Is There Any Way to Keep Toolbars From Installing (Yahoo, Google, etc.)?

I'm just really tired of having to deal with toolbars installing in my browsers as part of a software bundle. Especially after I have unchecked the "install" box for the toolbar/crapware. This time it was bundled with an updated Irfanview (which I really like).

It's not a horrid process to remove them. I'd just like to block it from ever happening so that it wasn't necessary to repeatedly remove them.

Anyone know of a software/registry edit that can prevent the toolbars? They're borderline malware IMHO.

Nothing shows up on the web, that I can find. And it's unlikely it's even possible to prevent this type of software/addons from happening.

But thought I'd ask and see if anyone here had any luck with it.

Thanks.

 

Most real-time anti-malware programs will prevent changes to toolbars.

I can't think of a specific free one offhand since I no longer use them. Most real-time shield functions of anti-malware programs require you to pay for the full version though (lavasoft, avg, etc.)

 

The best advice I can offer is to switch to Firefox. Toolbar things always try to install themselves into IE, but I've never downloaded a program that offered to install add-ons into Firefox, save for VLC, Real Alternative, and Skype.

 

Most software nowadays have uncheck boxes for Toolbars,etc: on install. It's best to always choose custom install.

Thats one good thing about Vista, the UAC will alert you when toolbar is trying to install. Best read the UAC permission pop-up and see what it's asking for before assuming it just the software your installing.

With XP .... Spybot is a GREAT tool for blocking toolbars and lock changing of startpage. Use teatimer for blocking toolbars. You can also use Ad-Aware's Ad watch feature, but that only works in the PRO version.

 

Real-time spyware blocking is a real drain on system resources though.

 

Not really. Maybe if you only have 512mb and under. But using XP with 1GB and over on XP, a real time watcher doesn't slow things down.

 

I've gotten Yahoo Toolbar on Firefox. On my PC, that is. But the good thing is I just unchecked it and it just hides itself. I found that it was bundled along CCleaner. You can uncheck the box so when you install CCleaner it won't also install Yahoo Toolbar but I skipped through that part too quickly .

 

Ugh I can't believe CCleaner would bundle the Yahoo toolbar. Doesn't anyone else find that a little ironic?

 

just uninstall the programs on the add/remove programs. Or you can right click on the menu area of the browser and uncheck item you don't want to show up.

 

Yes, I suppose, but the option not to install is offered - Sam just missed it rushing to get the installation finished.

@OP: You might want to have a look at SpywareBlaster. Since installing the program, I haven't had many issues with unwanted junk being installed. It won't get rid of the crap already in your machine, but can prevent a lot of it from ever being installed.

 

SpywareBlaster helps but doesnt block toolbars. It is used to stop activex controls from installing. Your best solution to avoid toolbars is to just carefully read the eula of any program and follow the options as they install.

Any program that installs a toolbar without giving you a choice is a program you do not want on your computer.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. It's greatly appreciated.

I've tried all the options before. What caused me to post this was the IrfanView install. Which actually is a great program and I do want it - it's not spyware, and doesn't include any. I did uncheck the box to "install Yahoo", yet it still did install it on IE (not on FireFox). This same thing happened with CCleaner, too. I could understand that maybe I only "thought" I'd unticked the box for one, but not for both.

Spywareblaster, AdAware, Spybot, etc. don't focus on authorized installs and wouldn't see the legitimate toolbars as spyware (they do for gator and 123 and coolbar, etc.). One of those companies (coolbar, I think) actually sued someone to have their program removed as spyware (Norton, I think) a year or two ago. There was quite a bit of news about it and what defines "spyware". Yahoo, Google and probably a couple of other "legitimate" toolbars wouldn't be included.

I was hoping there was just some registry edit that would keep it from happening ever again. I don't think I'm any more paranoid about privacy than normal (plus, I don't want crap programs I don't use eating up RAM/CPU), but these things just tick me off.

Yes, most of the time when you untick the box, the toolbars won't install. But still . . . .

 

There's always HijackThis.

 

Unfortunately, HijackThis doesn't prevent installations. It only reports on what's been installed. From www.merijn.org's site:

 

You most likely didn't uncheck the right Box, Alot of install options of programs try to trick people now by including two or three check/uncheck boxes. You really need to make sure what you are checking/unchecking before pressing the Next button.

Also Spybot does block Toolbars from installing (at least on IE as I know of) with the right settings, make sure you are in advance mode or you won't see the proper settings.

 

I guess that's me then. I've got a desktop with a P4 2.66GHz and 512MB of DDR-333 RAM. Real-time spyware protection brings my system to a grinding halt. I ordered 2GB iwth my Inspiron 1520, but I think i'll have to add another 1.25GB sooner or later with 2GB being the new baseline.

 

Again, thanks for the responses. Fortunately, I do know how to uncheck the correct boxes.

In fact, I uninstalled everything (toolbar and program that installed it, including registry cleanup and a system restore), did a fresh install and properly unchecked the box (only one in each of the programs I mentioned), and the toolbar was back in IE. I did this procedure several times, and the toolbar was back with both Irfanview and CCleaner (both worthwhile programs for the inconvenience).

Basically, like crapware on a new PC, software (usually freeware) is now bundling this kind of thing into it. I'm sure it helps defray the developer's costs somewhat and helps keep the freeware free.

99% of the time, unticking the box will prevent the toolbar from installing. And any freeware app I use always has the option.

Spybot does block toolbars that is listed as malware in its database (such as smitfraud). As mentioned above, neither Google's or Yahoo's are considered malware. In fact many people find the toolbars useful and they are, therefore, not considered malware.

However, I believe there may be a coding error in the install program that doesn't parse correctly and installs the toolbar regardless of what you check.

I was hoping for a one-time fix on my end (in the registry or whatever). I'm not running another program to prevent this from happening. And goodness knows I'm not installing Vista just to have "UAC". As I said, the toolbars are easy enough to remove and cleanup after. I would just rather avoid it.

Thanks.

 

You can also add your own certain files to the block spybot spyware list. But the block list is not what I'm talking about. I was referring to Spybot's resident Teatimer which acts like Vista's UAC with the proper settings. And doesn't run that much RAM.(about 10-14mb)

Yup, their are type of malware that will keep installing toolbars, even when you repeatably uninstall the toolbar. I never experienced that from bloatware on a new PC tho. Some are easy to find via anti-spyware apps, others are well hidden and/or near impossible to delete. IMO it's not as frequent as it use to be.

 

IrfanView was installed on my eMachines desktop ( was - I Dbanned the machine yesterday (and only installed PCLinuxOS 2007 on the cleanly wiped hdd). Anyway, my point is that I didn't have any toolbars installed. Perhaps I was wrong about SpywareBlaster, but if so, can't think of any reason for not having a problem while you do, except for an unchecked box somewhere - possibly in IE itself and not in the installed program? I no longer have IE so can't check, but isn't there a setting in "Internet Options" for add-ons? Honestly, I can't remember, and if there is, really am not sure it would solve the problem.

Hope somebody posts with a brilliant suggestion which will help you out.

 

SpyBot S&D 'TeaTimer' will keep crap from installing. Warns you of every attempted insertion.

 

Try opera...you can even get a skin to look like ie 7 if you want...

 

Just use Firefox or Opera instead. Yes, it is still possible to install toolbars there, but they don't just show up out of nowhere, at least, and they're easy to remove.

It also has the added benefit of giving you a browser that wasn't obsolete 5 years ago. (And yes, that is IE7 I'm talking about. IE6 was obsolete 7 years ago)