randwill said:
swellmel wrote ...
I can't tell you how to get rid of it, but this is a 'teachable moment' that
will help you in the future.
That Java update does ask you if you want to add Caronite. As I remember it,
you have to uncheck the "Yes" box which gives it permission to install.
Lots of installation programs of free software come with this tricky bit of
business so pay close attention to all the windows that open during the
install process before clicking 'Next'.
To wit and in addition to randwill's statements, you often must select
to perform a custom installation to get at the options to DESELECT
installing the fluff crap that was included inside the installation
program. The standard or easy install will not show you those options
to eliminate the fluffware.
When installing ANY software, select to perform a custom installation if
available. Then be sure to actually read the install screen's rather
than merely clicking through them as fast as possible. That is, do NOT
perform a deliberatley blinded custom install.
Sometimes this fluffware is listed separately in the Add/Remove Programs
applet. If not, you have to uninstall the entire software package - and
*hope* that its uninstall will also yank out the fluffware (often it
does not).
Remember that the software is delivered with the vendor's intentions
regarding its use, not yours. You are asking to use their software.
They choose what they deliver to you. Sometimes you can choose just
what they deliver to you. Unlike getting a package from the postman
that you accept and then open inside your house to find out a secondary
package opens that spews moths into your house, you can inspect most
[non-malware] installation software as it is being delivered.
You might also start considering the use of logging software to watch
your installations rather than relying solely on the MSI (Microsoft
Software Installer) provided within Windows, assuming it even gets used,
to track what software gets installed and what changes the installation
made to your host. Zsoft has their Uninstaller program. You run it to
take a snapshot of your host before an installation, do the install, and
then take another snapshot afterward to compare to the first one to see
what is different on your host after the installation. You can then use
Add/Remove Programs to remove the software, if an entry is available,
and then follow with Zsoft's Uninstaller to do further cleanup of
remnants (files and registry entries) often left behind by the normal
uninstallation. You could first do a trial of the software inside a
virtual machine (and then revert the VM back to its prior state to get
rid of it), like with VirtualPC or VMWare Server (both free), before
installing on your "production" host. Test the installation and
operation of the software inside a VM before committing it to your own
host. Or use something like Returnil to do the install and then, if you
don't want the software, do a reboot to get rid of any changes (not
useful if the install demands a reboot which ends up wiping itself away
if Returnil was made active before starting the install). I use
Returnil to get rid of game demos. Any that demand a reboot to complete
their install are trying to install something low-level (driver,
kernel-mode copy protection, shoving an interceptor into the file I/O
API, adding an auto-start program, or such) that isn't actually required
for the game itself to play, I don't want that crap, so its enforced
reboot gets rid of that demo and I'm clean again to go find a less rude
game demo.
Just because you want the software doesn't mean you want everything they
stick in their installation program.
