Ask Toolbar Frequently Asked QuestionsOverview
Toolbar Features
Navigating and CustomizingTroubleshooting
OverviewWhat is the Ask Toolbar?The Ask Toolbar allows you to search the web using the Ask.com search engine directly from your browser. Take Ask with you wherever you are on the web. The Ask Toolbar is free to download and free to use. Back to top Will the Ask Toolbar work with my Web browser?The Ask Toolbar will work with Internet Explorer versions 5.5 through 7 and Firefox 1.5 through 2 on Windows 2000, XP and Vista. Back to top How do I "uninstall" the Ask Toolbar?You can easily uninstall the Ask Toolbar using the instructions below for Windows 2000 and XP:
You can easily uninstall the Ask Toolbar using the instructions below for Windows Vista:
Now just follow the simple instructions and the Ask Toolbar will be uninstalled. Should you reopen your Web browser and still see the Ask Toolbar, you may need to restart your computer for the uninstall process to be completed. Back to top To find out what version your Internet Explorer browser is, try this: Go to the Help menu located at the top of your browser. Select "About Internet Explorer." A box will appear that tells you what version you have. Note to AOL Users: The Ask Toolbar is designed for use with standard Web browsers and currently will not function within AOL's software or its built-in Web browser. However, you can use the Ask Toolbar on any supported browser (Internet Explorer 5.* or 6.*) you launch while you are connected to the Internet through AOL. Note to WebTV Users: The Ask Toolbar does not function with the WebTV interface. Note to CompuServe Users: The Ask Toolbar is designed for use with Internet Explorer 6 and above and currently will not function with the browser supplied by CompuServe. Back to top What are the system requirements for installing the Ask Toolbar?The Ask Toolbar is currently available for Window NT 4.0, Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows Vista. The Ask Toolbar software and cache require 1 meg of disk space on the disk drive containing your windows directory (usually the C: drive). If you are currently able to run a supported Web browser on your computer, you should be able to install and run the Ask Toolbar. In particular, your Web browser and the Ask Toolbar require a 486 or newer, compatible processor, 16 MB of RAM, VGA display (SVGA is recommended), a mouse or similar pointing device, and Internet access. Back to top Does the Ask Toolbar track where I go on the Internet?No, the Ask Toolbar does not monitor or report information about where you are traveling or what you do on Web sites. Back to top Is the Ask Toolbar "spyware"?NO! The Ask Toolbar does not collect any personal information and is completely "spyware"-free and "adware"-free. Period. The Ask Toolbar was specifically designed to provide a great user experience free of spyware, adware, direct marketing, data collection or other similar activities. In order to achieve that goal:
In short, the Ask Toolbar provides a superior search experience on an ANONYMOUS basis and without any additional monitoring, contextual ads or other nuisances. Back to top Toolbar FeaturesHow do I restrict my search to Ask search categories like Images, News, Weather, etc?First, type your search term into the Ask Toolbar search box. Then, initiate your search by selecting a search category from the drop down menu to the right of the 'Search Web' button such as Images. You will arrive at the Ask search results page with pictures displayed that are related to the search term you entered. Back to top How does the Highlight feature work?The highlight feature easily allows you to locate your search terms on the search results page(s). Clicking the "Highlight" button will highlight all your search terms in yellow on the search results page. If you elect to keep the "Highlight" turned on, it will highlight those search terms on all web (HTML) pages whether they are accessed through the Ask Toolbar, your web browser, or other sources. The highlight feature is a toggle switch that may be turned "on" or "off" simply by clicking on it. If you would like to highlight other terms on the web page, type the word(s) you would like highlighted in the search box (do not click the "Enter" key) and click the highlight button again; the new term will automatically be highlighted. Back to top What is Pop-up Blocker?Pop-up Blocker blocks unwanted pop-up windows that try to open automatically. For example:
Pop-up Blocker will allow windows that open because you clicked to go there. For example:
Pop-up Blocker does not stop:
Back to top How do I turn Pop-up Blocker on/off?Click on the Pop-up Blocker icon and follow the instructions presented in your web browser to turn Pop-up Blocker on or off. The Pop-up Blocker settings window will provide you with the option to turn the sound 'off' when a pop-up or pop-under window is blocked. Sound is 'on' by default. The settings window will also provide the option to allow pop-up windows for specific web sites that you add. Back to top How do I delete my search history?To clear your search history from the drop-down text box in Ask Toolbar, click on the Ask.com logo to open the drop-down menu. Select the "Clear History" option. This will clear all the previous searches from the drop-down box. Back to top What is "Resize"?The "Resize" button allows you to enlarge or shrink a page you are viewing. All text and images can be magnified to 125%, 150% and 200%, or reduced to 75% and 50%. Note that some content like embedded video and dynamic objects cannot be resized. Back to top Navigating and CustomizingCan I hide the Ask Toolbar from my browser?For Internet Explorer 5.5 or above, you can hide the Ask Toolbar by doing the following:
Back to top How do I move my Toolbar?To move your Toolbar, simply click on the separator bar to the left of the Ask.com logo and drag the Toolbar to the desired location. Please note that on Internet Explorer 6.0 that the toolbars are locked by default. In this case the separator icon will not appear, and the toolbars will be immobile, until you right click on the toolbars and uncheck "Lock the Toolbars". Back to top TroubleshootingThe Ask Toolbar says, "Retrieving buttons from Ask.com..."In some cases, this will happen when you first launch your browser. Retrieving buttons should not last more than 10 seconds. If it takes longer than 10 seconds, you might not be connected to the Internet. You must first connect to the Internet using a network login or ISP account. Back to top I installed the Ask Toolbar, but it does not appear. Why?The Ask Toolbar may be hidden. For Internet Explorer 5.5 or above, do the following to unhide the Ask Toolbar:
Microsoft has reported a significant bug with versions of Internet Explorer between 5.0.0.0 and 5.00.2919.0. If your Internet Explorer version number is within this range and your computer's operating system is Windows NT or Windows 2000, you should upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer. The bug in these versions may prevent you from successfully using the Ask Toolbar. To find out what version of Internet Explorer you have, go to the Help menu located at the top of your browser. Select "About Internet Explorer." A box will appear that tells you what version you have. If at some point you uninstalled the Ask Toolbar, and you are using a Microsoft browser, you may experience difficulty seeing it right away if you attempt to re-install it. The easiest way to make the Ask Toolbar reappear is to close and restart your Web browser. Back to top I just upgraded to IE 6.0, and my Toolbar toolbar disappeared.Try downloading the Ask Toolbar again:
Back to top The Ask Toolbar was on my Internet Explorer browser but now it's gone. What happened?On certain occasions when using Internet Explorer 5.5, you might notice the Ask Toolbar is not visible when you re-launch the browser. If this happens, do the following:
Back to top My browser says that I do not have the system requirements to install the Ask Toolbar.In order to use the Ask Toolbar, your operating system must be Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows 2000 or Windows Vista. Back to top My browser says "user certificate invalid" when I attempt to download the Ask Toolbar.You need to update your Internet Explorer browser to a more recent version. Click here to download the most recent version. Back to top Internet Explorer says "current security setting prohibit running" when downloading the Ask Toolbar.You need to change your security setting to Medium in order to successfully download using Internet Explorer. Follow the instructions below to change your security settings. Internet Explorer 5.5:
Internet Explorer 6.0:
Back to top I've tried several times to install the Ask Toolbar, but it still fails. What should I do?Have you checked to see if your problem is addressed by any of the others listed on this FAQ? If your installation problem is not addressed by this FAQ, please send an email detailing the problem. Back to top In late September 2007, I read that the Ask.com Toolbar for IE may have had a security vulnerability. Can you tell me about this?Ask.com takes security very seriously. We were notified of a buffer overflow issue in the Ask.com IE toolbar, and have released an update that fixes the problem. Our toolbar users were automatically notified of the update. Back to top I am a FF user experiencing problems changing my Homepage resetPlease download the AskHelp Tool from the download location, Ask Helptool (Homepage) and execute it to resolve this issue. Back to top How do I report a problem?To report a problem with your Toolbar, please visit our customer care help form. Be sure to include your Operating system (e.g., Windows XP) and browser version (e.g., Internet Explorer 6) and a detailed description of the issue to help us better serve you.Back to top How did I arrive at this page (address bar search results page)?When you download Ask Toolbar version 4.1 and agree to change your browser default search to Ask, we install the address bar search feature. Ask helps you to browse web pages using keywords. For example, type 'dogs' into your address bar and Ask will return web pages related to 'dogs'. Ask will also assist you with suggestions if your browser can't find the web page you entered due to broken links at the web site or incorrectly typed URLs. Please visit the Help article below for instructions on how to remove the address bar search feature. Back to top How do I remove Ask as the default search engine in my browser address bar?Changing your default search settings is simple with some browsers and more complex with others. We created a tool to simplify the process of removing Ask as the default search engine in your browser address bar. Please click on this executable file and run it to remove Ask from your address bar. Please follow the instructions listed in this Help article to remove the Toolbar from your browser. This tool will not work for Internet Explorer 7 & 8 users who have uninstalled the toolbar. For these browsers, the address bar search engine can be changed using "Change Search Defaults..." in the search box in the upper right corner of the browser. Back to top |