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Bob_Timms
Participating Frequently
April 5, 2012
Answered

adobe flashplayer update installs mcafee crapware

  • April 5, 2012
  • 16 replies
  • 175242 views

Updated flash player and these adobe installed macafee crapware without even asking!!!! How can they do that? Why would they do that? Why do they want to piss off someone especially a customer! They have made me a totally RELUCTANT customer now.

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer

    No the download and install starts immediately. see http://www.adobe.com/go/getflash/ when embedded:

    Where can I send the invoice for the half an hour lost deinstalling the crap!

    16 replies

    Show previous replies
    N
    NightArcher
    New Participant
    November 13, 2012

    Adobe

    I've been a long time user of Photoshop, Lightroom, and Acrobat. If you EVER install another unwanted program on my compouter (Mcaffee) I will NO LONGER USE YOUR PRODUCTS.

    L
    Limey4275
    New Participant
    November 13, 2012

    Yeah, it's actually pretty amazing that a company of Adobe's stature pushes this type of unnecessary and unwanted nonsense on its users.  I know their reply: "Just un-check the box."  Adobe, this is (as you full well know) complete rubbish, and totally counter to the public brand and persona I think you desire.  If you think the default doesn't matter, then choose the "First, do no harm" default, and have the box un-checked by default.  But you KNOW the default DOES matter, and it matters a lot (and it certainly matters to the people paying you to foist this nonsense on your user community).  Either stop this immediately, or risk losing customers by the thousands.

    J
    jslabaugh123
    New Participant
    September 3, 2012

    What's with automatically installing the McAfee crapware??!!  I wasn't given an opportunity to opt-out, something I usually find annoying enough, but this time Adobe just went ahead and installed McAfee, no questions asked.  What sort of BS thinking is that??!  This is the kind of crap that makes me want to install FlashBlock and ask the sites I frequent to move to HTML5.  Look, we all know times are tough, especially for a slow-moving behemoth like Adobe, but maybe you should try to *not* alienate your users.  Heavy-handed moves like this do not endear you to anyone.

    A
    AnotherAGladys
    Participating Frequently
    August 30, 2012

    Can someone from Adobe please explain exactly how the McAfee software is critical to the fuctioning of Flash Player.

    Making the rash assumption that it isn't actually either critical to the finction or even a part of some obscure optional functionality within Flash player, can Adobe please explain (and do so convincingly) exactly what the hell it is doing bundled with Flash player?

    If it's something that is really so knee tremblingly good, why the hell aren't people queuing up, asking where they can get it purely on its own merit - Or is it actually so rubbish that it needs to be promoted in this way?

    If Adobe insist that they really do want to bundle unrelated, unnecessary and largely unwanted applications with their product, can Adobe please explain exactly why its installation is enabled by default.

    At the moment Adobe are behaving precisely like any other purveyor of malware: the product is completely unnecessary, irrelevant and almost universally unwanted and its installer defaults to making changes to the victims PC unkess the victim takes steps to avoid it. That is a malware action pure and simple. End of.

    Adobe - please stop acting like you are some kind of malware pusher.

    it is not nice.

    chris.campbell
    Community Manager
    chris.campbellCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    August 30, 2012

    McAfee (and Google toolbar/Chrome) are not critical to the functioning of Flash Player.  These are optional installs and we do state this on the download page.

    I understand how you feel.  I've passed this along to our team and will continue to do so.  The fact is that these offers help offset the development costs for Flash Player (which is provided for free).  I hear your request to make this an opt in, instead of opt out, offer and I'll also make that clear to the team. 

    If you've opted into our "Allow Adobe to install updates (recommended)" update mechanism, you will only receive this notification with major releases.  You are not obligated to click the download button in the Flash Player update dialog.  Dismissing the dialog will allow you to continue to use Flash Player as you have been.  You will automatically and silently receive the Flash Player update after 30 days of it's release, or sooner if a "zero day" security update is made available.  This silent update will not include any additional software nor prompt you to install third party software.

    J
    JamesGaston
    New Participant
    September 9, 2012

    After stupidly allowing flash to update I found McAfee installed on my machine. Ugh.

    I've now removed McAfee (I think) and I have removed every little bit of Flash I could find.

    I'll think twice before I give Adobe any more money.

    U
    unspecialfx85
    New Participant
    August 28, 2012

    I've had to uninstall mcafee now over 20 times. I was allowing users to do their own flash updates (my bad? I didn't think Adobe would be spreading crapware) Now I have to block Adobe flash updates from my users? Good job adobe, the first so-called reputable software maker to start bundling crapware into your updates. Hope the $$$ macafee paid you was worth losing all credibility. Maybe Apple's got the right idea looking for alternatives.

    C
    cinergy7
    New Participant
    May 11, 2012

    I was just trying to read a new article, it said I needed the newest Adobe to read it, I downloaded it and I got a free version of McAfee with no ability to opt out. The places that are giving us the link are to blame if they are not updating the link. I have been baffled how I could get McAfee without ever downloading it, and I finally found out today. Hopefully, Adobe can help get these sites to redirect to the correct and most up to date software.

    chris.campbell
    Community Manager
    chris.campbellCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    May 15, 2012

    If you can give me an example of a site that does this, or an application that prompts for you to update and then causes this to happen, I'll look into it asap.

    chris.campbell
    Community Manager
    chris.campbellCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    May 17, 2012

    This official Adobe statement supports what I said about auto-updates coming to my computer FROM ADOBE. We don't need to give you links. You should have them.

    Please check the facts. I'm willing to believe that your employer may not be dealing you all the cards in the deck or giving you straight, unvarnished Truth, but that's all I want to hear. Enough of the corporate innocence act.


    Ritergeek,

    You will not receive a third party install without being given the chance to opt out first.  Our silent auto update service will never install a third party application.

    As for the sentence you quoted:

    "In some cases, the new version of Flash Player that you are downloading includes enhancements that give your computer additional protection when browsing the web." 

    This refers to enhancements and security fixes that are include in Flash Player code.  Not third party utilities.

    My facts are checked, no corporate innocence act.  I'm very aware that third party utilities are a touchy subject with some users and have made sure to relay this sentiment to our team.  If you find a third party website that causes Flash Player to be installed along with a third party utility, and you did not have the ability to opt out of additional installs, please give me the URL and I'll make sure we contact the website asap.

    Chris

    libflashplayer_so
    Adobe Employee
    libflashplayer_so
    Adobe Employee
    April 5, 2012

    during the installation there should have been an opt-out check box (see screenshot)

    it's possible you overlooked this screen?  or did you uncheck and the installation still went through?  or did you happen to try another alternative and mcafee was installed?  if alternative, would you explain the steps you took to get to that state?  thanks...

    A
    Anonymous
    Correct answer
    April 16, 2012

    No the download and install starts immediately. see http://www.adobe.com/go/getflash/ when embedded:

    Where can I send the invoice for the half an hour lost deinstalling the crap!

      chris.campbell
      Community Manager
      chris.campbellCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      April 16, 2012

      Can you point me to a page that embeds this?  Going to http://www.adobe.com/go.getflash/ by itself does not start an immediate download.

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