How to Uninstall the AOL Toolbar From Any PC
Updated 6-1-08.
AOL Toolbar In All New HPs (Hewlett-Packard Computers)
As many of you know, AOL will soon preload AOL Toolbars and set AOL as your default home page and search engine in every new HP computer you buy thanks to a deal they made this month with Hewlett-Packard.
Here's a general purpose tutorial on how to remove the AOL Toolbar from IE, all versions from 5.0 to the latest version out on 6-1-08, from any PC running Windows.
How to Uninstall the AOL Toolbar
- 1. For Win XP users:
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Click your Start button and click Control Panel. In Control Panel click Add & Remove Programs, then locate the AOL Toolbar on the Add & Remove List and click Change/Remove.
For Vista and Windows 7 users: Click your Start button and click Control Panel. In Control Panel click Programs and Features, then locate the AOL Toolbar on the Installed Programs List and click Uninstall.
- 2. Click Uninstall.
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The AOL Toolbar Uninstall Wizard will open. Click Uninstall.
- 3. Click Reboot now.
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An Uninstall Wizard dialog box will open. Click Reboot now when you see it. You'll be unable to remove files and folders associated with the AOL Toolbar unless the computer reboots.
- 4. To remove the files and folders for the AOL Toolbar after you've restarted your computer...
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An easy way to get rid of most of the leftovers: Click your Start button, click My Computer, click the hard drive AOL is/was located on (usually the C: drive), click on the AOL folder, right-click the AOL Toolbar folder and delete it.
- 5. Now click your Start button, click Search, click All files and folders, click Advanced Options, and click Search system folders and Search subfolders.
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Type "toolbar" into the search box without the quotes if you don't have other toolbars installed. Type "aol toolbar" if you do. Right-click and delete any AOL toolbar components that show up in results.
!Important If you're testing AOL's Helix software don't delete anything in C:\Program Files\AOL\RC\ee. If you do, Helix will no longer work.
See my How-To section for more ways to get AOL out of your life.
If you have any questions or ideas leave a comment or email me.
