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KrohnJohn
Participant
June 24, 2010
Question

Please STOP bundling McAfee with your Flash Player Update

  • June 24, 2010
  • 34 replies
  • 39910 views

Many of us I.T. types for one reason or another have choosen

NOT to use McAfee in place of other (IMO better) products.  The McAfee scan product that you have bundled in

with your flash player updates install and leave files that interfere with the automatic updates for

Kaspersky.  After the Flash Product installes, I am then stuck visiting that machine in person running a special McAfee uninstall utility to remove McAfee even though it does NOT show up in the add/remove programs area of the control panel.  The flash updates do allow you to choose if you want McAfee installed, but unfortionatly, the default is to have that option checked.  For most unsuspecting corporate users, they don't see, care, or understand the impact of leaving that check box checked.  Please stop including that as part of the install.  For us corporate types trying to keep hundreds of computers working smoothly, we certainly don't need the automated headaches that McAfee brings with.

Regards

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    34 replies

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    A
    AnotherAGladys
    Participating Frequently
    October 3, 2012

    Lets be clear: McAfee installation is NOT optional: Installation is enabled by default. What IS optional is to take the specific action and opt OUT of the installation.

    I think the three questions that are properly relevant are:

    Why is unrelated and unnecessary software being distributed with Flash player in the first place?

    Why is its installation enabled by default?

    Why is the software so awful that it has to be distributed in this way, rather than it being simply offered as a truly optional opt-IN addtion or, even better, simply offered separately on its OWN merit

    chris.campbell
    Community Manager
    chris.campbellCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    October 4, 2012

    Please see my reply here: http://forums.adobe.com/message/4747865#4747865

    A
    AnotherAGladys
    Participating Frequently
    October 4, 2012

    Chris. I'm happy to repeat myself here, as that only answers the first of those quesitons, which is that Adobe foists this rubbish on its users because gets a kickback for every instance of the parasiteware that is installed.

    You also make the obvious oint that one can take specific action to avoid the malware.

    What your reply does not say is:

    Why is its installation enabled by default?

    Why is the software so awful that it has to be distributed in this way, rather than it being simply offered as a truly optional opt-IN addtion or, even better, simply offered separately on its OWN merit

    F
    Fritzismom
    Participating Frequently
    August 31, 2012

    The first post on this subject was 2 YEARS AGO! I have to add my voice to it, because I nearly downloaded McAfee just now when updating my Flash Player. The default option should not be 'yes'. The option should not even be there. It's an unprofessional and sneaky practice. For once please listen and stop it!

    F
    Foffu
    Participant
    October 1, 2011

    Bundling other software in the installer is a sign of a DYING company. Now I have to do more work and uninstall this stuff. Yeah, you got me. "Angry" is not strong enough. -Foffu.

      B
      bostonpaper
      Inspiring
      August 24, 2012

      It is nearly a year since this post and Adobe is still - yes, still - stuffing McAfee into the Flash updates on occasion.

      Don't they hear or don't they care?

      It is not appropriate.

      More people need to let them know and keep telling them.

      SuhasYogin
      Adobe Employee
      SuhasYogin
      Adobe Employee
      August 24, 2012

      Moving this to the Installing Flash Player forums.

      A
      Anonymous
      September 14, 2011

      Addressed to anyone who will listen at Adobe.

      I am a specialist software User Experience designer. In software industry terms, we're supposed to care about user experience.

      Adobe needs to fire the person who set up Flash to automatically install software that was neither requested, nor desired, and in fact causes clashes and system problems.

      To the people who so glibly point out "just uncheck the box for McAfee" - you did not have the experience of so many people who did not install by navigating the Adobe site, but rather followed a link from a site that uses Flash to update the add-in. This process does not offer the user any choice whatsoever, and I had to manually uninstall McAfee after installing the Flash player update. You might think it is a minor step, but it is not, when it conflicts with other applications and renders my machine unstable.

      It is just a horrible user experience which ends with me having to try and communicate with Adobe and wasting inordinate amounts of time because of a single, bad decision on your part.

      I dream of the day that I can get rid of Flash completely and rely on HTML5, maybe Silverlight, Java, or some other technology just so that I can avoid being abused without care by product managers and/or marketing people at Adobe.

      If there is any Adobe person reading these fora, you really should escalate this to management.

      I am a power user of a number of Adobe products (Photoshop, Fireworks, Acrobat, Illustrator) and I dream of the day that I would have the power to "teach" a company a lesson by moving away from their products. I am getting very close in terms of Photoshop, Fireworks, and Illustrator - alternatives are arising in the market and it is only a matter of time before I am no longer trapped into supporting a company who doesn't give a damn about me.

      No thanks, Adobe, from everyone who has posted in this thread.

        M
        mdr+607
        Participant
        June 6, 2011

        I share the exasperation in all of these posts and much of my problem is redundant so:

        1.  Has there been ANY response or resolution from Adobe on this issue since most recent posts  in this thread (April?)

        Beyond the bad judgement of the sneak bundling I am concerned from what I read because:

        2.  McAffee apparently can't be removed with add/remove programs and so MAY interfere with Norton?  Audacious because the hours I have spent just trying to get a clean install of Flash using Firefox have left me with partial installs (including today where Download manager - launched from IE after removing old Flash player- is hung up at 100% installing application.  Note to Adobe: 100% means 100% not 99.  Ain't over 'till it's over.

        3.  We are told by Adobe our virus protection software may interfere so I turned off Norton only to have Adobe sneak in McAfee.

        4.  Does Flash really have to be updated what seems like weekly?  Can I avoid the issue by just turning off whatever (download manager) keeps prompting me?

        J
        jurd_the_lost
        Participant
        June 9, 2011

        Unfortunately, the bloody updates are necessary for security purposes if your browser is flash-capable and you visit any websites that have flash, although using flash blocking should keep the malicious junk from running while you can click on anything desirable.

        The updater can be trashed, but it is reborn with every f**king update. I don't bother to jump for every update, but do a manual update when I feel like it.

        There are third-party apps made just for removing insidious crud like McAfee.

        I recommend NitroPDF . . . .

        A
        Anonymous
        April 13, 2011

        I have now started using Foxit reader rather tha Adobes PDF and it is working fine. Actually it is faster to

        http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/reader4.php

        Maybe some one can guide me towards an replacement for flash?

        J
        jjf40
        Participant
        April 12, 2011

        Absolutely stop the bundling. It is an imposition, unasked for, and sneaky. Beyond that it is dangerous because McAfee, without giving any warning, disabled my exisiting antivirus software.

        This is no way for Adobe to behave.

        A
        adamroof
        Participant
        February 2, 2011

        ...and then shockwave player wants to bunldle Norton by default. Now when theres a flash update i have to visit each user, log off, log in as admin, run the update carefully... thanks for using up time that the IT doesnt really need anyway, Adobe.

        Adobe Pro and PDF printing capabilities have been removed and replaced with Bullzip, for free even. Goodbye Adobe. I hope developers never use flash again and I wont have to deal with your blunderware at all.

        A
        Anonymous
        November 1, 2010

        Unfortunately many companies are not aware of the their customers  expectations and that due to a new generation coming up, how their  habits is changing the demands of the market.

        With new providers coming up seeing those demands and being willing to adapt to those I believe we will see a lot of large well established companies go away in the near future. Seeing a large company as ADOBE pulling cheeky ones when my Mozilla tries to update has ruined my impression of this company to be a 100% trusted company. THANKS FOR WASTING 40 MINUTES OF MY MORNING ADOBE!

        Believing  that ones name and position in the market alone is enough to substain  ones share is not a approach I believe is long lived, there is simply to  many examples of it not being enough. to only ref one example Sony vs  iPod.

        Why would ADOBE ever think that it was a good idea to bullshit crap on to their customers PC's?  Unbelievable! Who ever came up with that idea should be fired before he costs ADOBE more customer relationships. Who ever made that decision is not keeping up with the rest of the world.

        J
        jurd_the_lost
        Participant
        November 21, 2010

        Just the automatic updater is bad enough. I have the sense not to run as admin -- and I have UAC off for very good reasons. Every so often the Adobe garbage attempts to update itself when I boot up. Since I usually start right off in my lowly luser account, all I can do is tell it to eff off. The damnfool thing can't install diddly without admin privileges. Same thing at work, on the computer that visitors are allowed to use for e-mail, research, and teaching. USELESS!

        I loathe and despise McAfee. You couldn't pay me to use it. But that is beside the point. Foistware is foistware. Give us a clean product or pretty soon there will be enough open source alternatives to kick your butt off the planet.

        As for trust...I don't trust Adobe enough to give my real name, much less an e-mail addy that I use for practical things. Live with that.

        S
        StoofStoofington
        Participant
        October 29, 2010

        I have to agree with you!  I just updated flash on a new install and got tricked into installing this McAfee garbage!  Adobe, I thought you were a better company than this!  McAfee products are the last thing(s) I want on my computer and you have stooped to a new LOW!!!  Please stop this practice because it is not good business!

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