Unchecky - Down With Potentially Unwanted Programs

    It has long been the norm that when installing software (and sometimes in other circumstances ) additional potentially unwanted programs are offered, such as a toolbar or “Internet defender”. Also often come across offers to change the start page or search engine. These suggestions are provided as part of the installation process and, as a result, an inexperienced user installs the entire set by default without suspecting anything. The result, I think, is known to all .

    I have been thinking about this problem for a long time, and today I want to provide you with a solution - a program called Unchecky (from the English uncheck - uncheck). Details under the cut.

    How it all started


    The idea of ​​writing a program against toolbars and similar trash came to me a long time ago. The idea was, but I was not very attracted to the implementation. Over time, she might have been forgotten, but they constantly reminded me of this.

    More than once, I visited friends who “do not know how to use a computer” and deleted dozens of toolbars, defenders, left registry cleaners, etc. At the same time, as the author of several programs, I received offers to build such garbage into my installers a couple of times, which I politely (or not so) refused.

    And so, one fine day, I decided to realize my idea.

    Implementation


    Here I was helped by the Softpedia website , which writes in detail which programs have what “bonuses” during installation, for example:
    Offers to download or install software or components that the program does not require to fully function.
    With the help of Google and a small script, I downloaded several hundred dirty installers, launched VM, and began to study animals. After a little analysis, I came to the conclusion that the most effective measure would be to uncheck the boxes programmatically, since almost all installers provide them.

    A month later, I had the first working prototype, then the goal was to add support to the largest number of installers from my collection.

    What happened


    The result was a program called Unchecky , whose beta version is available for download.
    This program can:
    • Automatically uncheck.
      Having Unchecky on hand is a good chance to install the program using the next-next-next-finish method, without changing the start page / search engine and without installing toolbars.
      Of course, the program is not perfect, and may skip the checkmark, so I still do not recommend this installation method.
    • Warn.
      Often, an unwanted sentence is disguised as an integral part of the installation - for example, clicking on next once again means agreeing to install the toolbar. Unchecky warns in such cases, reducing the chance of accidentally installing an unwanted program.
    • Automatically updated.
      Unchecky, like AdBlock for the web, is not universal. It needs to be periodically adjusted for new installers. Since updates happen in the background, you, as a user, should not be bothered.


    What will happen next


    It all depends on how toolbar writers and other joys react to Unchecky. And this, in part, I think, depends on you. Unchecky is easy to get around, but on the other hand, and it will be easy for me to add support for the new checkmark.

    I hope I can find enough free time to support the project. You can also participate financially if you liked the idea. I will also be glad to any tips and suggestions.

    Only registered users can participate in the survey. Please come in.

    And finally, a small poll. Will you use Unchecky?

    • 14.4% I will be 318
    • 50% I can handle it myself, but I’ll put 1102 to my friends
    • 35.5% I will not 783

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