Eradicate 8: Connect Toolbar Removal Guide (Conduit)

Friday, 15 November 2013

Connect Toolbar Removal Guide (Conduit)

Connect Toolbar is a toolbar by Conduit that changes your web browser homepage, modifies search engine and settings. Usually, it makes Conduit Search your default search engine and also adds Connect DLC 5 Customized Web Search engine when searching directly from the address bar. This toolbar utilizes Bing search engine, it won't redirect you to unknown and potentially dangerous sites which is really good because there are many toolbars and browser hijackers that do the opposite. However, you should know that it may collect and send information about your web browsing to Conduit so that they could provide more relevant ads or services to you.

It also performs automatic updates in the background, usually without your knowledge, using cltmng.exe and cltmngsvc.exe. It may even attempt to connect to your social networks and access your profile. This toolbar is clearly annoying and pesky. We can debate whether it's malware or not but what I know exactly is that you don't really need Connect Toolbar. It's not a virus but it may collect information about you that I'm sure you would like to keep private. Besides, multiple antivirus scanners have detected this toolbar as PUP.Optional.Conduit.A, Adware.Toolbar.175, a variant of Win32/Toolbar.Montiera.F, Conduit (fs) and even a generic Trojan.

Where did it come from, you may ask? Connect DLC 5 Toolbar by Conduit is bundled with software downloaders. You may get it while downloading software from Cnet and other reputable download websites. Sometimes, you cannot decline the offer because there's no way to do that and in some cases even if users decline it, this toolbar is still installed.

Unfortunetely, there's no straightforward way to remove Connect Toolbar. It provides uninstaller for Internet Explorer but it doesn't restore web browser's settings. As for Firefox and Chrome, you have to remove it manually as well as restore modified settings. If you don't know how to do this, please follow the removal guide below.

Written by Michael Kaur, http://deletemalware.blogspot.com

Connect DLC 5 Toolbar removal instructions:

1. First of all, download recommended anti-malware software and run a full system scan. It will detect and remove this infection from your computer. You may then follow the manual removal instructions below to remove the leftover traces of this infection. Hopefully you won't have to do that.

2. Remove Connect DLC 5 Toolbar from your computer using the Add/Remove Programs control panel (Windows XP) or Uninstall a program control panel (Windows 7 and Windows 8).

Go to the Start Menu. Select Control Panel → Add/Remove Programs.
If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, select Control Panel → Uninstall a Program.

If you are using Windows 8, simply drag your mouse pointer to the right edge of the screen, select Search from the list and search for "control panel".

Or you can right-click on a bottom left hot corner (formerly known as the Start button) and select Control panel from there.

3. When the Add/Remove Programs or the Uninstall a Program screen is displayed, scroll through the list of currently installed programs and remove the following Connect DLC 5 Toolbar for IE.

If you are using Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8, click Uninstall up near the top of that window. When you're done, please close the Control Panel screen.

Select Remove the toolbar and click OK.