Windows Vista Annoyance #7: Get Rid of HP Advisor Box On Your Taskbar
November 30, 2007
I always recommend buying Hewlett-Packard (HP) computers and laptops. They seem to be the most reliable, and they come pre-installed with just the right mix of software and hardware that helps keep your computer humming along. In fact, I wrote a blog post last March recommending which HP laptops to buy.
But one annoying feature that comes pre-installed in HP computers and laptops (especially, I suspect, those that run on the Vista operating system) is the “HP Advisor” toolbar that shows up on your taskbar along the bottom of the screen. There’s a HP logo to the left of a “Yahoo! Search” box next to a magnifying glass that seem to have mysterious functions.
This toolbar just takes up valuable real estate on my taskbar, and I want it gone. G-o-n-e. Gawne.
Turns out it’s easy to get rid of it. Right-click anywhere on an empty area of the taskbar (at the bottom of the screen), and at the pop-up menu, hover the mouse over “Toolbars.” You’ll see a second pop-up window with a list of toolbars (some with checkmarks next to them). “HP Advisor” should be one of them, along with a checkmark next to it. Select it to make the checkmark go away, and the HP Advisor toolbar will go away too.
And now you have a stunningly expansive area of real estate that you didn’t realize you had before — almost like finding a whole new room in your house that you didn’t know about before!
I guess now you’ve got to open more and more programs, so you can fill up that huge expanse of real estate. :-) Enjoy.
(See all my Vista Annoyance posts - turning off User Account Control, turning on Flip and Flip / Window Switcher, viewing and sharing files between XP and Vista systems, turning off Windows Security Alerts, getting an older program to work with Vista, turning on Windows Aero, and getting rid of the HP Advisor box on your taskbar.)
November 30, 2007 at 1:52 pm
This is actually not an issue with Vista per se, but rather an OEM install.
November 30, 2007 at 6:55 pm
I had a iMac and an crumbling Gateway laptop with XP…when the laptop died, I went out and bought a new HP laptop loaded with Vista…my goodness, it annoyed the heck out of me. I sent it back within 24 hours and bought a Macbook and I’ve been much happier ever since.
November 30, 2007 at 11:27 pm
HP preloads a lot of junk.
Step one after unpacking should be uninstall.
No Doubt Vista is annoying - I get a complete freeze everytime I play hearts.
December 3, 2007 at 1:48 pm
And did I mention - Vista Freezes on me nearly every day - and every time I play hearts?
December 3, 2007 at 1:49 pm
What can I say … Windows Vista is HEARTLESS! :-P
February 3, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Thanks for the helpful tip re: HP Advisor.
I’m with other commenters — Vista is not my OS of choice, and the out-of-the-box HP I bought came with a lot of unwanted software (mostly teasers to upgrade to even more unwanted software). I’ve been doing a lot of uninstalling and configuring. But configuring Vista to suit my needs is a more practical (for me, a non-geek) alternative to switching to Mac or Linux.
So far I’m happy with my HP desktop — which seems to run nearly as ‘cleanly’ as the Dell I bought during that company’s heyday about 8 yrs ago. Its chief limitation seems to be almost no expansion room in the box for mechanics — could barely squeeze in a second hard drive.