Page 1 of 2

How do you remove SweetIM? When it's not Add/Remove listed?

Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 6:10 am
by simonmlewis
Hi

I have just entered a word in the address bar of Firefox rather than the Google box by mistake.

Rather than just saying it cannot find the page, or guessing, it goes to
I don't have SweetIM listed in any of my Add-Ons type tabs.
It's not in my Add/Remove programs.
It's not in C:\Program files.
If I search my C drive, it's not listed there either.

Does Firefox use this site as standard??
How do I just stop it properly?

I do recall installing it for MSN or Yahoo ages ago, but got utterly annoyed by it, so I did remove it. Or so I thought.

Simon

Re: How do you remove SweetIM? When it's not Add/Remove list

Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 10:13 am
by Jonah Bron
What was the word? It kind of sounds like you were just redirected to this URL from wherever Firefox took you before it.

Re: How do you remove SweetIM? When it's not Add/Remove list

Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 3:16 pm
by simonmlewis
It doesn't matter what I search for.

Ie. it happened with "blue", "argos". Anything really.

I open Firefox, enter ANYTHING and it happens, if I am not entering a URL.

Re: How do you remove SweetIM? When it's not Add/Remove list

Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 3:31 pm
by Benjamin
Install Ubuntu. This will reformat your hard drive and remove any malware :twisted:

Re: How do you remove SweetIM? When it's not Add/Remove list

Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 3:36 pm
by simonmlewis
I don't particularly need to format my harddrive - just remove that rubbish.
I have tried two lots of cleaner software and each time I run it, Sweetim is not listed.

Re: How do you remove SweetIM? When it's not Add/Remove list

Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 6:10 pm
by Weirdan
It seems it's installed itself as a default search provider. Refer to firefox documentation for uninstalling the search provider - it should be there.

Re: How do you remove SweetIM? When it's not Add/Remove list

Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 2:17 am
by simonmlewis
I found it is in the manage search providers in the top right box. It was there with google.

I removed it.

Restarted firefox manually.

Entered a work in the address bar.... and it's still there!!

Re: How do you remove SweetIM? When it's not Add/Remove list

Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 8:50 am
by mikosiko
in your Firefox address bar enter about:config (ignore/accept the message that you will see after that)... in the long list of variables look for the content of:
browser.search.defaultenginename and
browser.search.order.1

maybe the sweetim reference still there.... you can modify it just double clicking in the variable name

Miko

Re: How do you remove SweetIM? When it's not Add/Remove list

Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:08 am
by simonmlewis
both just have "Google".

Re: How do you remove SweetIM? When it's not Add/Remove list

Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:19 am
by mikosiko
simonmlewis wrote:both just have "Google".
did you search for "sweetim" in the rest of the parameters there?

if you are familiar with regedit (I do no recommend it if you are not familiar) you can search for references to Sweetim are remove it from there... but again, try this only if you know what you are doing and be sure to have a backup first.

Miko

Re: How do you remove SweetIM? When it's not Add/Remove list

Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:30 am
by simonmlewis
I found it isn Internet Registry, but moreso, I found it when typing in sweetim into firefox about:config. See attachment.
how do I remove all these, and should I?

Re: How do you remove SweetIM? When it's not Add/Remove list

Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:34 am
by mikosiko
replace the value of keyword.URL

with this : [text]http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&o ... &gfns=1&q=[/text]

delete all the parameters that start with sweetim
... , restart FF and try again

Re: How do you remove SweetIM? When it's not Add/Remove list

Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:35 am
by simonmlewis
I just changed the Keyword.url section to the google one, with the q= part.
That did the trick, but it would be nice to get RID OF all that sweetim rubbish, but only if it doesn't cause problems.

Would it?

Re: How do you remove SweetIM? When it's not Add/Remove list

Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:36 am
by mikosiko
yes ... you can do it

Re: How do you remove SweetIM? When it's not Add/Remove list

Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:40 am
by simonmlewis
Sorry - how do you delete the entries? right click doesn't give me a Delete. And hitting Delete on the keyboard doesn't do it either.