid it of all programs like Security Toolbar. There are hundreds of trustworthy programs out there, so speak with coworkers or friends about their anti-spyware solutions. Evaluate and research each suggestion carefully, then choose the program that is right for you. Alternately, you can attempt a manual removal of the program.

Please note that manual removal of Security Toolbar is complicated, and you should be a computer expert before you attempt such a removal. You will be changing your computer's registry during the manual removal, so make sure you back-up your system before you attempt it.

First, find and delete this file:

securitytoolbar.exe

Then, delete the following entries in your registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionUninstallSe
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareSecurityToolbar

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