70+ toolbar, apps (Badware) installed silently with Programs

Some of you would remember I wrote a similar article few months back. This article is in continuation of that with a bigger and updated list. Most of you are so lazy or ignorant  enough not to click the custom option of installation of any application on your PC.  This small laziness results in installation of toolbars, applications you never wanted.

Most of the good applications give you option to deselect any apps included in that particular bundle. But many of the apps dont even give you that option. Some of the installers install toolbar apps by default untill you untick them.

See some screens below and you will know what i am talking about.

Here’s a compiled list of almost all the Apps / tools that bundle something or the other stuff like toolbars and badware with their installs. The list is reproduced here with help from Calenderof updates forum and some other additions from my side.

1. Ad-Aware Anniversary Edition – Google Chrome
2. Adobe Flash Player – Google Toolbar
3. Adobe Reader – eBay Desktop
4. Adobe Shockwave Player – Norton PC Checkup
5. Advanced SystemCare formerly known as Iobit advanced one care – Yahoo Toolbar (selecting no will still do changes on the system)
6. AOL Instant Messenger – AOL Toolbar
7. Apple’s Software Updater – Safari Browser, QuickTime, iTunes
8. Applian FLV Player – Yahoo Toolbar
9. Auslogics Registry Defrag – Ask Toolbar
10. Auslogics System Information – Ask Toolbar
11. AVG LinkScanner (standalone and free) AVG Security toolbar is Yahoo Toolbar
12. AVG 8 – AVG Security Toolbar (Yahoo Search bar)
13. BitComet – Google Toolbar
14. BitDefender Anti-Phishing Free Edition – Ask.com search engine. No opt-in. No opt-out.
15. BitTorrent 6.1.2 – Ask Toolbar
16. BurnAware Free – Ask Toolbar.
17. CCleaner (standard installer) – Yahoo Toolbar <<<Offers Slim version, without toolbar (http://www.ccleaner.com/download/builds)
18. Comodo Internet Security, Antivirus & Firewall – Ask Toolbar (Comodo Firewall Pro installer has Ask Toolbar too, in case you still have the installer). Note: CIS now have HopSurf Toolbar which has Ask Search
19. Comodo Internet Security, Antivirus & Firewall – Ask Toolbar
20. Corel Paint Shop Pro X – Yahoo! Toolbar but not pre-checked.
21. CPU-Z – Ask Toolbar.
22. Cyberlink PowerDVD 8 – Google Toolbar and BETA of Moovielive
23. Daemon Tools – Search tool and sponsor ad module, Home page Change
24. Defraggler – Yahoo Toolbar
25. DivX – Yahoo Toolbar
26. FoxIt Reader 3.0 – - installs FoxIt toolbar, makes Ask.com your default search, create desktop, quick launch, and start menu shortcut to eBay
27. Free Download Manager – prechecked and bundles Software Informer
28. Freecommander – ebay shortcuts. Thanks to member sharp
29. Glary Utilities – Ask Toolbar
30. GOM Player – Ask Toolbar
31. GoogleTalk – no addon but will change default search setting of IE
32. GoogleEarth – Pre checked Google Toolbar installation
33. ICQ 6 – ICQ Toolbar
34. IrfanView (Google Toolbar for IE and Google Desktop Search)
35. Isobuster – Ask Toolbar
36. iTunes (QuickTime, AppleSoftwareUpdate, AppleMobileDeviceSupport64, Bonjour64, MobileMe64)
37. Java Runtime Environment (JRE) – installs Java Quick Starter, Microsoft Live Search Toolbar, OpenOffice installer pre-checked
38. Logitech Setpoint (Logitech Yahoo! Toolbar)
39. Maxathon 2 – Facebook Sidebar Plugin
40. McAfee Site Advisor update – (Yahoo! default browser search)
41. MP3 WMA Converter – Yahoo Search and Delio Comparsion Shopping Toolbar
42. MyPhoneExplorer – offering ebay shortcuts and taskbar as per member sharp
43. Nero Burning Rom or Nero 9 Essentials – Ask Toolbar
44. Norton products – Ask Search in Norton toolbar. No option to remove and it was pushed by including in a Norton patch.
45. Office Live add-in – includes Silverlight as add-on
46. OpenCandy – offering third party software. Report says that even if you do not install the 3rd party software, there is modification in the registry, files and will add tracking cookies. There’s also Conduit Toolbar in the page.
47. PalTalk – Ask Toolbar. There’s a nag screen prompting to upgrade from free to paid edition. No way to turn off the nag.
48. PC Tools Firewall Plus – Google Toolbar and Threatfire
49. PDFCreator – Yahoo Toolbar.
50. Recuva – Yahoo toolbar
51. RealPlayer – Google Toolbar ,RealPlayer installer have Google Chrome as pre-checked.
52. Shockwave Player – Norton Security Scan or Google Toolbar
53. SIW (System Information for Windows) – Crawler Toolbar
54. Skype – Google Toolbar
55. Spyware Doctor – Google Toolbar
56. Spyware Terminator – Web security guard, Crawler
57. Sun Java RE (online installer) – Google Toolbar / Live Search for Windows Toolbar.
58. Sun Java – OpenOffice.org
59. Trillian – Ask Toolbar and Weather Channel Desktop
60. Unlocker 1.8.7 – eBay Desktop shortcuts
61. uTorrent – Ask Toolbar.
62. Veoh media player – Yahoo toolbar, search engine change & search protection
63. Webroot SpySweeper – Ask Toolbar (This toolbar is detected as spyware/adware by several vendors)
64. Winamp – Winamp Toolbar
65. Windows Live Installer – Windows Live Toolbar and Sign-in Assistant
66. Windows Update – Windows Genuine Advantage Notification – (pre-checked, not required, should not be high-priority)
67. Windows SteadyState – Windows Live Toolbar
68. Winzip – RegistryBooster
69. Wise Disk Cleaner – Ask Toolbar
70. xplorer2Lite – Conduit toolbar
71. YaHoo! Instant Messenger – YaHoo! toolbar, with ‘YaHoo! Search Protection’ and homepage change to YaHoo!
72. ZoneAlarm – SpyBlocker (Ask Toolbar) (This toolbar is detected as spyware/adware by several vendors)

You can place your comments below if i missed something or if any of the above apps have changed some toolbars, or the stuff associated with their installer. I would love to update the above list based on your comments.

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Tagged as: Addon, Adware, badware, privacy, Spyware, toolbars