IE 9 Toolbars

[Don57]

Does anyone know how the OS stores a list of installed browser toolbars. All I can find is one reference.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams\Desktop

I really don't want to write a program to parse the system registry.

Every time my kids or grandkids use my laptop it comes back infested with extraneous tool bars, so I was thinking of writting an app to zap them all at once.

[hutch--]

Don,

I think from memory that they are installed applications and you would need to uninstall them to remove them. It may be worthwhile to set up a profile on your laptop so that this junk cannot be installed without Administrator access, this is probably the safest way to avoid the problem.

[dedndave]

yah - probably the most you would be able to do would be disable them

Hutch has the right idea - create a new user account, or let them use the "Guest" account
assign log-in passwords for all accounts with admin priviledges

[Don57]

Thanks

[mineiro]

You can use the "autoruns" to disable installed ones.
Some adwares companies does not respect the consumer, and if you press the option yes or no while installing some program your choice is not respected.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx

[Don57]

Yes I agree Babylon and Ask are the two worst. It seems to me that if IE9 keeps track of installed toolbars the list must be in a file somewhere.

[hutch--]

Don,

You can change the browser if its the problem, Google Chrome is popular, I use an alternative to it, IronPortable. Jack Shankle found this one for us.

[dedndave]

i'm reasonbly certain that IE gets it's info from the registry

[japheth]

i'm reasonbly certain that IE gets it's info from the registry

Yes. The "toolbars" are called "Explorer Bars", IIRC.

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Explorer Bars

At that location, there are just GUIDs stored. If you want to know what dll is involved, you'll have to find these GUIDs in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID.

[TouEnMasm]

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dd364987.aspx