Should I block it?

60%
60% of PCs block this file from running.
Possible reason:
Performance resource utilization

VersionsAdditional versions

5.15.4.23930 1.52%
5.15.4.23821 25.38%
5.15.2.23037 7.61%
5.15.1.22229 2.54%
5.14.1.20064 2.03%
5.14.1.20007 5.08%
5.13.2.19379 0.51%
1.4.445269 1.52%
1.4.445269 0.51%
1.4.342067 1.52%
1.4.236670 4.57%
1.4.134141 2.54%
1.4.1.29781 0.51%
1.4.1.28235 3.05%
1.4.0.25589 2.54%
1.2.536191 3.05%
1.2.436191 1.52%
1.2.436191 4.06%
1.2.435882 4.57%
1.2.333021 1.52%
1.2.333021 0.51%
1.2.6.45268 1.02%
1.2.6.45268 0.51%
1.2.6.44892 2.03%
1.2.5.42066 1.02%
View more

Relationships


PE structurePE file structure

Show functions
Import table
advapi32.dll
RegQueryValueExW, GetUserNameW, RegEnumKeyExW, RegDeleteKeyW, RegDeleteValueW, RegNotifyChangeKeyValue, RegQueryInfoKeyW, RegEnumValueW, ConvertSidToStringSidA, GetSecurityInfo, GetAclInformation, GetAce, DeleteAce, SetSecurityInfo, RegOpenKeyExW, RegCreateKeyExW, RegSetValueExW, RegCloseKey, RegFlushKey, AllocateAndInitializeSid, CheckTokenMembership, FreeSid
crypt32.dll
CryptMsgGetParam, CertFindCertificateInStore, CertGetNameStringW, CryptQueryObject
gdi32.dll
SetTextColor, SetBkColor, SetBkMode, CreateSolidBrush, CreateCompatibleBitmap, BitBlt, GetObjectW, GetDeviceCaps, GetBkColor, CreatePen, SelectObject, Rectangle, CreateCompatibleDC, StretchBlt, DeleteDC, DeleteObject, GetStockObject, CreateFontIndirectW, GetTextColor, GetDIBColorTable, GetTextMetricsW
gdiplus.dll
GdiplusShutdown
kernel32.dll
SetEvent, InitializeCriticalSection, GetVersionExW, RemoveDirectoryW, FindClose, FindNextFileW, FindFirstFileW, GetSystemInfo, GetSystemDefaultLangID, Process32NextW, CreateToolhelp32Snapshot, GetFileAttributesW, CreateDirectoryW, CreateFileA, FlushFileBuffers, WriteConsoleW, GetConsoleOutputCP, WriteConsoleA, SetStdHandle, GetConsoleMode, GetConsoleCP, SetFilePointer, GetLocaleInfoA, GetStringTypeW, GetStringTypeA, InitializeCriticalSectionAndSpinCount, GetCurrentProcessId, GetTickCount, QueryPerformanceCounter, DeleteCriticalSection, GetFileType, SetHandleCount, GetCommandLineW, GetEnvironmentStringsW, FreeEnvironmentStringsW, LCMapStringW, LCMapStringA, GetModuleHandleA, GetModuleFileNameA, GetStdHandle, HeapCreate, HeapReAlloc, IsValidCodePage, GetOEMCP, GetACP, GetCPInfo, ExitProcess, HeapSize, Sleep, TlsFree, TlsSetValue, TlsAlloc, TlsGetValue, GetStartupInfoW, SetFileAttributesW, GetSystemTimeAsFileTime, IsDebuggerPresent, SetUnhandledExceptionFilter, UnhandledExceptionFilter, TerminateProcess, RtlUnwind, VirtualAlloc, VirtualFree, IsProcessorFeaturePresent, LoadLibraryA, HeapAlloc, GetProcessHeap, HeapFree, InterlockedCompareExchange, GetModuleHandleW, InterlockedIncrement, FormatMessageW, OutputDebugStringW, WaitForSingleObject, CreateEventW, LeaveCriticalSection, GlobalHandle, GlobalFree, SetLastError, GetCurrentProcess, FlushInstructionCache, EnterCriticalSection, lstrlenA, MultiByteToWideChar, GetModuleFileNameW, lstrcmpW, FindResourceW, LoadResource, LockResource, GetCurrentThreadId, RaiseException, LocalAlloc, GetLastError, LocalFree, CloseHandle, LoadLibraryW, GetProcAddress, FreeLibrary, GlobalAlloc, GlobalLock, GlobalUnlock, MulDiv, InterlockedDecrement, lstrlenW, WideCharToMultiByte, GetTempPathW, DeleteFileW, CreateFileW, WriteFile, GetStartupInfoA, DllMain
msimg32.dll
TransparentBlt, AlphaBlend
ole32.dll
OleLockRunning, CoTaskMemAlloc, StringFromGUID2, CLSIDFromProgID, CoGetClassObject, CLSIDFromString, OleInitialize, CreateStreamOnHGlobal, CoUninitialize, CoInitialize, CoInitializeSecurity, CoInitializeEx, CoTaskMemFree, OleUninitialize, CoCreateInstance
oleacc.dll
AccessibleChildren, AccessibleObjectFromPoint, AccessibleObjectFromEvent, WindowFromAccessibleObject, AccessibleObjectFromWindow, GetRoleTextW
psapi.dll
GetModuleFileNameExW
rpcrt4.dll
UuidCreate, RpcStringFreeW, UuidToStringW
shell32.dll
SHGetFolderPathW, ShellExecuteExW, ShellExecuteW
shlwapi.dll
PathFileExistsW, StrStrIW
user32.dll
IsWindow, ScreenToClient, GetWindowRect, MoveWindow, UnregisterClassA, ClientToScreen, InvalidateRect, ShowWindow, IsWindowVisible, GetDlgItem, DrawTextW, FillRect, GetClientRect, BeginPaint, EndPaint, DestroyWindow, LoadImageW, SetRectEmpty, PostMessageW, SendMessageW, GetDC, ReleaseDC, RegisterClassExW, LoadCursorW, GetClassInfoExW, RegisterWindowMessageW, DefWindowProcW, GetSystemMetrics, SetWindowLongW, GetWindowLongW, SetWindowTextW, PostThreadMessageW, PostQuitMessage, MessageBoxW, UpdateWindow, GetSysColorBrush, LoadStringW, LoadAcceleratorsW, GetWindowTextW, TranslateAcceleratorW, TranslateMessage, DispatchMessageW, OffsetRect, GetCursorPos, PtInRect, SystemParametersInfoW, CreateDialogIndirectParamW, CallWindowProcW, InvalidateRgn, SetCapture, ReleaseCapture, GetMessageW, CreateAcceleratorTableW, GetDesktopWindow, CharNextW, GetParent, RedrawWindow, IsChild, SetFocus, GetFocus, GetSysColor, DestroyAcceleratorTable, SendDlgItemMessageW, CreateWindowExW, MapDialogRect, SetWindowContextHelpId, SetWindowPos, GetWindow, EnumWindows, EnumChildWindows, GetClassNameW, SetTimer, GetWindowTextLengthW, EqualRect, MsgWaitForMultipleObjects, SetWinEventHook, EndDialog, DialogBoxIndirectParamW, GetWindowInfo, KillTimer, GetActiveWindow, DrawIconEx, SetActiveWindow, PeekMessageW, GetWindowThreadProcessId, SetForegroundWindow, WindowFromPoint, FindWindowW, SendMessageTimeoutW, UnhookWinEvent, SetLayeredWindowAttributes
version.dll
VerQueryValueW, GetFileVersionInfoSizeW, GetFileVersionInfoW
wininet.dll
HttpQueryInfoW, InternetSetOptionW, InternetCloseHandle, InternetReadFile, HttpSendRequestExW, HttpOpenRequestW, HttpSendRequestW, InternetConnectW, InternetCanonicalizeUrlW, InternetOpenW, InternetCrackUrlW, HttpEndRequestW

Updater.exe

Updater by Ask.com (Signed)

Remove Updater.exe
Version:   1.4.0.25589
MD5:   efc9daec6c427da6b56d6d0b745c1cc4
SHA1:   6da3118fdd10514126eab6574aa57a91849aee67
SHA256:   951124094fffe915f30393b361bc7192a8be360a5a10f8581745e6755021e2cf

What is Updater.exe?

The Ask Toolbar is a free browser add-on that allows you to search the Web using the Ask.com search engine directly from the Internet Explorer browser. The Ask Toolbar is integrated with the 3rd party software downloads. During the installation of some software, users are presented with an option of downloading the Ask Toolbar. This is the software update portion of teh toolbar which automatically checks for new versions and updates the toolbar.

About Updater.exe (from Ask.com)

The Ask Toolbar is a free browser add-on that allows you to search the Web using the Ask.com search engine directly from Internet Explorer or Firefox browsers. The toolbar software DOES NOT monitor th

DetailsDetails

File name:updater.exe
Publisher:Ask
Product name:Updater
Description:Ask Updater
Typical file path:C:\Program Files\ask.com\updater\updater.exe
File version:1.4.0.25589
Size:1.57 MB (1,644,744 bytes)
Certificate
Issued to:Ask.com
Authority (CA):VeriSign
Effective date:Monday, June 16, 2008
Expiration date:Friday, June 17, 2011
Digital DNA
Entropy:6.255219
File packed:No
.NET CLR:No
More details

ResourcesPrograms

The following programs will install this file
Ask.com
  75% remove
The Ask Toolbar Updater is designed to periodically (once a day) check for an install updates to the toolbar without the interaction of the user. The Ask Toolbar and other applications are increasingly being bundled with programs; most notably freeware. It's usually installed during the installation of a program, and it's easy to miss the step where you can un-check the Ask Toolbar option.
Ask.com
  71% remove
The ooVoo toolbar is a software utility that installs with the Ask.com internet browser toolbar and keeps it automatically updated. The toolbar gets installed through bundled software. The default settings will automatically install toolbar as soon as you install the host bundler software on your PC. Sometimes KMPlayer Toolbar has a habit of leaving numerious files, settings and useless registry entries behind which might cause some st...
Ask.com
  80% remove
KMPlayer Toolbar Updater is a software utility that installs with the Ask.com internet browser toolbar and keeps it automatically updated. KMPlayer Toolbar gets installed through bundled software. The default settings will automatically install the KMPlayer Toolbar as soon as you install the host bundler software on your PC. Sometimes KMPlayer Toolbar has a habit of leaving numerious files, settings and useless registry entries behind w...
Ask.com
  82% remove
MP3 Rocket Toolbar Updater installs with the Ask.com internet browser toolbar and keeps it automatically updated. The Toolbar gets installed through bundled software. The default settings will automatically install the Toolbar as soon as you install the host bundler software on your PC. Sometimes Avira SearchFree Toolbar has a habit of leaving numerious files, settings and useless registry entries behind which might cause some stability...
Ask.com
  74% remove
Support.com Toolbar Updater is a software utility that installs with the Ask.com internet browser toolbar and keeps it automatically updated. The toolbar gets installed through bundled software. The default settings will automatically install toolbar as soon as you install the host bundler software on your PC. Sometimes KMPlayer Toolbar has a habit of leaving numerious files, settings and useless registry entries behind which might cau...
Ask.com
  80% remove
APN (Ask Parnter Network) Updater is a software utility that installs with the Ask.com internet browser toolbar and keeps it automatically updated. The toolbar gets installed through bundled software. The default settings will automatically install toolbar as soon as you install the host bundler software on your PC. Sometimes the toolbar has a habit of leaving numerious files, settings and useless registry entries behind which might ca...
Ask.com
  81% remove
The Ask Toolbar is a web-browser add-on that can appear as an extra bar added to the browser's window and/or menu. It is often installed (sometimes without warning) during the installation of other software. Ask.com has entered into partnerships with some software security vendors, whereby they are paid to distribute the toolbar alongside their software. When you use the Toolbar to submit a query, the Toolbar forwards such query inform...
Ask.com
  74% remove
Avira SearchFree Toolbar plus Web Protection Updater installs with the Ask.com internet browser toolbar and keeps it automatically updated. Avira SearchFree Toolbar gets installed through bundled software. The default settings will automatically install the Avira SearchFree Toolbar as soon as you install the host bundler software on your PC. Sometimes Avira SearchFree Toolbar has a habit of leaving numerious files, settings and useless ...
Ask.com
  81% remove
PandoraTV Toolbar, powered by ASK, is a web-browser add-on that can appear as an extra bar added to the browser's window and/or menu. It is often installed (sometimes without warning) during the installation of other software. The Ask Toolbar and other applications are increasingly being bundled with programs; most notably freeware. It's usually installed during the installation of a program, and it's easy to miss the step where you ca...
Ask.com
  79% remove
The Ask Toolbar and other applications are increasingly being bundled with programs; most notably freeware. It's usually installed during the installation of a program, and it's easy to miss the step where you can uncheck the Ask Toolbar option.
Ask.com
  84% remove
PandoraTV Toolbar Updater is a software utility that installs with the Ask.com internet browser toolbar and keeps it automatically updated. The toolbar gets installed through bundled software. The default settings will automatically install toolbar as soon as you install the host bundler software on your PC. Sometimes the toolbar has a habit of leaving numerious files, settings and useless registry entries behind which might cause some...

BehaviorsBehaviors

Startup files (all users) run
Runs under the registry key 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run'
  • 'ApnUpdater' → "C:\Program Files\Ask.com\Updater\Updater.exe"

ResourcesResource utilization

(Note: statistics below are averages based on a minimum sample size of 200 unique participants)
Averages
 
CPU
Total CPU:0.04267449%
0.028634%
Kernel CPU:0.00493723%
0.013761%
User CPU:0.03773726%
0.014873%
Kernel CPU time:17,880 ms/min
100,923,805ms/min
Memory
Private memory:3.92 MB
21.59 MB
Private (maximum):5.73 MB
Private (minimum):4.82 MB
Non-paged memory:3.92 MB
21.59 MB
Virtual memory:82.48 MB
140.96 MB
Virtual memory (peak):86.2 MB
169.69 MB
Working set:5.68 MB
18.61 MB
Working set (peak):8.14 MB
37.95 MB
Resource allocations
Threads:5
12
Handles:152
600
GUI GDI count:9
103
GUI GDI peak:11
142
GUI USER count:6
49
GUI USER peak:7
71

BehaviorsProcess properties

Integrety level:Medium
Platform:32-bit
Command line:"C:\Program Files\ask.com\updater\updater.exe"
Owner:User
Parent process:explorer.exe (Windows Explorer by Microsoft Corporation)

ResourcesThreads

Averages
 
Updater.exe (main module)
Total CPU:0.63340872%
0.272967%
Kernel CPU:0.23390487%
0.107585%
User CPU:0.39950385%
0.165382%
CPU cycles:21,669,499/sec
5,741,424/sec
Context switches:11/sec
79/sec
Memory:1.59 MB
1.16 MB
ntdll.dll
Total CPU:0.01723344%
Kernel CPU:0.01723344%
User CPU:0.00000000%
CPU cycles:402,850/sec
Memory:1.23 MB

Windows OS versionsDistribution by Windows OS

OS versiondistribution
Windows 7 Ultimate 33.33%
Microsoft Windows XP 16.67%
Windows 7 Home Premium 12.96%
Windows 7 Professional 9.26%
Windows 8 9.26%
Windows XP Professional 3.70%
Windows 7 Ultimate N 3.70%
Windows 7 Home Basic 1.85%
Windows Vista Home Premium 1.85%
Windows 7 Enterprise 1.85%
Windows 8 Pro with Media Center 1.85%
Windows 7 Starter 1.85%
Windows Vista Ultimate 1.85%

Distribution by countryDistribution by country

United States installs about 26.53% of Updater.

OEM distributionDistribution by PC manufacturer

PC Manufacturerdistribution
Hewlett-Packard 28.57%
Dell 17.86%
Acer 14.29%
Lenovo 14.29%
Sony 7.14%
GIGABYTE 5.36%
Samsung 3.57%
Toshiba 3.57%
ASUS 3.57%
Sahara 1.79%
Should I remove It? Clean your PC of unwanted adware, toolbars and bloatware.

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