MegaSearch Uninstall Instructions (InstaFinder)

Have you become inundated with extra search result popup advertisements recently?
Are they coming from MegaSearch, or Instafind.com

If so, please continue reading.

What is this MegaSearch or InstaFinder thing?

MegaSearch is a search-hijacker distributed by and targeted at megasearchbar.com. What makes this thing especially annoying is that it launches popups with competing search results when you search on a site like Google or Yahoo. It calls these search ?results? instafinder.com

Is this thing Spying on me?

Yes. Passes the URL of each page viewed to xml.alexa.com. (Alexa are an independent company not connected to this parasite.)

Removal

There should be an entry for 'MegaSearch toolbar' in the Control Panel's 'Add/Remove Programs' feature.

Manual removal

Launch a Command Prompt window (from Start->Programs->Accessories; called DOS Prompt in Windows 95/98/Me) and enter the following:

cd "%WinDir%System"
regsvr32 /u "..Downloaded Program Filesmegasear.dll"
Reboot the computer and you can delete the offending file to clean up, with the command:

del "%WinDir%Downloaded Program Filesmegasear.dll"

This is MegaSearch's Privacy Policy:

"What Personal Information does MegaSearch Collect?
MegaSearch collects and stores information about the web pages you view and the data you enter in a search engine's search field while using software provided by MegaSearch. We also collect the following information: your Internet Protocol ("IP") Address, which may include a domain name; the date and time you downloaded software provided by MegaSearch; and the name of and information about the advertisement that may have brought you to download software provided by MegaSearch.

However, MegaSearch does not store any personally identifiable information such as your name, telephone number or email address with the web usage data or search information collected. In addition, some non-personally identifiable demographic information is correlated to Web usage information collected during use of our software, but we do not attempt to determine your identity by analyzing this information.

What Personal Information does MegaSearch Collect?
MegaSearch collects and stores information about the web pages you view and the data you enter in a search engine's search field while using software provided by MegaSearch. We also collect the following information: your Internet Protocol ("IP") Address, which may include a domain name; the date and time you downloaded software provided by MegaSearch; and the name of and information about the advertisement that may have brought you to download software provided by MegaSearch.

However, MegaSearch does not store any personally identifiable information such as your name, telephone number or email address with the web usage data or search information collected. In addition, some non-personally identifiable demographic information is correlated to Web usage information collected during use of our software, but we do not attempt to determine your identity by analyzing this information.

How does MegaSearch Gather Data on Users?
If you are only visiting the MegaSearch corporate Web site (www.MegaSearchbar.com), we collect the following information: the full Uniform Resource Locator ("URL") of the Web page from which you came to www.MegaSearchbar.com and your Internet Protocol ("IP") Address.

If you download and install software provided by MegaSearch, we collect your IP Address and, during your use of the software, we may transmit cookies to the hard drive of your computer. These cookies may assign your Web browser a unique series of numbers, letters, or characters (your "User ID") that enable MegaSearch servers to recognize and identify your Web browser when you are using the Service. They may also enable us to track and store information about your Web usage path.

Software provided by MegaSearch is designed to check for the availability of software updates to ensure that you enjoy the latest improvements of the software. When the software checks for the availability of updates, anonymous information about the software version is sent to our Web server. The information is only used to determine whether new software is available for download and is not associated with your personally identifiable information.

Do ther Companies' have Access to my Personal Information?
MegaSearch does not sell, rent, or trade your personally identifiable information to other companies (because we don't collect it). Our software may link to advertisers and sites that collect personally identifiable information about you when you access them from MegaSearch. This type of collection or use of personal information is beyond MegaSearch's control and is not covered by this Privacy Policy.

Your Agreement to This Privacy Policy.
By using software provided by MegaSearch, you indicate that you agree to the collection and use of your IP address by MegaSearch as outlined in this Privacy Policy."