NEWS FLASH! Most of us here at WC and JU know both how to read, and how to place or remove a checkmark in a tiny box.

I don't.

I am shamed.

Uncheck this box if you are not shamed:



My eraser not workin'!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

Wasn't meant to be snotty but so many folks still do not bother to read the EULA and just click away when installing. I just spent the last three weeks cleaning up machines for friends and relatives that learned that lesson the hard way. If you are downloading from what you once believed to be a "safe" site I can see where this could happen and yes I do understand sometimes even if you do it right, you end up with something you did not want. I recently updated Avast on the XP machine I am building for my grandson and got Google Chrome without nary a prompt from the install. You just can't be too careful these days.

My mother has had the same thing happen to her twice with Avast which is otherwise an excellent AV program. Now she waits and I do all her updating for her.

I agree, it is just too easy to click ok, ok, ok right into a real mess.

The real problem is that everyone sometimes misses the checkbox. It can and does happen. Rip off companies, such as C|Net count on this then blame you for not unchecking the box. They aren't stupid but are willing to believe you are. So, just avoid them and don't give them your clicks so they go out of business.

Site like that count on you NOT looking over the fine print before you download, or for you being a total computer inept, and clicking yes to everything. So read over EVERYTHING, and don't click anything until you know exactly what you are getting. If in doubt DO NOT download it, or click it.

Just downloaded an update to my favorite zip file extractor, ExtractNow this morning and for the first time ever, there was a toolbar bundled with the download. Guess times are a changing! Funny thing about that bundle of Chrome with Avast, on my Win 7 machine I was offered the option to not install but not so on the XP machine.

Fell victim to it as well.  I did not realize what was going on at first, so it took me almost an hour.  I will never trust that site again.

Now you have to uncheck installing Mcafee Security Scan when you update Java. Everyone uses Java. It's annoying.

 

If I'm googling for downloads I avoid using cnet links.

Freeware Files is another excellent site. They test every file (and updates), and warn you if there are any toolbars, etc., in the file. Aside from freeware, many major companies like Microsoft and Norton submit files to the site. All files are free.

http://www.freewarefiles.com/

Thanks for the heads up/link... bookmarked for future reference.

www.snapfiles.com 

A good old site with lots of the smaller programs you might not see elsewhere.

I've found that some of them are getting you by only giving the option to uncheck the box with the Custom install.  If you let it go through with a default or quick install, then you get whatever junk they send your way.  Luckily for me, nothing but the OS and a select few programs go on my C: drive, so I always select the custom install or I don't install at all.

That's right....never go for the quick/easy option....that's when you get the junk...