[Donna]

Event Title: Installers Hall of Shame (Unwanted add-on)
Event Owner: Donna
Event Calendar: Calendar of Updates
Event Date: December 31st 1969
Topic Starter: ourstanley
Event Post:
Below is the current list of dodgy installers, discussed in our forums and started by one of CoU's MVC, weaselthatbites on Feb 29 2008, 01:53 PM.
Google cache is here. Unfortunately, the topic is missing due to database issue. Please accept our sincere apology. Cache is gone.

• Ad-Aware Anniversary Edition - Google Chrome (see Paul's post here. Screenshot here)
  
• Adobe Flash Player - Google Toolbar and/or McAfee Security Scan
  
• Adobe Reader - eBay Desktop
  
• Advanced SystemCare formerly known as Iobit advanced one care - Yahoo Toolbar (selecting no will still do changes on the system)
  
• AnVir TaskManager - Dealio Toolbar and some other third party applications. Report is here. Updated Jan. 15, 2010: Now with rogue, RegistryCleanerPro.
  
• AOL Instant Messenger - AOL Toolbar
  
• Apple’s Software Updater - Safari Browser, QuickTime, iTunes
  
• Applian FLV Player - Yahoo Toolbar
  
• Auslogics Registry Defrag - Ask Toolbar
  
• Auslogics System Information - Ask Toolbar
  
• Avast - Google Chrome but no pre-checked/pre-selected. Screenshot here
  
• AVG LinkScanner (standalone and free) AVG Security toolbar is Yahoo Toolbar
  
• AVG 8 - AVG Security Toolbar (Yahoo Search bar). AVG 9 - AVG Security Toolbar/Yahoo Search
  
• BitComet - Google Toolbar
  
• BitTorrent 6.1.2/6.3 - Ask Toolbar
  
• BurnAware Free - Ask Toolbar. Thanks again for the report of member, Sharp.
  
• CCleaner (standard installer) - Yahoo Toolbar <<<Offers ‘Lite’ version, without toolbar
  
• ClamWin - Ask Toolbar
  
• Comodo Internet Security, Antivirus & Firewall - Ask Toolbar (added 12/6/2008) (Comodo Firewall Pro installer has Ask Toolbar too, in case you still have the installer). Note: CIS now have HopSurf Toolbar which has Ask Search
  
• Corel Paint Shop Pro X - Yahoo! Toolbar but not pre-checked.
  
• CPU-Z - Ask Toolbar. Screenshot and info here.
  
• Cyberlink PowerDVD 8 - Google Toolbar and BETA of Moovielive
  
• Daemon Tools - Search tool and sponsor ad module
  
• Defraggler - Yahoo Toolbar
  
• Digsby instant messenger - bundled with unwanted add-ons and using your PC to make money. More details here and thanks to CoU member mouseTrap for sharing this entry.
  
• DivX - Yahoo Toolbar/Norton Security Scan
  
• DVDx - Ask Toolbar (screenshot here)
  
• FLV Player - Yahoo! Toolbar. See report and screenshot by hewee
  
• FormatFactory - ebay shorcut and/or Ask toolbar. Report here
  
• Foxit Pdf Reader - Ask Toolbar and ebay shortcut in desktop
  
• Free Download Manager - prechecked and bundles Software Informer
  
• Freecommander - ebay shortcuts. Thanks to member sharp
  
• Game House Installers - Google Desktop Search and/or Google Toolbar for IE. Screenshot here.
  
• GameVance Installer - Ask Toolbar and Weather Channel Desktop. Screenshot here.
  
• Glary Utilities - Ask Toolbar
  
• GOM Player - Google Toolbar . This is now offering Ask Toolbar. See post in BBR. Thanks to Gordon (aka hayc59 for the update)
  
• GoogleTalk - no addon but will change default search setting of IE
  
• GoogleEarth - Pre checked Google Toolbar installation or Chrome browser. Report here.
  
• Hotspot Shield - Hotspot Shield Community Toolbar (by default) from Conduit. Report is here.
  
• ICQ 6/ICQ 6.5 - ICQ Toolbar and ICQ search
  
• Incredimail - MyStart Homepage and Search Page if user will use default installation. Screenshot here and here. Reported by StopChaos
  
• IOBit Security 360 - IObit Toolbar. Report here.
  
• IOBit Smart Defrag - Yahoo Toolbar/Search Settings. Report here.
  
• IObit Advanced SystemCare - Yahoo Toolbar. Report here.
  
• IrfanView (Google Toolbar for IE and Google Desktop Search)
  
• Isobuster - Ask Toolbar (see post and screenshot by member nickW here)
  
• Logitech Setpoint (Logitech Yahoo! Toolbar)
  
• Maxathon 2 - Facebook Sidebar Plugin
  
• McAfee Site Advisor update - (Yahoo! default browser search) (added 12/6/2008)
  
• MessengerPlus! Live - Ask Toolbar. Report here.
  
• Miro - Ask Toolbar. Report here.
  
• MP3 WMA Converter - Yahoo Search and Delio Comparsion Shopping Toolbar
  
• MyPhoneExplorer - offering ebay shortcuts and taskbar as per member sharp
  
• Nero Free, Nero Burning Rom or Nero 9 Essentials - Ask Toolbar
  
• Norton products - Ask Search in Norton toolbar. No option to remove and it was pushed by including in a Norton patch.
  
• Office Live add-in - includes Silverlight as add-on (see calendar entry of the said update)
  
• OpenCandy - offering third party software. Report says that even if you do not install the 3rd party software, there is modification in the registry, files and will add tracking cookies. There's also Conduit Toolbar in the page See here.
  
• PalTalk - Ask Toolbar. There's a nag screen prompting to upgrade from free to paid edition. No way to turn off the nag.
  
• PC Tools Spyware Doctor - Google Toolbar
  
• PC Tools Firewall Plus - Google Toolbar and Threatfire
  
• PC Tools ThreatFire - Google Toolbar. Reported here.
  
• PDFCreator - Yahoo Toolbar. Thanks to member sharp.
  
• Perfect Utilities - with Relevant Knowledge (RK). Report here.
  
• Recuva - Yahoo toolbar
  
• RealPlayer - Google Toolbar - Delisted not! CoU member Pat reported that the installer do not have Google toolbar anymore which I (Donna) confirmed. Note: This product is badware. See the post here. Current report: RealPlayer installer have Google Chrome as pre-checked. See report here.
  
• Shockwave Player - Norton Security Scan or Google Toolbar
  
• SIW (System Information for Windows) - Crawler Toolbar
  
• Skype - Google Toolbar. NEW report: The Browser Highlighter
  
• Spyware Terminator - Web security guard, Crawler
  
• Sun Java RE (online installer) - Google Toolbar / Live Search for Windows Toolbar. There's report too that Carbonite Backup is being offered (depends on your location)
  
• Sun Java (JRE) - OpenOffice.org
  
• Thoosje Sidebar - Amazon or eBay toolbar. Report here.
  
• Trillian - Ask Toolbar and Weather Channel Desktop
  
• Unlocker 1.8.7/1.8.8- eBay Desktop shortcuts
  
• uTorrent - Ask Toolbar. Thanks to PM by member sharp! Screenshot here
  
• Veoh media player - Yahoo toolbar, search engine change & search protection
  
• VSO Image Resizer - Ask Toolbar. Report here.
  
• WeatherBug - Ask Toolbar. Screenshot here.
  
• Webroot SpySweeper - Ask Toolbar (This toolbar is detected as spyware/adware by several vendors) Delisted. Please see the post here. Listed again. See post here
  
• Winamp - Winamp Toolbar
  
• Windows Live Installer - Windows Live Toolbar and Sign-in Assistant
  
• Windows Update - Windows Genuine Advantage Notification - (pre-checked, not required, should not be high-priority)
  
• Windows SteadyState - Windows Live Toolbar
  
• Winzip - RegistryBooster (new screenshot by Pat over here). Now offering Google Toolbar as per CoU member sharp report via PM
  
• xplorer2Lite - Conduit toolbar
  
• XP-Antispy - eBay Shortcuts. See report here
  
• YaHoo! Instant Messenger - YaHoo! toolbar, with ‘YaHoo! Search Protection’ and homepage change to YaHoo!
  
• ZoneAlarm - SpyBlocker (Ask Toolbar) (This toolbar is detected as spyware/adware by several vendors)

View Event

This post has been edited by Donna: 18 January 2010 - 06:02 PM
Reason for edit: Updated DivX entry. Removed Family Builder Tree.

[ourstanley]

Edited as IrfanView is already listed.

This post has been edited by ourstanley: 17 July 2008 - 01:16 PM

[Donna]

Added in the list: Free Download Manager that is bundle and prechecked of Software Informer.
Screenshot, discussion and report by Steven (aka MysteryFCM) at http://forum.hosts-f...hp?p=4582#p4582

[ourstanley]

Just installed Glary Utilities on my lappy and oops we now have the Ask Toolbar prechecked. No more entries to the Calendar.

[ourstanley]

Just installed Glary Utilities on my lappy and oops we now have the Ask Toolbar prechecked. No more entries to the Calendar.

[Donna]

Thanks for the info Ray. I entered Glary Utilities in the above list (also the copy in the calendar).

[weaselthatbites]

Now ATI have started doing it....

[ColdinCbus]

weaselthatbites, on Aug 27 2008, 11:26 AM, said:

Now ATI have started doing it....

WoW free trial... Give me a break.

[Haroldo]

I'm a bit out of the loop, but other than WinPatrol, are there any installers out there that don't offer you (either directly or surreptitiously) extra (unwanted) software?

[ColdinCbus]

Haroldo, on Aug 27 2008, 12:44 PM, said:

I'm a bit out of the loop, but other than WinPatrol, are there any installers out there that don't offer you (either directly or surreptitiously) extra (unwanted) software?

There are "lite" version for some products that don't and also a few for "advanced users" that don't.

[hewee]

weaselthatbites, on Aug 27 2008, 08:26 AM, said:

Now ATI have started doing it....

Just what is the Catalyst Control Center?
I got a new Dell and the Catalyst Control Center is there but I can not get it to open. But maybe because I got other things disable by WinPatrol.

[bellgamin]

Reference your inclusion of the Comodo toolbar on your "Unwanted Add-on List"...

Comodo's little toolbar carries the benefit that it provides Buffer Overflow (BO) protection. The toolbar can be opted out. I just wanted to point out that this "Unwanted add-on" does confer a significant added protection to Comodo FWP. It's sad that the Comodo folks had to tack on the other ap-cray of this toolbar, but many folks consider it worth the while to gain BO protection.

Alternatively, you can obtain BO protection from Comodo's Memory Firewall. PCTool's Threatfire also claims to protect against BO.

[Donna]

Hi Bellgamin!

The said protection is still available even if the CF user uninstall the ASK toolbar in Add/Remove Programs. They don't have to install CMF separately (in case the OP opted for the toolbar then later want to remove the toolbar).

The big issue on ASK toolbar is some users cannot even run the installer properly because the antivirus or antimalware will block it.

[bellgamin]

Donna, on Aug 28 2008, 02:11 AM, said:

The said protection is still available even if the CF user uninstall the ASK toolbar in Add/Remove Programs.

I have heard that the technique you mentioned actually does work. Haven't tried it myself.

I still have CFWP on one of my images, but I'm using Real-time Defender at the moment.

I like your forum, Donna. Lots of great information here. Live long & prosper!

[weaselthatbites]

Hewee: The catalyst control center is meant to give you more functionality and control over your card. More information here:

http://ati.amd.com/p...nter/index.html

[hewee]

weaselthatbites, on Aug 29 2008, 02:38 AM, said:

Hewee: The catalyst control center is meant to give you more functionality and control over your card. More information here:

http://ati.amd.com/p...nter/index.html

Thanks I got it to open after I closed WinPatrol. Not sure just what is part of it I was blocking.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

Bill Pytlovany (WinPatrol), in his blog of Monday, August 25, 2008, endorses the stand of CoU's "Installers Hall of Shame".

He remains adamant in refusing to include the Ask.com toolbar in his WinPatrol installer.

http://billpstudios.blogspot.com/

Jolly good, Bill!

[MysteryFCM]

From the new Windows Live Messenger Beta ......

[Remus Dei]

Nice work PPL.

Donna in regards to "RealPlayer - Google Toolbar - Delisted. CoU member Pat reported that the installer do not have Google toolbar anymore which I (Donna) confirmed."

I have a report the Realplayer is considered BADWARE.
See Stopbadeware site.
And see SC Magazine.....

Now on a personal note regarding threatfire.
I have written them regarding GRC program Leaktest and they have failed o respond or correct their judgement. Secondly when i really needed to stop the program they did not allow me to do what I wanted with my Console. I am sorry but I like to uphold this is "MY Computer" as S. Gibson does, therefors threatfire is not a program I can say is good.

Just placing a tiny bit of what i noticed.

[nickW]

Hello,

Foxit Pdf Reader

Now includes Ask.com toolbar and an eBay shortcut.

http://forums.foxits...23348#post23348