BHO's and Tool Bars

[GKnoll]

I was wondering from a paid tech service provider standpoint, what is thought of browser helper objects and toolbars.
Personaly I remove them when ever I see them. I just think they serve little real purpose and take up resources.

Most people I ask if they want them there or not usually say "I didn't install that, it just showed up there". No suprise since these things are usually bundled with many softwares and are set by default to "opt in". (I hate that!) And people just click by the option with out even realizing it.


Anyway, common sense tells me to discuse this with the customer and ask them if they want them removed.
I just asoon blast them all.

What do you think?

Greg

 

[16k_zx81]

For all malware removal jobs I reset IE to defaults.

For tune-ups I only remove "unsafe" toolbars.

I always remove 'hijacked' default search engines & also provide literature on the security risks involved with toolbars and search-engine usurps.

 

[Cambridge PC Support]

I reset IE to default and clear everything apart from cookies and passwords.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I remove them....only one I ever leave is Googles.

 

[FoolishTech]

If I know the person to be using Yahoo webmail for example, then as much as it pains me to do so, I'll leave the Yahoo toolbar. Same goes for Google, ISP toolbars, etc.

Otherwise I'll terminate them all without prejudice.

I used to leave Google Toolbar, but now I kill that one too. Usually I'll compensate by setting their default search provider in IE to Google (if it isn't already, which makes the toolbar redundant anyway) and check to prevent other apps from changing it.

Only one I've ever removed that I have had people complain about is that dang Incredimail junk. People seem to love that for some reason but I still kill it.

 

[RichmondTech]

Only one I've ever removed that I have had people complain about is that dang Incredimail junk. People seem to love that for some reason but I still kill it.

"I can't access my INCREDIMAIL!!"

oops

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Only one I've ever removed that I have had people complain about is that dang Incredimail junk. People seem to love that for some reason but I still kill it.

Yup..end users are stubborn with this one...
...but spend some time researching the correlation between that toolbar..and malware hitting the computer. Yeah....it brings it in..eventually..it always brings in the malware.

 

[Xander]

I've recently started the process of gathering the UninstallStrings of toolbars and stuff that I remove on a regular basis. I'm going to use the strings in my maintenance script. I'll leave Google/Yahoo/etc but, for any other toobar, I cannot remember the last time someone said, "Oh yeah, I use that all the time."

 

[phaZed]

I remove them all. If someone needs Yahoo! Mail, it's easy enough to add a Bookmark to the mail login page on yahoo.com. Same for all the others. I get rid of Google's toolbars too, nothing but a behavior tracker. You need google? The browser has a built in search bar for *whatever* you want, and then there is google.com

Down with the BHO.

 

[tobey]

Toolbars make my blood boil. They are loaded with crap no one will ever use. All they do is hog resources, take up screen real estate, and increase ad revenue for the sleazy developers who tricked my customers into installing them.

I remove all of them, always. I have yet to have a client complain that they can no longer see a site's Alexa ranking at a glance...

 

[Slaters Kustum Machines]

Yup..end users are stubborn with this one...
...but spend some time researching the correlation between that toolbar..and malware hitting the computer. Yeah....it brings it in..eventually..it always brings in the malware.

Very true. When I worked for an AV vendor about 60% of the machines had incredimail.

 

[punzada]

I make it a point to remove almost all of them (even google/yahoo/etc as long as it's set as their default search provider). I'll uninstall known intrusive/issue ones (inbox.com, mywebsearch, etc etc) but only disable ones from legit places like yahoo or google. If the customer has an issue with it (only once have I ever had someone mention they liked it or used it) I'll gladly re-enable it for them.

 

[GKnoll]

Thank you all for your comments. It's nice to know I am not alone in how I feel about these things.

I just don't want to tick off a customer and loose business. One I get it that is.

Your comments about cutomers resonses is very helpfull.

Again Thank you!

Greg

Beartown Technologies soon to be LLC.

 

['putertutor]

I have always removed all of them. The only complaint I have ever received was about the google toolbar, but when I showed them how the built in search was set to google, no issue. Generally the response is "Great! I have no idea how all those got there anyway." Depending on my mood I might explain how they all "just showed up" or I might not. I like the idea someone posted about handing out a brochure/flyer to the customer explaining the matter. I have a machine I am working on right now that probably has lost almost 50% of the viewable window to BHOs.

 

[randy4053]

If I'm doing a virus removal or a tune-up, I usually disable the BHOs and toolbars, and tell the customer I did so. That way, if they really want the darned things, I can easily turn them back on.

I'm not sure how secure it is to leave them in place, though.

Randy4053