Hotbar is a popular program that installs a new toolbar into Outlook and Internet Explorer that allows you to use ’smilies’ and other graphical features in e-mail. What you might not know about Hotbar is that it also installs a plethora of spyware onto your computer, which tracks your surfing habits and pops up advertisements. This Spyware can be a threat to your privacy and will also cause your computer to run much more slowly.

How do you know whether or not you have hotbar? If you see this toolbar in Internet Explorer:

And / Or this one in Outlook:

Then you have hotbar and should remove it as soon as possible. The removal process is quite simple:

Click "Start" and then select "Run":

Type "control panel" and click "OK":

Select "Add/Remove Programs" from the list of control panel options:

Scroll down the list of programs until you find "Outlook Tools by Hotbar" and then click "Change / Remove":

After telling it you are sure you want to uninstall, the following webpage will come up. Enter whatever reason you wish, or simply type a few random characters into the field and then click "Click here to submit":

That’s it! Now reboot your computer and Hotbar will be gone.

*NOTE* The Help Desk also recommends running a spyware scan to remove any vestiges of Hotbar that may remain after the uninstallation, and also to clean up any other spyware you may have. Click Here for instructions on performing a spyware scan.

Last Updated 02/14/05

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