Is there anything I can do to prevent Google from downloading revisions to its toolbar without my knowledge or consent? Apart from the irritation factor, I had the toolbar tweaked to meet my needs. The new version does not allow me to restore these features, one of which no longer exists. Denise Scott Fears
Your web browser has access to the web, and the Google Toolbar works inside your browser, so there's no simple way of stopping it. Someone calling himself GooogleToolbarGuerilla was working on ways to deny updates, by disconnecting from the internet and setting the Google folder to deny access. He posted details in Google Groups (see Google Toolbar IE Help, Something's Broken) but these messages have been deleted. Searching for GooogleToolbarGuerilla (and clicking "repeat the search with the omitted results included") may still find them in Google's cache. However, these approaches are disputed.
Otherwise, Google can do whatever it likes with its own properties, including Google and Gmail, and you have no choice, except take it or leave it. Similarly, you can do what you like with your own PC. Google behaves as though Google Toolbar is part of Google, rather than part of your PC. If you don't like that, uninstall it.
Update: Google Groups said the messages had been deleted at the time I wrote this, but they are there at the moment. Sorry, I have no explanation for this oddity....
