My Alexa Toolbar stopped working after installing
and Nortons ant-virus which was part of the Google Pack bundle of products. I own over 20 websites and depend on my Alexa Toolbar to monitor the traffic ranking of my websites. Unfortunately, Spyware Doctor or Nortons quarantined and removed some of the files which make the Alexa Toolbar work.
In an effort to get the Alexa Toolbar working again, I uninstalled Spyware Doctor and Nortons and uninstalled, then re-installed the Alexa Toolbar. This did not get the Alexa Toolbar working. I then un-installed the Alexa and re-installed it several times but could not get it to work again.
I then wrote Alexa. They sent me directions which helped me to get my Alexa Toolbar to work. Below is a copy of the instructions for your convenience;
"Start from the beginning and make sure we've crossed everything off the list. Installation and operation of the Alexa Toolbar requires:
- Internet Explorer 6 or higher
- Windows operating system on a PC (Please note: the Toolbar is not yet Vista-compatible.)
- Javascript must be enabled
- ActiveX must be enabled
- If you have a firewall, it must allow outside connections to your computer, and it must allow javascript and ActiveX
- If you have Windows 2000 or XP, you must have administrator privileges
If you have installed the Toolbar successfully but it now says that it can't load, please try closing all browser windows and opening a new one.
You might need to go to the Tools menu in IE and select Internet Options, and then place an X by "Enable third party browser extensions" (in the Advanced tab).
Try this, too: in the View menu in IE, select Toolbars, and then be sure the Alexa option has a check mark by it. Sometimes the installation succeeds, but you must remind your browser you'd like to use what you just installed.
Once you've done this, it might be necessary to "Lock The Toolbars" from the same menu.
If you're using IE7, you may need to "Unlock IE Settings." To do this:
- Click on the 'more' arrows on the far right of tabs bar of the browsers chrome.
- Click on IE Shield
- Click on Configure IE Shield
- Select to Unlock IE Settings
Additionally, with IE7 you will have to restart your computer once you have unlocked the IE settings.
If you are running Service Pack 2 on Windows XP, you may need to look at the Manage Add-Ons item in the Tools menu of IE. Please go to this item and be sure you have any Alexa-identified item checked as Enabled.
If you cannot install the Toolbar and your computer meets all of the requirements above, it's possible that you only have a partial installation. Reinstalling Alexa on top of a partial installation will not work, so please try the following:
If you have managed to install the Toolbar but it is showing up blank (like a long white box, similar to a web browser's address bar), you may wish to try the following:
- First, confirm that it's not a 404 error by scrolling down and checking the rest of the browser.
- Right-click on the empty white box. Click Properties. Check to see if bootstrap.html is mentioned. AlxTB1.dll or AlxTB2.dll may be mentioned.
- If these are the case, then this is a known bug, and one that is easily solved by reinstalling the Toolbar. Please make sure that any "My Computer" and Internet Explorer windows are closed before reinstalling.
Another possibility to consider is that your protection software is interfering with the installation. Certain companies have erroneously identified Alexa as spyware and have not updated their definitions to allow it. In order to install and enable the Alexa Toolbar despite your anti-adware, -spyware, and -virus software, you have a few courses of action open to you.
You may add Alexa Toolbar to your software's Allow/Exclude list or Whitelist. Wherever possible and effective, this is the simplest way.
If you cannot whitelist Alexa, you may wish to:
1. uninstall the Alexa Toolbar
2. delete your browser's cache
3. temporarily disable your protection software, making sure any Alexa-identified item is NOT quarantined
4. install a new copy of the Alexa Toolbar
5. turn on and enable each of your protection software one at a time, allowing or whitelisting the Alexa Toolbar as prompted, including the files AlxTB1.dll, AlxTB2.dll, and AlxRes.dll
6. hope for the best
7. use and enjoy the Alexa Toolbar
You may wish to contact the customer support teams of the software products you are using. They may be able to provide further assistance.
We appreciate your interest in Alexa. If you attempt all these things and are still having difficulty with the Toolbar, please visit the Toolbar Diagnostic page and copy and paste the information displayed there in a reply to this message. We will be happy to help you further.
