Comments on: How to remove Windows Desktop Search

By: Paul Kochie

Paul Kochie — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:10:11 +0000

I like the silent uninstall without reboot option
%systemroot%\$NtUninstallKB940157$\spuninst\spuninst.exe /quiet /norestart

I’m look for a way to hide the update in windows update. without manually selecting “Don’t show Again”

By: Gemal

Gemal — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:52:04 +0000

Remarkably precise instructions on how to remove WDS, the most useless and intrusive software Microsoft every desinged. You can imagine this software gets surreptitiously installed in my computer during update, without my permission and then gets to annoy me for 3 years. I just got fed up with it a decided to give it the boot out of my system. Now it is all gone.

Thanks a million David Arno.

By: Sonia

Sonia — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:23:41 +0000

simply download a tool from http://uninstall-windows-search.blogspot.com/

and after 2 clicks its removed. No knowledge needed

By: Finn Skovgaard

Finn Skovgaard — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:08:09 +0000

Install version 4 and then remove the whole load of malware? Ha! When I tried to install version 4:

—————————
Windows Search Setup
—————————
Please uninstall previous versions of Windows Desktop Search before installing Windows Search 4.0
—————————
OK
—————————

#¤%&(/@£€¤#% !!!

By: Finn Skovgaard

Finn Skovgaard — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:01:21 +0000

Hi, thanks for the information, but I still can’t find out how to get rid of this resource wasting useless malware. Your method to identify which version is installed doesn’t work on my XP. [windows key]+F certainly open a search results windows, but it doesn’t contain the images you have shown. I can see an MSN toolbar though. When the malware has finished its useless indexing of my computer, during which my XP because like trying to pull a car with an elastic, it shows a popup mentiong “Windows Desktop Search”. So it’s V3? In any case, none of the removal methods you mention work (none of the files are there). In Add or Remove Windows components, Indexing service is unticked. Yet the malware still runs. Help!

By: AndyR

AndyR — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:30:26 +0000

You are a Wingod! The option to install on a second computer (I used VMWare Workstation) and copy the $NtUninstallKB917013$ folder worked like a charm! Thank you!

By: PeterX

PeterX — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:20:43 +0000

Hi, options 1-3 did not work for me. I had no time to try 4 or 5, so I found another solution. Just download Windows Search 4 and install it. Then you can find it in Add/Remove Programs and uninstall from there. The result is – you get rid of the horrible WDS and you are able to use the normal Search again. And on my PC (WinXP Pro SP3) it works even faster then before

By: David Arno

David Arno — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:23:43 +0000

De nada “Anonymous”

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 06 May 2009 08:25:53 +0000

Desde Colombia muchas gracias, thank you very much.

By: PakBrain

PakBrain — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:11:02 +0000

Thanks man … it was pain to remove … what a piece of junk I hated soooo much. Thus far I had been a big fan of MS and credited them for the rise of IT by delivering cheap computers and technologies. But this is now going way too far as they seem to be trying to have a monoply on computers. I am a s/w professional with MS in computers Science and 15 years in profession but was unable to remove this piece of junk… so you can imagine how much oridinary men will be suffering. A big thank you and yes it was tough nut to crack .. step 3 worked for me. Keep it up!