FOXIT Problem

Hi,

As many of you already know FOXIT is a .pdf file reader.

I got a heads up today to update it, which I did..............using my normal method of downloading the file then launching it.

It wanted to know if it could change my search browser to ask.com and add some toolbar and some other crap.

Now, the defaults appeared to be yes, given that the defaults were green ticks.......so I unchecked them.

Then, about a half-hour later one of my "system policemen" pops up and says "this ask.com thing wants to update itself"

What is it about "NO" that FOXIT does not understand.........???????????????

I now regard it as crapware, scumware and top of my DOS (delete on sight) list.

If you have stock:

Opinion: Strong sell (whilst some mug will buy it?)

Oh snap! I reinstalled Foxit the other day on my machine, and I had some Ask.com crap installed too - I thought I just must have not unchecked the boxes - which is not like me at all, but I really didn't think that it had installed it despite the fact that I unchecked it and did not want it. That's BS. A shame though - good software. Got a favorite alternative nihil? Because Adobe Reader is too bloated for my taste.

Who the hell do those Foxit clowns think they are anyway!? I'm going to post about this on Computer Forum and on Bleeping Computer. We'll see if they're not flying straight by the end of the month. ;) :p :D

That's really horrible news. It's the only PDF reader I've used for years

Just block the crap (This ask.com stuff and what ever else ) via your Firewall. That way it carn't send nor recieve data.

i've used this Foxit once before in the past didn't like it much and i'm happy to use adobe to handle my .pdf needs.

Yeah, my firewall was blocking it already.

To get rid of it: (XP SP3)

1. Go to C:\program files and delete the "Ask" folder.
2. Run CCleaner's registry fix tool.
3. In FireFox go to the add-ons part of "Tools" and uninstall the toolbar.

Or use whatever method your browser uses for plug-in/add on management.

4. Reboot

And it should all be gone :) and you can still use Foxit.

Well, I was going to say that it's the principle of the matter - that we shouldn't support them by using their software if their gonna get all sneaky about installing extra crap... but then, it is free software... so I guess we won't really "show them" one way or the other... :p

I actually never uninstalled mine, as I had gotten rid of the extras as soon as I had noticed them... but I was "going to" ;)

Also, ask.com supposedly doesn't condone any stealth installation of its toolbar or other software - or so says the wikipedia page I read... I wonder why FOXIT would get all sneaky about installing it? I suppose Ask.com gives FOXIT more money if more traffic is directed to their site via the Foxit toolie???

Whatever. Maybe if I'm a developer someday I'll understand. :rolleyes:

I don't seem to have that folder, but yet the ask toolbar option appears in IE.

Then I guess it is just installed as a plug-in to the browser?............I just looked at my IE8 and there is no toolbar there...........but FF is my default browser?

e l

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nihil

Hi,

As many of you already know FOXIT is a .pdf file reader.

I got a heads up today to update it, which I did..............using my normal method of downloading the file then launching it.

It wanted to know if it could change my search browser to ask.com and add some toolbar and some other crap.

Now, the defaults appeared to be yes, given that the defaults were green ticks.......so I unchecked them.

Then, about a half-hour later one of my "system policemen" pops up and says "this ask.com thing wants to update itself"

What is it about "NO" that FOXIT does not understand.........???????????????

I now regard it as crapware, scumware and top of my DOS (delete on sight) list.

If you have stock:

Opinion: Strong sell (whilst some mug will buy it?)

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http://www.whoismadhur.com/2009/04/0...ader/#comments the above link is 5 free alteratives to adobe ive used pdf xchange and perfect pdf are perticularly good it basically boils down to what your needs are i stopped using fox it and adobe months ago , there is also one someone suggests in the user comments at the bottom that i love called STDU veiwer i think it even has tabbed browsing interface so you can open more than one document at once i haven't played with it much latly but will when i get a new computer

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nihil

Then I guess it is just installed as a plug-in to the browser?............I just looked at my IE8 and there is no toolbar there...........but FF is my default browser?

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Yeah, that's what I just assumed. It's an ActiveX most likely. I checked in downloaded programs, where previous versions of windows used to store such things. Also checked the C drive as suggested, no sign of it.

OK JPnyc,

I have checked IE8, OPERA and Chrome and it didn't touch them........FF is my default browser (usually), and that is the one it went for.

What OS and default browser are you using?

At worst I will "re-infect" tomorrow, and check where it goes in the Registry?

Windows 7 ultimate, Maxthon default browser, which is essentially IE in sheep's clothing.

hmm.. use a PDF viewer that is > 50MB, or one that installs software against my will.

Maybe I will just stop using PDFs. :rolleyes:

People should just stop mashing the "Next" button when installing stuff, take the time and read what's on the menu's, uncheck the relevant check box's. :)

anyhow ComboFix seems to nuke the toolbar and Activx crap

also running SpyBot Search and destroy with updated defenitions will also pick this ****er up and nuke it into oblivion. :halo:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JPnyc

Windows 7 ultimate, Maxthon default browser, which is essentially IE in sheep's clothing.

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Ugh :chuck:

Quote:

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People should just stop mashing the "Next" button when installing stuff, take the time and read what's on the menu's, uncheck the relevant check box's.

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That's the problem - It asks you if you want to install the ask.com crapware, and then you uncheck it, and it installs it anyway!!! Shouldn't be checked in the first place, and then for it to install it after you uncheck it - that's bullshit. Plain and simple.

wiskic10_4 is spot on...................I very carefully made sure that I had deselected the options before proceeding............. and it went ahead and did it anyway :(

fair nuph' ;)

i do notice while testing on a imaged boxen that if i have the tea timer thing enabled in SpyBot S&D that if i unchecked the box or left it enabled that it was installing well trying to install either way.

I bet the folks over at Foxit don't realise what the advertiser has tried to sneak in this dubious tarp.

I'm going to send of an e-mail and get some1 in trouble. :argue:

This is exactly why I don't use Windows stuff to do my normal reading... When it comes to Checking Email, I'm really picky, and only use a few (Microsoft only has like 2 Mail clients worth looking at, and one isn't even used anymore, so actually ONE mail client) and for PDF stuff, I won't use Windows.

I'm not even sure what I have on this machine for PDF viewing because I don't view PDFs on Windows. I have Opera and Seamonkey installed for Browsers, and Opera is Default, but if I'm looking at a PDF, I do it on Linux or BSD where I can use XPDF, and the "Swiss Army Chainsaw" of PDF tools. Which I won't name because then you'll all have to look for it.

There is a tool I found that is like a PDF everything.... I can't even remember where I found it, but it says that if a PDF is like a Book, then this tool is the way you add pages, delete pages, and change them.

Konq also has a built in viewer too, so there are way more options, and it's not like they can actually "Force" the installer to do this, because, well, they don't do much on anything other than Windows and Mac OS, so, you just remove what you don't want, and install it. There isn't even a menu to ask if you want to install the other crap because you can actually remove that entire section.

I checked a minute ago to see what was there on my machine I read PDFs on, and I have like a bunch.

h

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gore

This is exactly why I don't use Windows stuff to do my normal reading... When it comes to Checking Email, I'm really picky, and only use a few (Microsoft only has like 2 Mail clients worth looking at, and one isn't even used anymore, so actually ONE mail client) and for PDF stuff, I won't use Windows.

I'm not even sure what I have on this machine for PDF viewing because I don't view PDFs on Windows. I have Opera and Seamonkey installed for Browsers, and Opera is Default, but if I'm looking at a PDF, I do it on Linux or BSD where I can use XPDF, and the "Swiss Army Chainsaw" of PDF tools. Which I won't name because then you'll all have to look for it.

There is a tool I found that is like a PDF everything.... I can't even remember where I found it, but it says that if a PDF is like a Book, then this tool is the way you add pages, delete pages, and change them.

Konq also has a built in viewer too, so there are way more options, and it's not like they can actually "Force" the installer to do this, because, well, they don't do much on anything other than Windows and Mac OS, so, you just remove what you don't want, and install it. There isn't even a menu to ask if you want to install the other crap because you can actually remove that entire section.

I checked a minute ago to see what was there on my machine I read PDFs on, and I have like a bunch.

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im stuck with windows for the moment cause of using SAM broadcaster and and all the audio stuff i do that Linux doesn't support unfortunately ,but in the future planning on dialing up 3b tech and ordering a machine for use with Linux ill use the Linux machine for all my reading and browsing i wear glasses so the Linux interfaces tend to be easier on my eyes anyway .
question and you can send message privately cause its off topic if you need , but are there any 64 bit Linux distros out ?

Of course there are 64 bit versions... The Unix OS has been 64 bit for.... Let me put it this way; In 1999, FreeBSD was already usable as a 64 bit OS.

Anyway, I have a 64 bit machine now too, and I have these:

FreeBSD 64 bit (IA64 / AMD64)
Slackware has "Slamd" and also a 64 bit port
SUSE and Open SUSE ALL have complete 64 bit support
Red Hat and Fedora as well have it
Debian also has 64 bit
There are more, like Mandriva and so on, but it would take a long time to list them all, so whatever distro you like, probably already has 64 bit. I don't know of even ONE distro that doesn't come in a 64 bit version.

You can always uninstall the Ask.com toolbar under Add&Remove. Close your default browser before you do.

Also, you might find the pdftk "The PDF Toolkit" of interest.
[http://www.accesspdf.com/pdftk/index.html]

Cheers!