Mywebsearch Toolbar is another type of Internet navigational bar that will help guide you around the world wide web. It is a customizable toolbar for Microsoft Internet Explorer. However, as reported by many Internet users, the toolbar is bundled within other downloads and is not necessarily a desirable add-on to their web browser. Most adware and spy ware companies agree that it is considered a low risk software program. The only time it will cause a program is when it is downloaded without consent which many users have reported as happening.

The toolbar comes bundled with a variety of software online, such as Cursor Mania, My Mail Stationary, PopSwatter and as part of the My Way portal. One of the benefits of such a toolbar is that it contains a 404 redirector in the event that a web page you find is no longer valid, it will redirect you to a similar page. You can also add buttons and customize it further for your particular web browsing needs, just like the Google or Yahoo toolbars.

Low risk programs, such as this, do track online data and transmit it back to a parent company that monitors its progress. Demographics, such as where you are located, where you are searching and other Internet data, may be used by such companies for marketing purposes or other means. The toolbar can make you computer run slower and slowdown your web site loading time, too.

Most adware and spy ware programs consider it a threat and will alert you to its presence when you run scans. Spybot Search and Destroy as well as Lavasoft's Ad-Aware will prompt you to remove the programs when detected. Most computers will run a bit faster with the program uninstalled.

Depending on what programs you have installed, you may find benefits from the Mywebsearch Toolbar installed. If you are currently using any of their other products, then, the toolbar will have come bundled with the software. If you enjoy the toolbar, have customized it and find it useful, then, there is no reason why you should not be using it. If, however, you notice a lag in your connection or things running slowly, chances are it is eating up a lot of your computer's memory due to its tracking method. This could be cause for concern, and you may find that uninstalling the program and its suite-mates might be the best way to speed up your computer.

While Mywebsearch Toolbar is not harmful, it does track data and send that back using your own Internet connection. If you do not like the idea of data mining and having those statistics sent back to Mywebsearch, then, uninstalling the toolbar is the only way to stop the process from occurring. Whether you actively download the toolbar or not, you are agreeing in their terms and conditions upon installation to allow them to track and use the data they receive from your connection.

There are several steps to go about removing the Mywebsearch Toolbar if you decide to eliminate it from your system. First, if you are not sure if you do have it or not, all you need to do is open Internet Explorer and see if the toolbar appears. If it does not, you will want to check your context menus to see if you can show it; it may be hidden to avoid detection. Another surefire way to determine if it has been installed is to run a program called HijackThis.

HijackThis is a browser hijacker tool that will scan your computer and show you the different browser-based edits and hijacks. Always make sure to save a log file of the data in case you delete something you need, and then run a scan of your computer.

Some of the following lines may be found within what HijackThis finds:

R3 - URLSearchHook: (no name) - {00A6FAF6-072E-44cf-8957-5838F569A31D} - C:\Program Files\MyWebSearch\SrchAstt\1.bin\MWSSRCAS.DLL

O2 - BHO: MyWebSearch Search Assistant BHO - {00A6FAF1-072E-44cf-8957-5838F569A31D} - C:\Program Files\MyWebSearch\SrchAstt\1.bin\MWSSRCAS.DLL

O2 - BHO: mwsBar BHO - {07B18EA1-A523-4961-B6BB-170DE4475CCA} - C:\Program Files\MyWebSearch\bar\1.bin\MWSBAR.DLL

O3 - Toolbar: My &Web Search - {07B18EA9-A523-4961-B6BB-170DE4475CCA} - C:\Program Files\MyWebSearch\bar\1.bin\MWSBAR.DLL

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MyWebSearch Email Plugin] C:\PROGRA~1\MYWEBS~1\bar\1.bin\mwsoemon.exe

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MyWebSearch Email Plugin] C:\PROGRA~1\MYWEBS~1\bar\1.bin\mwsoemon.exe

O4 - Startup: MyWebSearch Email Plugin.lnk = C:\Program Files\MyWebSearch\bar\1.bin\MWSOEMON.EXE

O4 - Global Startup: MyWebSearch Email Plugin.lnk = C:\Program Files\MyWebSearch\bar\1.bin\MWSOEMON.EXE

O8 - Extra context menu item: &Search - http://bar.mywebsearch.com/menusearch.html?p=ZWYYYYYYYYUS

O16 - DPF: {1D4DB7D2-6EC9-47A3-BD87-1E41684E07BB} - http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/nocache/funwebproducts/ei/MyWebSearchInitialSetup1.0.0.8-2.cab

If any of them do exist, then, the toolbar has been installed on your computer. You can clear these selections by checking the box next to them and then selecting "Fix This." You can do this now, or you can wait until later to do so. You will have to do it after you uninstall the programs, too, so most users opt to wait. You will then be prompted to restart your computer, and you can work on uninstalling Mywebsearch itself.

Once you restart, click on Start, then Settings and Control Panel. Go to your Add/Remove Programs list and look for Mywebsearch. Uninstall the program and anything else associated with the suite of Fun Web Products which all bundle the toolbar into their downloads and installations. Entries such as My Way Speedbar or Search Assistant should also be uninstalled. Anything from Smiley Central or other odd entries should be researched and eliminated to keep your computer free of Mywebsearch. If you do not uninstall all components, the toolbar will still be installed on your computer and running in the background whether you see it or not.

Restart your computer once more and run HijackThis again to ensure all entries are removed. If they reappear, remove them again, and restart once more. From there, click on My Computer, then C:\ and locate Fun Web Products or Mywebsearch folders in the Program Files section. Delete them and empty your Recycle Bin. Finally, run Spybot Search and Destroy or Lavasoft's Ad-aware to get rid of the registry edits left behind by the toolbar, restart your computer once more, and you will be free of the Mywebsearch Toolbar. Both programs will also track down traces of other adware or spy ware running on your computer, and they will help keep your computer clean from data mining threats in the future.

If for some reason you find Mywebsearch Toolbar installed without your consent, following these steps will help uninstall it from your computer. Chances are web sites you are visiting are leaking spyware into your computer, and you may want to figure out which ones to avoid the threat from continuing to download during your browsing time.