Death by Toolbar
by Neil Harrison for Daves Computer Tips
Far too often free software is packaged with additional junk.–PC Pitstop.
One of the joys of the internet is the incredible array of free software to deal with just about anything you need to do. Unfortunately this free software often comes with some baggage – additional junk software that gets installed at the same time. Even big name companies try to make a little extra money on the side by hoping you won’t notice the additional adware, trialware and other nonsense that will get installed with the software you actually wanted. Toolbars will be added, your search settings changed and probably your home page will be hijacked as well. At best all this slows your browser down, and at worst it can make your internet activities unreliable and even stop the browser working altogether.
Fortunately, in many cases, you can avoid most of these problems with just a little care and attention during the installation.
Toolbars – where do they come from?
Beware the pre-checked box
Whenever you install new software, there are usually a few windows which pop up where you have to click “OK” or “Next” to continue. That software license that you never bother reading, some option to have an icon on the desktop – that sort of thing. It’s all too easy to be impatient and go click click click until the software is ready to run. Slow down! This is where you need to be vigilant.
One example which catches many people is that Java update which seems to pop up all too often. If you have Java installed then keeping it updated is a good idea, but watch carefully for the ASK toolbar option which will be pre-checked by default:
These excerpts are shared with permission from davescomputertips.com.