Network Essentials Description:

Network Essentials is an IE Browser Helper Object which monitors URLs being viewed in the web browser, and a process which updates the list of targeted sites and downloads and displays pop-up adverts when directed to do so by the BHO.

NetworkEssentials/NE is the first variant, storing its files in 'Program Files\Network Essentials\vN', where N is a number (8 and 11 have been seen). The pop-up process is a separate task which can be killed from the task manager but is respawned by the BHO periodically.

NetworkEssentials/ME is a newer variant using 'Program Files\MediaLoads Enhanced' to store its single DLL (functions previously done by the process are now built in to the BHO).

Also known as: Hopper (the internal name of the process), SmartPops (the object name of the BHO in the NE variant), MediaPops (the object name in the ME variant), MediaLoads Enhanced (folder name of the ME variant, referring to an alias of DownloadWare).

Network Essentials Automatic Removal:

Using Spyware Doctor to detect and remove Network Essentials AUTOMATICALLY!

Network Essentials Manual Removal:

Please check your system for DownloadWare and remove it before removing Network Essentials. Otherwise it is possible DownloadWare could re-install it, along with much other questionable software.

There is normally a 'NetworkEssentials' or 'MediaLoads Enhanced' entry in Add/Remove Programs that does a good job of removing this; you may also like to delete the registry keys 'Updater' and 'Hopper' or 'MediaLoads Enhanced' in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software after the reset to clean up.

Finally there is a 'Digital Signature' HTML file which Network Essentials puts in your Windows directory when it gets installed, which claims you have agreed to some terms and conditions you will never have seen! You can delete this nonsense.

Manual removal

The software installs itself into your Program Files directory. Before you can delete it you must ensure the BHO and task are no longer running.

To get rid of the BHO, open a DOS command prompt window (from Start->Programs->Accessories) and enter the commands (for the NE variant):

cd "%WinDir%\System"
regsvr32 /u "\Program Files\Network Essentials\v8\ne.dll"

(You may need to use a different number if yours is not 'v8'.) Or, for the ME variants:

cd "%WinDir%\System"
regsvr32 /u "\Program Files\MediaLoads Enhanced\ME1.DLL"

You will have to change the above path if your Program Files folder is called something else, for example on non-Enlgish Windows installations. You can also try 'ME2.DLL' instead of 'ME1.DLL'.

Reset the computer and you should be able to delete the Network Essentials or MediaLoads Enhanced folder.

More Removal Instructions for Adware/Spyware Programs - 'N'