Helping people with computers... one answer at a time.
Browser toolbars come from two places: the browser, and addons or toolbars you ask for. It's easy to ask for toolbars without realizing it.
Where did this new toolbar in my browser? I didn't ask for it.
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Actually it's likely that you did.
Before you protest that you most certainly did not, I need to point out one of the most annoying techniques being used to deploy more and more and more toolbars.
It all counts on your not paying close attention.
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This afternoon I was installing an update to the popular Java runtime, which is software that is used by some websites to provide rich functionality beyond just displaying static pages as I do here.
The update consisted of the normal installation program which proceeded to ask me the normal installation things and agreeing to the software license. (Another annoyance, but that's for another day.)
Then I came to this screen:
I almost without thinking hit Next.
In doing so, I would have been asking to have the Yahoo toolbar installed.
Note the circled item - the option to install the Yahoo toolbar is selected by default. If you're not paying attention and just trying to get the update installed and get on with your life, it's trivially easy to miss the fact that you are asking for a toolbar to be installed.
Personally, I find this very annoying.
I have nothing against the Yahoo toolbar. It's a fine toolbar, and if you want what it offers you should absolutely run out an install it. I don't.
I have nothing against Java or Sun, really. Java also serves an important role for web sites that want to do more than just display pages.
What annoys me is:
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And this installation is not the only case. It's not uncommon at all to see installations that include, somewhere along the line, an "option" to install a toolbar or some other unrelated software.
Why? Typically because they get paid to do so. I can even kinda, sorta understand it for free software as a way to recoup some of the expenses involved, but the practice is certainly not limited to only those.
So aside from griping about the practices of some software vendors, what's the real take-away here?
Pay attention.
Understand what it is you're installing, and read each step of the installation options. You might find that you're about to "ask" for something you didn't really want at all.
Article C3710 - April 25, 2009
Leo A. Notenboom has been playing with computers since he
was required to take a programming class in 1976. An 18 year career as a programmer at Microsoft soon followed.
After "retiring" in 2001, Leo started Ask Leo! in 2003 as a place for answers
to common computer and technical questions. More about Leo.
Fine! So I had caught and unticked the ticked checkbox plenty of times in the past. But just now, I pressed next and I knew immediately that I had made a mistake. But there is no cancel button, not even the cross to close the window, no chance to stop the installation of the unwanted toolbar unless I would switch the power off and possibly leave the system in an unusable state.
I have not switched the power off. I figured I could uninstall the Toolbar after installation. But all instructions for firefox users refer to a Toolbar running in the browser. I have not restarted the browser yet. I suppose the toolbar will appear after restarting, but I DON'T want to give that yahoo software a chance to execute. So I looked in Add/Remove Programs, but no hint of yahoo or any toolbar there.
Posted by: Trav at April 21, 2010 2:22 AMIt came with Java, didn't it? So I uninstalled everything Java from there, hoping the yahoo toolbar would go away with it. Watching the Extensions Folder in ProgramFiles/Mozilla Firefox, I note that the sub-folder with the latest modification time indeed goes away.
So, I restart the browser, but the Yahoo toolbar is still there.
Someone has gone to great length to ensure that the Yahoo toolbar runs on your computer, and that you can do nothing to prevent it even if you noted your mistake. I consider this extremely malicious. Yahoo, I promise you, I will never ever forget this lost hour of my life.
If you install the latest version of Yahoo Messenger, you get the toolbar. No option to 'not' install it, and if you uninstall what looks like the toolbar from Programs - you still have the toolbar, but all the 'images' in Yahoo Messenger stop working.
Posted by: Bob at December 6, 2011 4:45 AMAnother gripe - every single time I start Yahoo Messenger it suggests I 'upgrade' to IE9. I have IE9, I simply don't use it (I prefer Firefox). I have my suspicions that this 'upgrade' is bloated with Yahoo's "helpful additions", which are precisely what I'm trying to get rid of in the first place.
@Bob
Posted by: Connie at December 6, 2011 9:36 AMUnfortunately, keeping Internet Explorer updated is still best
practice, even though you use another browser. More on this
article:
Am I at Risk for Internet Explorer vulnerabilities even though I use a different browser?
@Connie
Posted by: Bob at December 8, 2011 6:56 AMSorry if there is any misunderstanding. My IE9 is updated by Microsoft through automatic updates.
Yahoo Messenger wants me to follow a web-link. Either Yahoo cannot recognize I already have IE9, or it recognizes I don't have it's bloatware installed into my IE9. Either way, it's constant 'reminders' are annoying and frustrating.
@Bob
Posted by: Connie at December 8, 2011 9:47 AMI hear you on that!