How do I remove items under Tools in IE 7?

There are no internet links listed on the Tools menu on both of my PC's?   ARe you sure it's not the "Links" Toolbar that you are talking about?

Do you mean the extra content menus and buttons on the Explorer toolbar?
For example: MasterCook or Windows Live Search

If that's it, look at the 08 and 09 entries in the recent log that you posted. Check any of those menus or buttons that you do not want. Click "Fix Checked". Close HijackThis and reboot. See if that helps.

actually no - that's a different computer (my desktop - we were tweaking my notebook before) that has those links listed in the drop down from the tools in the menu bar. May I email you a screenshot? You are a busy bugbatter :smileyhappy:

The additional ones can be removed by a registry edit.

 

Close IE

Open registry editor (click start, click run, type regedit press enter or click OK)

 

In the registry editor navigate to

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Extensions

 

(in the left pane click on + next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE to expand the tree below it, scroll down to SOFTWARE, click on + next to that, etc.)

 

click on + next to Extensions key to expand the tree below it.

 

In the tree below Extensions you will see several keys with long alphanumeric names. Left click on one of them to show its contents in the right pane. Look at the value MenuText to see what it refers to (in the data column it generally shows the text as it appears in IE). If it is one you want to remove from the list do the following:

1. For safety: in the left pane right click on the key, click export, save as box opens, give it any name you like, with .reg extension. This is your backup of that key. double clicking on that file will merge its contents back into the registry.

2. Next right click on the key again, click delete, answer yes/OK to any warning message.

 

Close regedit, open IE, check that the entry no longer shows.