"Surprise" Software! What is filling up your PC (and where did it come from)?

The economy is on the precipice of taking off and your old systems running the nine year old Windows XP are simply not up to the task of today’s software. You (and your accounting department) are finally ready to say goodbye to that old PC. Maybe you are shopping or maybe you already have that new super fast machine in house. You fire it up - and that’s when you see it. There are all kinds of software and trials you did not want preloaded on that new machine. You just turned it on and your machine is already the culprit of "Surprise Software"! Frustrated? You should be! Let me explain.

What is "Surprise" Software?

"Surprise" Software is software that you don’t want on your computer, and that is something that everyone can agree on. But not everyone will agree on what is and what isn’t "Surprise" Software. One mans "Surprise" Software is another man’s indispensible utility! Worse yet, some software will fall in the grey area where people need - or they think they need - certain features of the software. The problem is that it can ultimately cause system slowdown or instability.

Technically you can define Malware, Spyware, or Adware as "Surprise" Software, too because it’s software that people definitely don’t want, but for the purposes of this column I am not talking about those types of surprises!

What every user wants to know is how do you get rid of their surprises and take back your PC. "Surprise" Software is the new accepted term for programs that are installed at the factory or installed along with other programs. Some of these "Surprise" Software programs are preinstalled with the idea you will purchase a full version after the trial period. Other "Surprise" Software and add-ons come when you install something you need, and it is not just freeware that comes with these piggybacked additions that you likely will not want. Major software vendors do it too. The thing is, they all slow your system down and make it more susceptible to application hangs, slowdowns and other vulnerabilities. Microsoft stated what should be obvious to most people: those additional toolbars, browser helper objects and add-ons to Internet Explorer are responsible for 70% of IE crashes. Other browsers are affected as well!

Examples of "Surprise" Software

"Surprise" Software might come in the form of a bloated driver CD that installs additional junk on top of the required driver. You have seen it in the form of shortcuts to eBay, toolbars and more. It may have come with the software for your router, printer, or broadband service. The typical user is unwittingly directed to install these unwanted hitchhikers on his PC. Worse yet, some of this "Surprise" Software actually came pre-installed on the PC you purchased.

Something as simple as playing a simple video can result in the installation of a massive music library manager. You install a piece of software so you can see “Flash’ on web pages and you wind up with an extra toolbar added to your web browser, even though you had never specifically asked for it. If you load one you may load more, and sooner or later you will wind up with nothing but toolbars and about one inch of browser! Yes, we really have seen screens just like the one above, some with even more than this! With the multi-tabbed browsers, the problem can be even worse; with each new tab, you may open even more instances of the toolbars that suck the memory and speed out of your system. Worse yet, there are those commercials that tell you to go to a web site to "speed up your PC". Do not do it! In most cases these are scams and will result in your system getting worse than it already was! If you watch those advertisements long enough, you will see that the URL changes but the product offering is the same. This too is a sign of a scam! Even the comic strip “Dilbert” by Scott Adams has acknowledged this toolbar phenomenon is out of control!

Why does this happen?

It is about advertising! Yep, at the end of the day it is companies trying to fight each other for every inch of your screen, your desktop, etc. Many mainstream software companies will pay PC Makers a commission to install their ‘trial’ software on every machine they sell. If you choose to use their preloaded "Surprise" Software and buy it, then the PC maker gets a cut of the sale. Others gather information so they can target you with even more "Surprise" Software! It gets to be a never-ending cycle!

Many vendors will allow you an option to get a machine that does not have all these unwanted extras but they charge extra for it, something that is extremely unpopular, but that does not address the stuff you can get on your own that you would rather not have!

Is there a list of vendors that do this?

There are quite a few companies that have commonplace or trusted software packages that try to load toolbars and other add-ons without the user knowing it is happening. Even some security-related programs use this tactic! Here is a sample of just a few well-known programs and downloads that include piggyback downloads:

Sun (now Oracle)
Java Update (Offers Carbonite or Microsoft's Bing toolbar)
Adobe Flash Player / Reader (Offers Google Toolbar or McAfee Security Scan)
AVG Antivirus (Offers Yahoo Toolbar)
CCleaner (Offers Yahoo Toolbar)
Comodo Internet Security (Offers Ask Toolbar)
Foxit PDF Reader (Offers Ask Toolbar and eBay Desktop Shortcut)
IrfanView (Offers Google Toolbar)
RealPlayer (Offers Google Toolbar or Google Chrome)
Skype (Offers Google Toolbar)
Winzip (Offers UniBlue RegistryBooster)
ZoneAlarm (Offers SpyBlocker aka Ask Toolbar)

What should you do?

Uninstall any program you don’t need and make sure when installing anything new that it doesn’t come with anything else. How do you do that? If you notice when you install the program there will be a section where it asks to make a certain website your homepage, or install a free toolbar. Just say NO!!!! If it does come bundled with other programs, ‘uncheck’ the option that installs the other software. If it is not obvious that there is something included, if you are given the option for ‘advanced’ installation or something like it, then select that and you are presented with a check box to include something in the install (like a toolbar). Uncheck it! Be careful…and READ!!! Most users just hit NEXT, NEXT, NEXT just to speed through the installation process and usually end up installing these toolbars and add-ons without their knowledge.

Have stories of your own?

I would love to hear what you have done to control "Surprise" Software in your environment or take any questions or suggestions on things you would like to see discussed here! Maybe we can all make our opinions heard and get this process stopped, or at the very least, under control!

All product names / logos, company names / logos are copyrights of their respective holders. John Boline is an MCSE, MCTS, CNE, USE, a member of the Network Professional Association and the Microsoft Partner Research Panel, . The content herein is often based on late-breaking events. Much of the material is based on information from sources that are believed to be reliable. Hagerman & Company, Inc. disclaims all warranties as to the ultimate accuracy or completeness of the information. Hagerman & Company, Inc. and its employees shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in the information contained within this article or for any interpretations thereof. The recommendations, positions and best practice policies outlined herein represent Hagerman & Company, Inc. initial analysis and therefore are subject to change as further information which may have bearing on these positions is made available. The reader assumes sole responsibility for the selection of these materials to achieve its intended results. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. Hagerman & Company, Inc. assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements made in this newsletter to reflect any change in circumstances, after the date of publication. Entire contents © 2010, Hagerman & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this publication in any form without prior written permission is forbidden

This page last edited on Tuesday, December 14, 2010