Why on earth....[RANT]

[dave87]

...would I want to install random things entirely unconnected to Live Messenger when I update to a new version.

I mean, I would understand if I'd chosen to have them installed last time round, and I'd understand if they were the new version of the greatest thing since sliced bread, but why oh why do I have to go and deselect them on each install. I DO NOT WANT RUBBISH I AM NOT GOING TO USE. Capiche?

Ok, may be a slight over reaction in being prompted to install a writer (for my blog....which I don't have), a mail add on (for all the numerous accounts I need to manage), A search toolbar, a photo gallery, and family safety, when all I want to do is install messenger!

However it seems to be a trend, from wallpaper sites "wrapping" files to show adverts to every freeware application which comes with some sort of toolbar. Do people not understand the reason I downloaded the file was to get what was in it, not every (quite possibly unrelated) piece of garbage on the internet.


[...and breath.....ahhh]

Anyone else find this? Or am I alone?

[kasavien]

*cough* itunes * cough* the king of doing this

[SiM]

Easy solution...
Don't use live messenger... use one of the many alternatives...
Don't use itunes... use one of the many alternatives...

[dave87]

Oh, another thing to add to the list of annoyances.

When I installed it last time, the first thing I did was to disable audible alerts cause they bug the hell out of me. So guess what was the first thing the new installer did?

Well, apart from obviously wanting to install random crap, it turned all of the sound alerts back on. Could it not retain the preferences I already had set up???

[Guy]

Its Microsoft . . . . at least it seems to be actually working and not hanging that often . . . not that I use it much audim on my mac is far superior

[Stringent]

Live Messenger. Another piece of bloatware.

Some of us have to use iTunes cos we have iPods. Also, I have noticed with the latest Quicktime if it detects an update while you are browsing some film trailers, it wants to update, crashes FireFox each time.

[LWA]

I hate Live Messenger with a passion; horrendous piece of bloatware.

I use Pidgin, much nicer and can connect to almost all IM networks. Save yourself Mr Dave and make the change!

[TheAnimus]

Some of us have to use iTunes cos we have iPods. Also, I have noticed with the latest Quicktime if it detects an update while you are browsing some film trailers, it wants to update, crashes FireFox each time.

Hmmmm, propreitry, you must be glad the hardware is at least an excellently built unit, with a great battery life..... oh wait, apple build quality. Complaining about iTunes been required for an iPod is akin to complaining about their been no jobs near you after moving too wales.

The problem is in software you tend to get this lowest common denominator approche with the 'freeware' software from the giants.

fact of the matter is they can make a lot of their money from these add-ons.

Something simple like Acrapbat Resource Waster has gone through phases of wanting to install Yahoo toolbar and change your home page. Getting your site as a home page is a big business, i'm still staggered that facebook and the like haven't created a specail 'portal' page which puts them in cahoots with some search engine, to try and take a slice froom google.

The problem is a lot of these browser tool bars are only one step away from total adware. Its intrestnig that people use google desktop/toolbar are (well from my circle of geek friends) those who would never dreamed of installing gator (by GAIN if your old enough this was a particually common peice of software, often called spyware).

[dangel]

I HATE the new "live" installer and I agree entirely - I do want Messenger because it does do some things well - video and file transfers for example. I use pidgin most of the time though as i'm on gtalk too (file transfers rarely work though for me). Messenger can be much improved by some of the hacks to remove the adverts (Mess with Windows Live and MSN Messenger: download free msn animated emoticons, names, etc.) though.

Apple and Adobe are as bad though. It seems to be a trend doesn't it?

[Stringent]

Hmmmm, propreitry, you must be glad the hardware is at least an excellently built unit, with a great battery life..... oh wait, apple build quality. Complaining about iTunes been required for an iPod is akin to complaining about their been no jobs near you after moving too wales.

The problem is in software you tend to get this lowest common denominator approche with the 'freeware' software from the giants.

Don't get me wrong I am no fan of Apple. I do like their iPods, and actually I get excellent battery life. never had a problem with it, I have a 30GB Photo, and a 2GB G1 Nano, both work as they should. I'd get a iPod Touch if they were 1/2 the price they are now.

GoogleToolbar is probably one of the few Google apps that is evil.

[moogle]

*cough* itunes * cough* the king of doing this

you mean quicktime, forcing you to install itunes even if you haven't got a podpod? I also found that messenger was asking me to install crap. I downloaded a seperate installer elsewhere as it was pissing me off because it was taking AGES to flaming install as it was searching for its brother and sister applications/components. Stupid stuff. Adobe with their bonjour and flplicensingservice crap running constantly. What else, WLLoginproxy.exe for wlm. Don't use a proxy at all why would it ever need to run. Punkbuster running when I'm not playing a game...

There was googletoolbarnotifier that wouldnt go away before but I managed to delete that.

I use a

Modded version of WLM, no ads, no annoyances. As for sound settings that isn't saved on the server dave so each time it's installed you'll have to redo them.

For Quicktime I use Quicktime Alternative and same goes for RealPlayer.

Also if you don't use Livecall feature in msn you can stop it from continuously running by changing the MSN shortcut from a msi shortcut to a normal one and remove the livecall.exe and some other files from the folder so it doesn't run. I'll give you a list of them if you want.

[Funkstar]

I just installed it this monring at work.

I was a little surprised at the size of the additional components, but they were right there in front of your face and not hidden away to be installed without you realising.

I also thought the installer was fast and to the point, not dozends of pointless screens to skip though.

I just need to go and find a new version of MessPatch to get rid of the buttons and 'features' I don't want on screen

[iranu]

The number of times I get asked to sort someone's machine out because it has become slow, almost to a crawl, or they get incessant messages and popups or something has changed randomly. It's nearly always down to crap like MSN live or realtime, itunes or some other rubbish. The problem occurs because the noobie who has got an ipod for chrimbo just pushes the "next" and "yes" buttons expecting everything just to work.

realtime alternative and quicktime alternative are the answer aswell as keeping your eyes peeled when installing. Personally I wish there was a law that said the manufacturers could offer the additions but the box had to be manually ticked rather than the other way around whereby you decline the offer and manually unclick the box.

[Hunain]

Oh, another thing to add to the list of annoyances.

When I installed it last time, the first thing I did was to disable audible alerts cause they bug the hell out of me. So guess what was the first thing the new installer did?

Well, apart from obviously wanting to install random crap, it turned all of the sound alerts back on. Could it not retain the preferences I already had set up???

Yeah, but it did automatically disable the" Allow sending and receiving of nudges" option, and yes I read the list, the blog writer something, mail something..yada yada...but the installer was quick..