Topic: Adobe gets my vote

For the software company most likely to install crap you don't need on your PC - without your permission and often without any easy to way to disable them.

I just updated the flash player for FF and had to decline both security software and a download manager addon - all I wanted was the player.

Install any Adobe product today and you will get all kinds of freebies: automatic updaters, adobe photo dowwloaders, desktop icons, pdf print icons added to your office toolbars, etc - you can then spend the next few hours trying to disable them.

thank you Adobe.

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Yeah, one of my favorites is the "program" "Acrobat.com".

Google's still got them beat, though, they don't tell you about GoogleUpdate.exe even as an opt-out, that's a proper rootkit.

I recommend 'autoruns'. Very useful, if not essential. I don't have any problems with unwanted autorunners - I check at least once a week to ensure that some incidental execution hasn't reinstated an autorunner. Google Updater gets a labotomy from me.

...but yes, it's getting to the point now where you have to read the small print on every installation/download to ensure that you're not opting-in by default on some other piece of auto-ruinning crap. Install Java, Google Earth, Flash, Adobe Reader, and Quicktime (among others) in Windows without unticking any boxes, and the actual list of installed bits and bobs is far longer than that.

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White Hawk said:

I recommend 'autoruns'. Very useful, if not essential. I don't have any problems with unwanted autorunners - I check at least once a week to ensure that some incidental execution hasn't reinstated an autorunner. Google Updater gets a labotomy from me....but yes, it's getting to the point now where you have to read the small print on every installation/download to ensure that you're not opting-in by default on some other piece of auto-ruinning crap. Install Java, Google Earth, Flash, Adobe Reader, and Quicktime (among others) in Windows without unticking any boxes, and the actual list of installed bits and bobs is far longer than that.

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Msconfig is all I need.

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(Edited by SleepingWolf on 09-22-2009 13:55)

I don't use MSConfig for a couple of reasons. While it is useful for diagnostics, keeping things disabled requires MSConfig to apply your options at every boot, meaning that MSConfig becomes an auto-runner of sorts. It also misses some entries that Autoruns picks up on.

White Hawk: I believe you are mistake about msconfig being constantly required, at least on XP.
Yes it does apply itself as an autorun (to offer you an opt out), but what it does behind the scenes is to move the auto run registry entries some place else.

I use msconfig to find out if anything has installed itself on startup - never to disable an entry.

Once i find something unexpected, i run regedit and delete the entry.

The average user must have a dozen startups. I have 2 - Firewall and Anti-Virus, everything else runs on demand.

I rarely bother to look under the application's Preferences or Options.

The registry is the best place to remove crap like context menus which you didn't approve as well as autoruns.

Rootkits? Well they're another story.

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Autoruns is pretty comprehensive - I haven't found anything that manages to dredge up the number of hidden entries and services that it does.

TP - you are right, of course, and it is just this behaviour in MSConfig that can lead to issues.

Particularly, removing the application or service that creates an entry you've previously disabled in MSConfig then resetting MSConfig to normal boot can actually replace dead entries.

Before I switched to 64bit and discovered it doesn't like it, I used to use Mike Lin's Startup.cpl - it's much safer and more user friendly than MSConfig. It still works on my laptop running Vista (x86), only requiring a legacy install to function properly.

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White Hawk said:

Particularly, removing the application or service that creates an entry you've previously disabled in MSConfig then resetting MSConfig to normal boot can actually replace dead entries.

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That's why you delete the entry in the registry, you don't need to touch MSConfig. MSConfig does not create any issues if you know what you're doing.

Some software will recreate the startup item when launched. In that case you find the folder and delete the annoying files - the program will still run .

In the case of Adobe and the automatic updates, I use this solution:
Navigate to the program folder, for example: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Updater6
and then create a blank text file. Rename the blank file Adobe_Updater.exe.

When you install another Adobe app it is fooled into thinking the updater is already installed.

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I'm with White Hawk here, I used to be a serial tinkerer/tweaker when I used Windows (these days Linux just works for me ), and I found so much more when using Autoruns than I did with msconfig.

It's what the guys at Tweak Guides uses/recommends, I find he's excellent and his PDF booklet on optimising your OS is so complete. Basically as comprehensive as Black Viper.

I learn by getting my hands dirty.
Different strokes for different folks.
Peace

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