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What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

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Re: What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

#391

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I stopped trusting Microsoft installers when Windows Update listed the Bing Desktop as a Critical Update.

The accusation has been around for a while and is not true.[1] Amazing how the story has morphed from "Optional Update" to "Critical" in 1 year's time. And it just sounds untrue. Why would you believe that? [1] http://www.dasmirnov.net/blog/bing-desktop-won-t-be

In the off chance you ever come back to read this, this is my bad.

I never saw any articles about it at the time. I just remember it always being in my Windows Update list and I was sick of it. Windows Update in my mind should generally be for OS and software updates, and not for software that Microsoft is looking to push.

Which is funny, because I'm a Windows guy who works in the Microsoft stack.

Re: What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

#392

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "Looks like you need the reality check" Please stop being rude. EDIT: saying things like "If you think I'm wrong, you very well may need a reality check yourself" makes it seem like you're not open to dialogue. It comes off as rude, arrogant, and accusatory. That probably contributes to the downvotes. > "I can find you $40 smartphones" I can find plenty of $40 smartphones at Wal-Mart and Kroger. But this thread isn…

> makes it seem like you're not open to dialogue. Complaining about downvotes without replies makes it seem like I'm not open to dialogue? I think it makes some people in here seem like they live in a bubble, to each their own huh? > But this thread isn't about $40 smartphones Actually, it is; GGP said he "knows people too cheap to pay $1 for apps" and that is completely valid for Android as well. The rest of your po…

> "Complaining about downvotes without replies makes it seem like I'm not open to dialogue?"

No. Treating disagreement as a sign that people need a "reality check" and that they're "in a bubble" makes it seem like you're not open to dialogue. Like you don't even acknowledge the possibility that someone disagreeing with you could have a valid perspective.

> "it is ... completely valid for Android"

Yes, but the broader context of the thread was about iPhone piracy. Also note that he claimed he knew people "too cheap" to pay $1 -- not people "too poor" to pay $1 -- for apps.

I get that $1 is a big deal to some people. I live in one of the poorest zip codes in my state. I've taken in three poor families in the last two years (a divorced mom, teen parents, and a single woman working through community college). My church runs a fairly substantial food bank and clothing bank. I'm connected to a ministry that rescues young women from polygamy (FLDS, AUB, and related groups) and they often have 3-5 children, no money, and a 6th grade education at age 20. I taught in a school where 95% of students qualified for federal free/reduced lunch. Some of my family members do charity work out at Navajo Mountain in southern Utah, which is one of the poorest places in the US.

The people I know in deep poverty are not major app pirates. Most of them don't have smartphones, and the ones that do have $40 or less grocery store phones running Android 2.2 on a pay-as-you-go plan, with either free games or no games.

Conversely, everyone I know who pirates $1 apps is either a college student whose parents pay for everything and they just can't be bothered to ask mom for iTunes credits, or they're a middle-class adult who thinks "I can get it for free if I jailbreak my phone, so it's not stealing." They have adequate dollars to pay for apps to go with their $500+ phone and $100+/month plan, but choose not to. Hence, "too cheap".

Re: What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

#393
post #389

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not familiar with Malwarebytes Antirootkit, but TDSSKiller from Kaspersky searches for 1 single rootkit, TDSS, and performs a removal. I haven't done this type of work in a while but 3-4 years ago it was the defacto tool of choice for dealing with MBR infections.

TDSSKiller removes the following. List of malicious programs: Rootkit.Win32.TDSS, Rootkit.Win32.Stoned.d, Rootkit.Boot.Cidox.a, Rootkit.Boot.SST.a, Rootkit.Boot.Pihar.a,b,c, Rootkit.Boot.CPD.a, Rootkit.Boot.Bootkor.a, Rootkit.Boot.MyBios.b, Rootkit.Win32.TDSS.mbr, Rootkit.Boot.Wistler.a, Rootkit.Win32.ZAccess.aml,c,e,f,g,h,i,j,k, Rootkit.Boot.SST.b, Rootkit.Boot.Fisp.a, Rootkit.Boot.Nimnul.a, Rootkit.Boot.Batan.a, Ro…

I would assume it has grown in the last few years, I also would wager a guess that most of these are related/derivatives of each other.

Re: What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

#394
post #389

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TDSSKiller removes the following. List of malicious programs: Rootkit.Win32.TDSS, Rootkit.Win32.Stoned.d, Rootkit.Boot.Cidox.a, Rootkit.Boot.SST.a, Rootkit.Boot.Pihar.a,b,c, Rootkit.Boot.CPD.a, Rootkit.Boot.Bootkor.a, Rootkit.Boot.MyBios.b, Rootkit.Win32.TDSS.mbr, Rootkit.Boot.Wistler.a, Rootkit.Win32.ZAccess.aml,c,e,f,g,h,i,j,k, Rootkit.Boot.SST.b, Rootkit.Boot.Fisp.a, Rootkit.Boot.Nimnul.a, Rootkit.Boot.Batan.a, Ro…

I would assume it has grown in the last few years, I also would wager a guess that most of these are related/derivatives of each other.

I was under the impression it sort of grew into a multipurpose rootkit tool

Re: What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

#395

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah I understand now. True, if you installed iTunes or QT and it installed it as extra, yeah, you probably have an older browser installed (but I think there's not that many people that still use it)

I think you are still missing the complete context of the original comment. Once a browser is set as default, for a significant portion of people that won't change unless they are somehow prompted or forced to change it again at a later date. To many people, the browser is just another part of the OS that allows viewing webpages, and they just call it "The internet".

lets be honest. flash or java plus the ask toolbar have been installed by now, and managed to install chrome.

chrome has a way of installing itself.

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