There are quite a few users out there who have installed the Babylon Toolbar after downloading software from Cnet’s Download.com portal. This is not the only way of installing that toolbar though, as it is available for direct download at the Babylon.com website as well, and via other programs and services that use it to make money distributing the toolbar with their products.
One problem that Firefox users can run into after installing the toolbar is that it won’t uninstall properly on thire system. Users who remove the Babylon Toolbar from Window’s Uninstall a Program control panel applet may notice that the Firefox add-on is still installed after the removal.
Even worse, the add-on cannot be uninstalled from within the browser, as the uninstall button is grayed out which means that it cannot be uninstalled from within the web browser.
Situations like these, where the uninstall link is missing, are usually a sign of a third party software directly installing a Firefox add-on. This sometimes happens without specific permission to install the add-on whichs has been a problem in the web browser for quite some time. Mozilla recently announced that they would put an end to automatic third party add-on installations in Firefox.
For now though, users do not have much choice but to hunt down the location of the add-on manually on their system to remove the add-on manually. There are a few possible locations where third party add-ons can be placed during installation, and one of them is the Firefox directory under program files.
Please note that the directory depends on the location where you have installed the web browser. Firefox users can install it in the default location, or pick a custom location for the files. It also needs to be mentioned that Mozilla adds the user data directories to another folder on Windows.
On my 64-bit Windows 7 system, the folder where the Babylon Toolbar was installed in was C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\extensions\ffxtlbr@babylon.com
I suggest you either look into your program files folder first (note that it is c:\program files\ on 32-bit operating systems) before you search for the folder ffxtlbr@babylon.com if you cannot find the Babylon Toolbar folder there.
Close the Firefox browser and delete the complete ffxtlbr@babylon.com folder afterwards. This should remove the toolbar from the web browser. Just start the Firefox browser afterwards to check if the toolbar add-on is no longer listed in the Firefox add-ons manager.
Update: Google Chrome users who want to remove the Babylon Toolbar from their browser need to do the following:
- Click the wrench icon in the Google Chrome address bar and select Tools > Extensions. It is alternatively possible to load chrome://settings/extensions directly.
- See if the Babylon Toolbar is listed in the browser. It usually displays as Babylon Chrome OCR. If the toolbar is there, click on uninstall to remove the toolbar from the browser.
- Close the window afterwards. Click the wrench icon again and select Options from the context menu.
- Check the Home Page setting under Basics to see if babylon is listed as the homepage in the browsre. If it is replace it with another homepage that you want to open or select the Use the New Tab page option.
- Click Manage search engines afterwards and check if Babylong is listed on the page. Hover your mouse over the entry and click on the x icon to uninstall it there as well. Go back to the previous page and pick another available search engine as the default browser search engine.
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Ask Toolbar Removal, How To UninstallHow To Uninstall Firefox Add-ons With No Remove Option
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thanks
this was fast
its little things like these why i love ghacks! thanks!
I could have used this info about a month ago!! I tried everything to to get rid of this barnacle;finally, I reinstalled Firefox.
Amazingly, Wikipedia says this: “On 23 August 2010 however, Microsoft updated its virus encyclopedia entry, announcing that the application vendor has modified Babylon and have fixed its intrusive behavior; thus this application is no longer malware.[13]“
Thanks GHacks for the excellent newsletters.
What I really hate is the growing trend toward including unsolicited and unwanted programs with downloads of programs you really want, and need: among the absolute pests are Toolbars like Babylon and Ask – even Norton AV to mention a few, and the other day there was Incredimail being pushed toward me as well. I think it is intrusive and disgusting and cheap, not to mention deceitful.
I too refuse to go near CNet anymore. CNet, when it was operating as Download.com, I often visited. No more CNet for me
Thank you for the excellent newsletters GHacks. Bob
I check the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\extensions\ffxtlbr@babylon.com but its not their ..and still the toolbar..i already uninstalled the babylon..i can’t find where that folder is..pls help..ty
Have you installed Firefox in a different folder?
How To Uninstall The Babylon Toolbar Completely
Otherwise, try installing the fantastic search tool “Everything” (free) which indexes everythihng in your PC almost instantly. Then search for “Babylon” and you will get every instance on your PC where “Babylon” appears. Double-click the search result which will take you to the folder. Manually delete all things “Babylon.” Then install RegSeeker from MajorGeeks and click on “Find in Reg…”
Type in “Babylon” and wait about one-two minutes for the search to run to 100%. All instances of “Babylon” should appear. Press “select all”, then “Delete all”, Do the required backup. Press “Backup” in the RegSeeker index, highlight the appeared backup with a left-click, and delete with a right click context menu. Works for me with anything, even with the ubiquitious “AskToolbar” (one word)
I still have the problem of when typing in to the url bar anything as a quick way to get on to google on both Firefox and google chrome it immediately goes to babylon even after removing it all from my system, how do I set it back to google??
it still appears when i type something on tab browser “mozilla” and redirect to babylon search engine
Actually you can delete all references to Babylon right from “Everything” with a right click>delete. Applies to anything. So no manual searching is required. Do a reboot, and you are Babylon free…
I’ve tried, found it hidden in program files and deleted it , found it in the Everthing program and deleted all the files. Rebooted my computer and it still is on Firefox.
Pls help
FOR IE8:
In regedit change registry entry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\AboutURLs
Set it to:
res://ieframe.dll/tabswelcome.htm
Remove entries with “babylon” in folders:
(User)\AppData\
and
C:\ProgramData
thx tor your solution works great !
Thanks for the perfect solution. I was really bugged with the babylon.
Thanks Again!!!
The most easiest way to remove BABYLON permanently is to go to your internet explorer “Tools” menu, after drop down you will get “Internet Options” hit it, you will get new window with Internet Option, go to the “Advance” button, hit it, and then you will get “RESET” button at the bottom of it….hit it, a new window will open “Rest Internet Explorer Settings” to the bottom check the box “Delete Personal Setting” and then hit the rest …….all your BABYLON F***** things will vanish permanently (-: enjoy
Shakeel
I have just found that very helpful when I tried to uninstall Babylon toolbar on Firefox. It was easy actually. I just went to the toolbar as you said on Internet Exp and it was the same to remove it on Firefox. Just open the tools and extensions then choose remove. Thanks. Robert
Windows 7 64bit system.
Just type : www.google.com in the adres bar, and drag it to the “home icon” on the top right of the screen (at the right of the search bar ) that’s it……
restart firefox and you’ll see……
Just type : www.google.com in the adres bar select it (it turns to blue) , and drag it to the “home icon” on the top right of the screen (at the right of the search bar ) that’s it……
restart firefox and you’ll see……babylon is gone !!!!
Shakeel & Kees
I love you – thank you for taking the time to share the fix.
it’s all gone, for now any way
until the next war, thanks again
This was fantastic your the bomb
That was great I was trying for ages Thanks
AND CAN ANYONE ON THIS PLANET SOLVE THIS PLEASE:
PROBLEM IS;
1. babylone uninstalled
2. tools removed as an add on
BUT
3. yellow circle with red cross still shows in Chrome browser panel (top right hand corner) in broser. When mouse hovers it, get this “This pages was prevented from setting cookies.”
So, how to remove that scum image and babylon in toto?
TTYL
Have you checked it if has installed a Chrome extension?
When go to tools > extensjons >
“Boo… No extensions installed :-(”
Ghastly this
TTYL
NEXT POSSIBLE?
tah
Carol
Oh thank you! I followed the logic you gave, rather than the specific directions, and eventually located the Babylon file tucked away in one of the Firefox folders. I am completely computer illiterate, but your explanation made sense and allowed me to find the dastardly file. Thank you!
wan`t to remove from my cumputer. now
like to return mozilla firefox startpage
After looking up at many different sites and You Tube, when I clicked a new tab, Babylon was still there. I tried the registry edit method. That solved my issue.
I deleted the Babylon directly under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE software also.