Participant

Question

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC Force Installs Mcafee Software

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
December 4, 2022
10 replies
18958 views

Downloaded and installed Adobe Acrobat Reader DC just a few minutes ago. There was absolutely NO option to download without the McAfee Secure Connect and Scanner software bundled - only the option for the Chrome Plugin. Installer started, and it force installed the McAfee software, without my consent.

Yes, I could uninstall both McAfee products that were force installed (and I did), however, this is beyond an agregious act by Adobe. How the f%^k do you think you have the right to install additional software without *explicit* consent? And no, some deeply buried blurb in your T&C's for downloading Adobe Reader don't count.

SMH.

D

David24044393go10

Participant

The cherry on top is that I quickly uninstalled the McAffe, and as I was congratulating myself, I saw that it had uninstalled the Acrobat reader at the same time. My Windows uninstaller did work, it just had to do a restart to have it take effect. The first time I uninstalled it, it installed 'McAfffe light' whatever that is. On the second try it got rid of both Mc icons from the tray, by it still has a non-functional McAffe icon on my main screen.

gemini_9951

Participant

Hi Everyone, WOW I just was emailed many posts that there are more than when I first posted in Oct 2024. I also did not have anything saything about McAfee was installing too. I had problems with McAfee a few years back and I do not trust them at all. I had to delete McAfee opening every file deleting , then delete every folder that was McAfee. Until the uninstall completed.

Ever since McAfee was installed onto my laptop it hasn't run the same and I don't trust my very new Lenovo when it comes to security, privacy etc. Until I have it checked out. Until then I bought an iphone 16 plus & still feel unsecure. Growing up in the 1970's at least you didn't worry about cybersecurity I have been though enough to give it all up.

J

Jon Buckley Illustration

Known Participant

I just wanted to take a moment to thank #McAfee for being a Trojan payload, and thank the horse they apparently rode in on #Adobe.

Carol F Metzger

Inspiring

They are STILL DOING THIS????!!!!!
Why is no one listening? Has anyone reported this to the FTC, FCC, BBB, etc?

D

D29811680u0p9

Participating Frequently

They're allowed to do it because our government is run by corporatists now.

The only thing that will make them change is embarassment from a news article.

S

Studio Say So

Participant

I just reinstalled it today and got Mcafee as well. Adobe get your act together. It's pathetic that you are going to install malware on my computer for a PAID product.

D

doug_9797

Participant

And Adobe is still at it... I just downloaded Reader (on chrome) ... no option to NOT download McAfee OR MS Sticky Notes... figured the checkboxes would be in installation... NOPE... saw that it was installing McAfee... Stopped the install... Reader cancelled but McAfee popped a statement saying it could not be cancelled.

- Uninstalled everything - went back to site to double check I didn't miss a box... and I did not. So I'm having to install Reader and go back again to uninstall McAfee... totally pisses me off because I'm betting Adobe gets revenue for # of installs of McAfee somehow.

gemini_9951

Participant

Hi AlexKi,

I had the thing happen to me, but the McAfee app won't uninstall. I've tried many times. I called McAfee & they want to remotely get into my laptop to uninstall it. No way! I have had problems with them a few years ago and I want nothing to do with them. Adobe, McAfee or both of them have violated my laptop, set themselves up to my personal info and it's unethical business practices. And Adobe was a link from a Superior Court website for filling out court forms.

I would like to know how you were able to uninstall McAfee from your computer and hopefully it will work on a laptop.

Thanks

B

BDE38346370jr8c

Participant

2024, and they're still doing it. Here I am, wondering why McAfee was installed on my computer, traced it to Adobe Acrobat Reader. Reinstalled it in a VM on VPNs varying locations, not a single time was I given the choice to install it or not. Absolutely disgusting I felt like we were living 2012-2014 again, with the unconsenual intrusion of bloated crapware.

tlmurray23

Inspiring

Makes you want to leave for a competitor, huh?

B

BDE38346370jr8c

Participant

Already have. It's too abhorrent of a practice for me quite honestly. Unfortunately I'm stuck using their Substance Painter but when I don't have to anymore I'll be completely done with Adobe products. Going to let the hammer of justice from the DOJ straighten them out first.

tlmurray23

Inspiring

If Adobe cannot handle the herculean effort of giving the user the choice of not installing McAfee (and also Rosetta) from its products, then at least they could handle identifying what may be deleted without harm.

D

D29811680u0p9

Participating Frequently

My guess is the vast majority of users that installed the software got the checkbox didn't uncheck it, and probably most of them didn't even notice it was there or what it meant.

Likely Adobe doesn't need to try to scam the rest of us with an illegal tying arrangement to make a significant amount of money, so the whole thing just seems like corporate insanity.

tlmurray23

Inspiring

Here we are in 2023, and Adobe has not shown interest: McAfee is still there, and there is no option to include it or not. Hasn't the issue of including unwanted software been run through the courtroom before?

D

D29811680u0p9

Participating Frequently

I just tried the link again: https://get.adobe.com/reader/

In my normal Chrome session (logged in with my Google profile), I get the checked box for -

More add-ons

Install McAfee Security Scan Plus
Install the free utility to check the status of my PC security. It will not modify existing antivirus program or PC settings.

Learn more

- which is uncheckable thankfully. I'm not going to test what actually happens with download and install. Sorry Adobe, no more Reader for me. There's plenty of free PDF readers out there already that won't extort my computer.

Guest mode shows the same thing but with an additional check box for "Install Adobe Genuine Service (AGS)".

So, our original issue is solved thankfully, but the original problem and response was too much for me to go back. I'm so tired of businesses acting like scammers and our government letting them get away with it.

Carol F Metzger

Inspiring

Installed Acrobat Reader on spouse's PC. THERE ARE NO CHECKBOXES. NO OPTION to exclude McAfee apps. It was excruciating to uninstall/delete all the McAfee files. I hope I did not miss any.

OUTRAGEOUS!!

S_S

Community Manager

@Carol F Metzger, The options also depend on the location where you are based in. Specific locations permit additional bundles to install automatically, while others have to take permission first.

Hope this clarifies things.

-Souvik

Carol F Metzger

Inspiring

Chicago, Illinois, USA, 60649

S_S

Community Manager

Hi @AlexKi,

Hope you are doing well. Sorry for your experience with installing Acrobat Reader.

We checked the URL that is available for installation of Acrobat Reader and the below screenshot is what we see when trying to download Acrobat Reader:

The check boxes are available to remove the auto-installation of McAfee Antivirus.

If this is not what you see, I suggest you use the given link for downloading and installing Acrobat Reader:

Download Acrobat installer for Enterprise term or VIP license

Hope this helps.

-Souvik.

A

AlexKiAuthor

Participant

https://get.adobe.com/reader/?promoid=TTGWL47M is the URL you are directed to from adobe.com when you click "PDF & E-Signatures" on the top menu bar, then "Acrobat Reader", and then click "Donwload PDF Reader". This is the flow from the Adobe home page.

That page (https://get.adobe.com/reader/?promoid=TTGWL47M) *DOES NOT* have options for downloading without the embedded McAfee bull$h*t.

Also, it's the same when you go to get.adobe.com/reader - your screenshot is outdated and not current. Here is what it looks like right now:

So, try again.

A

AlexKiAuthor

Participant

I want to add as well that this same explanation is given in other threads on the same topic - "oh the check boxes are there, here's a screenshot", and it's the same outdated screenshot used again and again.

The constant dodging by Adobe is not a good look, nor is defaulting to force-installing software that was not consented to.

FULL STOP.

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