Conduit Search Toolbar: How do I uninstall Search Protect by Conduit from my computer?

How do I uninstall Search Protect by Conduit from my computer?

This document helps you to remove the potentially unwanted application, Search Protect by Conduit.

This article is not applicable for Windows XP users. For further assistance, contact our Spyware & Virus Removal Service.

STEP 1

Uninstall Search Protect by Conduit

1. Press the Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type in the following text, and then press Enter.
   appwiz.cpl
3. In the list of currently installed programs, click Search Protect, and then click Remove or Uninstall.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions.
5. When the uninstall completes, restart the computer.

STEP 2

Remove Conduit folders, files, and image files

1. Navigate to C:\Program files (x86) or C:\Program files
2. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
3. Type in the following text, and then press Enter.
   control folders
4. In the Folder Options window, under View tab, select Show hidden files, folders, or drives.
   Uncheck the option Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).
5. Click Apply and OK.
6. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
7. Type in the following locations one by one, and then press Enter.
   Navigate to each location and delete all the folders related to Conduit.
   • %AppData%\Conduit
   • %AppData%\searchprotect
   • %AppData%\Conduit\ChromeExtData
   • %AppData%\Conduit\ChromeExtData\kdfbddbdpnahdahmamlolacimfdbeckk
   • %AppData%\Conduit\ChromeExtData\kdfbddbdpnahdahmamlolacimfdbeckk\Repository
   • %AppData%\CRE
   • %Temp%\CT3281675
   • %Temp%\CT3281675\plugins
   • %ProgramFiles%\Conduit
   • %ProgramFiles%\Conduit\CT3281675
   • %ProgramFiles%\Conduit\CT3281675\plugins

STEP 3

Backup the Windows registry

1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type in the following text, and then press Enter.
   regedit
   If the User Account Control window appears, click Continue.
3. On the File menu, click Export.
4. In the File name box, type a name that you will remember, such as Registry Backup.
5. Select a location where you want to save the Registration Entries (.reg) file.
6. Click Save.

Keep the backup file for a week or so, until you are sure that the changes that you made have not caused any problems.

STEP 4

Delete Conduit related registry keys

These steps require an advanced understanding of the Windows Operating System. We highly recommend that an advanced user perform these steps.
1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type in the following text, and then press Enter.
   regedit
   If the User Account Control window appears, click Continue.
3. Navigate to the following locations and remove all entries related to Conduit.
   Right-click on the entry, and click Delete.
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Conduit
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Conduit
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Conduit
   • HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1895488484-4184314878-4136777622-1000\Software\Conduit
4. On the Edit menu, click Find.
5. In the Find window, next to Find what, type in the following text.
   Conduit
6. Under Look at, select Keys, Values, and Data.
7. Click Find Next.
   The results are displayed on the right pane.
8. Right-click on the entry, and click Modify.
9. In the Edit String window, under Value data, delete the value or data.
10. Click OK.
11. Press F3 key to search for more entries.
    Delete the values as mentioned in Step 7 and 8. Perform this search until no more results are displayed.
12. On the File menu, click Exit.

STEP 5

Reset Internet Explorer settings

1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type in the following text, and then press Enter.
   inetcpl.cpl
3. In the Internet Properties window, under Advanced tab, click Reset.
4. In the Reset Internet Explorer Settings window, check Delete personal settings option and click Reset.

STEP 6

Reset Mozilla Firefox settings

1. Start Firefox.
2. On the top-right corner, click the Open menu icon and, click Add-ons.
3. In the Add-ons Manager page, select Extensions.
4. Check the list of extensions for Conduit related entries (BrotherSoft Extreme, Search Protect, iWin Toolbar, etc).
   Select the extension and click Remove.
5. On the top-right corner, click the Open menu icon and, click Options.
6. In the Options window, under General tab, click Restore to Default.
7. Click OK.
8. In the Firefox window, next to the URL field, click the down arrow and select Manage Search Engines.
9. In the Manage Search Engine List window, select Conduit related entries and click Remove.
10. Click OK.

STEP 7

Reset Google Chrome settings

1. Start Google Chrome.
2. On the top-right corner, click the Customize and control Google Chrome icon, and click Settings.
3. Under Chrome, click Extensions.
4. In the Extensions window, select the add-on related to Conduit and click the trash bin icon.
5. Under Chrome, click Settings.
6. In the Settings window, under On startup, click Set pages.
7. In the Startup pages window, from the list of startup pages, select the one related to Conduit Search and click X.
8. Click OK.
9. In the Settings window, under Appearence, select Show Home button, and click Change.
10. In the Home page window, select Use the New Tab page and click OK.
11. In the Settings window, under Search, click Manage search engines.
12. In the Search engines window, select your preferred default search engine and click Make default.
13. In the Default search settings list, select the one related to Conduit Search and click X.
14. Click Done.