Hey everyone. Ok, I just noticed that in my Add or Remove Programs window, theres a program called My Way Search Assistant........ obviously spyware or adware of some kind. I need to uninstall it but......... there is no button in the add or remove programs menu that allows me to uninstall it like a normal program........ wierd huh? (and yes my xp account is a computer administrator, not a limited account.) any ideas on how to remove this stupid thing? Thanks!

Go to this thread:

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread5690.html

1.) Download and install, Ad-Aware SE. In addition to the default settings, check these and make any necessary adjustments:

A.) Close ALL windows except Ad-Aware SE

B.) Click on the ‘world’ icon (at the top right of the Ad-Aware SE window) to let Ad-Aware SE update.

C.) Once the update is finished, click on the ‘Gear’ icon (second from the left at the top of the window) to access the Preferences/Settings window.

a.) In the ‘General’ window make sure the following are selected in green:
*Automatically save log-file
*Automatically quarantine objects prior to removal
*Safe Mode (always request confirmation)

b.) Under Definitions:
*Prompt to udate outdated definitions - set the number of days


B.) Click on the ‘Scanning’ button on the left and select in green:

a.) Under Driver, Folders & Files:
*Scan Within Archives

b.) Under Select drives & folders to scan:
*choose all hard drives

c.) Under Memory & Registry, all green:
*Scan Active Processes
*Scan Registry
*Deep Scan Registry
*Scan my IE favorites for banned URL’s
*Scan my Hosts file


C.) Click on the ‘Advanced’ button on the left and select in green:

a.) Under Shell Integration:
*Move deleted files to recycle bin

b.) Under Logfile Detail Level, all green:
*include addtional object information
*DESELECT - include negligible objects information
*include environment information

c.) Under Alternate Data Streams:
*Don't log streams smaller than 0 bytes
*Don't log ADS with the following names: CA_INOCULATEIT


D.) Click the ‘Tweak’ button and select in green:

a.) Under the ‘Scanning Engine’:
*Unload recognized processes during scanning
*Scan registry for all users instead of current user only

b.) Under the ‘Cleaning Engine’:
*Let Windows remove files in use at next reboot

c.) Under the Log Files:
*Include basic Ad-aware SE settings in logfile
*Include additional Ad-aware SE settings in logfile
*Please do not check or make green: Include Module list in logfile


E.) Click on ‘Proceed’ to save the settings.

F.) Click ‘Start’

*Choose:'Perform Full System Scan'
*DESELECT "Search for negligible risk entries", as negligible risk entries (MRU's) are not considered to be a threat.

G.) Click ‘Next’ and Ad-Aware SE will scan your hard drive(s) with the options you have selected and clean automatically.

H.) If Ad-Aware SE finds bad entries, you will receive a list of what it found in the window

I.) Save the log file when it asks and then click ‘Finish.’

J.) REBOOT to complete the removal of what Ad-Aware SE found.


2.) Download, install, and update Spybot S&D.

When you first run SpyBot, it will walk you through a Wizard which will perform a few critical functions (making a registry backup, getting the latest updates, etc.).

A.) Perform all of the Wizard's tasks.

B.) On the page that first opens when you start Spybot there is an option to immunize, you should do this.

C.) Scan with Spybot; after the scan is complete, have Spybot fix everything marked RED.

D.) In the immunize section there is also a link to download Spywareblaster. This program will prevent the installation of bad ActiveX controls in it's database. Download that, keep it updated, and have it enable all protection.

E.). Reboot.

Do the online antivirus scan.

Update your own antivirus program and run a full system scan with that as well.

3.) Reboot into Safe Mode.

4.) Open Windows Explorer, go to Tools, and in the Folder Options, select "Show hidden files and folders," and uncheck "Hide protected operating system files."

5.) For every User listed under C:\Documents and Settings, delete the entire contents of these folders (not the folders themselves):

Local Settings\Temp
Cookies
History
Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5

Delete the entire contents of your C:\Windows\Temp folder.

Delete the entire contents of your C:\Temp folder (if you have one).

Do a search for *.tmp and delete all entries found.

6.) Empty your Recycle Bin.

7.) Reboot normally.

8.) Get Hijackthis from here:

http://www.merijn.org/files/hijackthis_sfx.exe

9.) Close all browser windows, scan with hijackthis, save the log, copy and paste the log here.

Oh gosh...... i feel really embarassed right now.......... Evidently my computer (Dell Dimension 3000) is SUPPOSED to have the My Way Search Assistant icon in the add remove programs file w/o a remove button because it is installed by dell. From what I understand, they install it as the default IE page on new computers now. :o

Yes they do, but should they?
Please go here;

http://www.pchell.com/support/mywebsearch.shtml

ya lol. wonder why they do. I really haven't experienced any problems with it. Like, I don't have an annoying "My Way Search Assistant" toolbars or pesky popups from them. I was just going through my add/remove programs and the name sounded like adaware or something. Thanks everone!!!

I just posted this to the Dell message boards...

I spent a few thousand dollars buying a new Dell system, and they appear to be trying to earn a few dollars more from the My Way web site ad revenue.

Every time I change my home page to what I want it to be, something changes it back.

Add/Remove Programs shows "My Way Search Assistant". There is no button to remove it, apparently because Dell doesn't want it removed.

Interestingly, the My Way terms include this statement: "The My Way Software and the Services are not intended for use by or availability to persons under the age of 13. IF YOU ARE UNDER 13 YEARS OF AGE, YOU MAY NOT DOWNLOAD, INSTALL OR USE ANY MY WAY SOFTWARE AND YOU MAY NOT ACCESS MY WAY SERVICES."

So Dell is shipping home/family computers that kids are not legally allowed to use? And a browser hijacker? With no way to uninstall it? Classy. I can see they don't want me to purchase from them again.

Tech support has not been helpful so far, sending me instructions on removing the My Way Speedbar, which is not what is installed, and trying to convince me that it's really not bad that they've shipped a browser hijacker.

I've looked at the Hijack This log but didn't see anything obvious. I tried disabling two Dell things with Spybot and restarting, but after restart they were enabled again so something is keeping me from disabling them.

and

I should note that HijackThis shows registry entries for
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL=http://www.dell4me.com/myway
(and similar for start page, etc)
However, I'm afraid if I remove them with HijackThis, I'll be removing things that should be there. Just changing them in regedit I suspect would not be useful, since some process has been changing the home page back.

Ok, it looks like Ad-Watch/Ad-Aware is restoring the My Way page, not Dell.

Weird, since it doesn't seem to have an option to control that, and is supposed to protect the user against other sites changing the home page rather than prevent the user from changing the home page.

http://www.pchell.com/support/mywebsearch.shtml

The above link has quite a rundown on MyWebSearch. Isn't this a totally different application/program than MyWay that the original post is addressing? I was at another couple of sites:

http://www.pcbanter.net/archive/inde...Assistant.html

http://forum.us.dell.com/supportforu...ssage.id=40403

for example, and they both send the readers to MyWebSEarch...I don't understand why. Should MyWay be compared to MyWebSearch?

In case anyone else stumbles upon the My Way Search Assistant in Add/Remove Programs without an uninstall button, and finds this thread, here's some more info on removing...

The folder (on my pc at least) for Dell's My Way Search Assistant was:
C:\Program Files\MyWaySA

The *.msi associated with the program was:
C:\Windows\Installer\62e8.msi

By right-clicking the 62e8.msi and choosing "uninstall", you can remove the My Way Search Assistant. After a couple of hours of searching and spyware scanning with various programs, this has been the only step that successfully removed the software. Verify that C:\Windows\Installer\62e8.msi is the right file by right-clicking it, going to properties, and looking at the info on the "Summary" tab.

In answer to Deeja's question, yes the two softwares are different (Dell's My Way SA and the "3rd Party" My Way SA), but the Dell version still collects data about you (see Dell's Privacy Policy for more info). They claim the info is anonymous, however who likes the idea of anyone tracking their computer experience? It is sad when such a large corporation like Dell, who has their hands in millions of homes with various software/hardware solutions, would do something as shady as put a "search bar/spyware" equivalent preinstalled on their PCs forbidding even experienced users from removing it. Don't they know they're supposed to leave the "shady dealings" up to M$? :cheesy:

Hi and thanks for posting your info...perhaps it will save someone else some trouble. At this link you can read what I went through to rid my computer of the search assistant:

http://forums.tomcoyote.org/index.php?showtopic=39516

In one of many posts I read about this search assistant, someone pointed out that it is a little ridiculous that Dell associated themselves with such a questionable search assistant. Your point about tracking information is an excellent one. I have no idea if I still have this search assistant of Dell's, but I did rid myself of the other........I think. :rolleyes: