When you run the Avast 7 installer, you are greeted with a start screen where you can select the express, compatible or custom install options. Express basically installs the antivirus software with the default settings, compatible installs it as a second line of defense in addition to other security software running on the system, while custom install offers the means to select the program modules that you want to install.
The very same page lists another program that will be installed if Avast users do not pay attention to the menu. The lower quarter of the screen advertises Google Chrome, and displays two selection boxes. These boxes are checked by default, so that Avast 7 will install Google Chrome on the system and make it the default browser on the system.
The option to not install Google Chrome does not come up afterwards anymore, even if you select the custom installation option. That’s a big usability issue comparable to toolbar and
If you have installed Google’s browser by accident, you can uninstall it again via the uninstall a program control panel applet. You also need to open another browser to make that one the default system browser again.
Bundling Avast with Chrome may alienate part of Avast’s user base. I do not know if the browser is also provided to users who upgrade from previous versions of the security software. It would be nice if users who upgraded their version could tell us if Chrome was installed as part of that upgrade as well.
Enjoyed the article?: Then sign-up for ourAbout the Author:
Tags:
You are here:
Next Post:
Click on the following link(s) to read more about
Responses so far:
I already had Chrome installed. After having updated to the newest Avast everything worked fine, but after one day this exact screen popped up. Naturally I just clicked continue, without paying attention to anything else, like those obscure checkboxes. Chrome was installed again and I lost all my settings and bookmarks.
Luckily I was able to restore them by going to Windows Explorer and right clicking on the default folder (in the user appdata folder) and restoring a previous version of the folder.
I had Avast 6 (free) on Windows XP SP3, got a notice that a new version of Avast was available and so I went ahead with the upgrade. I didn’t see any mention of Chrome anywhere (and never had Chrome installed). The upgrade required a reboot, but all seemed OK. That was yesterday. This morning, after starting the computer (with another reboot), Chrome was installed, made itself the default browser and even used the IE icon on the desktop to run Chrome, instead. Sneaky. This doesn’t give me a good feeling. Avast is supposed to give people a sense of confidence in using the Internet. Instead, it took control of Windows and helps Google steal information from people, without their consent. I’d guess that this was an installer bug on the part of Avast – unless they are also claiming to “do no evil” while doing so, anyways. To be fair, it’s free and you get what you pay for. Still, it makes one wonder what is going on inside our own computers.
Of course I’d rather an install of any software involve just the one software. Boo hoo, freeware isn’t like that.
Except if a user cannot read the onscreen language, I don’t see what the problem is with this, as in generating a headline here. The checkboxes are obvious (*not* obscure), the text with them is 100% clear and right there in your face. Nobody’s tricking anyone. Why would someone who can read need a second chance a few steps later to opt out?
All you have to do is pay attention.
And if you didn’t, just uninstall Chrome. Big deal.
The screen shown above is not the one I saw. My screen showed a lot of text, with the same checkboxes, but only one visually distinctive button in the bottom right.
When software shows nagging screens I want to get rid of them as quickly as possible and Avast is software I usually trust, so I just clicked. It is deceptive.
Well that is your problem. It’s like signing an agreement without reading it.
Sorry, no matter how many opine that “It is deceptive,” not reading what you are clicking is where the communication gap happens.
And no, I have nothing invested in Avast or Chrome (or Google) – just a user.
Robert Palmar says:@WebHybrid
The installer is deceptive by design.
ibeco is not at fault for trusting Avast
and making him less likely to read fine print.
That is the essence of deception by Avast here.
It is just that kind of user goodwill they are exploiting.
And the author of this article did not generate
a headline based upon false pretenses as you imply.
He provided a heads-up to users who have trusted Avast.
In *MY* Avast upgrade installation yesterday, there was NO mention of Chrome. None. I’ve been installing software on everything from supercomputers to on-board chips for 35 years (yep) and have written super-reliable installing scripts and I can read English, thank you very much.
It seems that the Avast installation differs among different users and, likely, has been changed in production by Avast, probably fixing some bugs as they come to light. I bet they are doing that right now, too. In fact, I *HOPE* that they are fixing bugs as quickly as they can! This would explain why not everyone will be experiencing the same thing.
The whole attitude that ‘if the software doesn’t work right, it must be the user’s fault’ is just so Micro$oft. Some of you guys never knew computers that actually worked right because programmers cared about releasing reliable software. Software doesn’t HAVE to be buggy. Quit blaming the users.
The installer is deliberately deceptive
and less sophisticated users will be taken
which is the whole point to such deception.
Software producers who treat people
like idiots should be avoided and
there are plenty of alternatives.
ok,tried custom and it DID download BUT when i tried to install,got a error message saying unable to install,missing file THEN did the express and everything went ok HOWEVER chrome was installed which i uninstalled with Ccleaner but STILL needed to delete from Windows Programs folder
Google Chrome, the new Ask Toolbar! A really nasty, privacy invading piece of software, if ever there was one.
If you’re using anything other than Microsoft Security Essentials for an anti-virus, you’re paying too much (even if what you use is “free”).
If you are using the worse ever anti-virus, MSE , you are a looser.
I installed it to give it a try, but my it hard locked my system at the end of the install and again when i eventually was able to reboot. Oh well, looked interesting.
Installers are getting sneakier about these kind of third party installations lately.
I’ve been using Avast for years. I’ve never had any trouble with Avast – that is to say, never had an infection the bring my system to it’s knees nor did Avast itself bring the system to it’s knees w/ a huge resource footprint or the like.
For years and years reputable software companies have bundled other software (whether it’s Chrome browser or some toolbar), in with their free installations. It has become second nature to many of us to intentionally do a “Custom Installation” just to ensure we don’t have 26 “toolbars” on our internet browser.
I looked at the above screenshot and see NOTHING deceptive about it. If you did accidentally install it, go uninstall it through Programs and Features in Control Panel.
Personally, I pay for a copy of AIS. I upgraded to 7 yesterday. I upgraded through the program itself and it didn’t ask me about Chrome, nor did it install Chrome on my computer. For those of you who don’t believe in paying for anti-virus software, I can relate to an extent, but I have gone to the filthiest corners of the internet with my main machine running Avast Internet Security and while it had every alarm screaming at me as I was under siege every type of malware known to man and machine-kind, I knew I was safe, I wouldn’t trust MSE to defend me with the same precision and zealotry that Avast does. Avasts Firewall alone dwarf’s anything Microsoft has ever put out.
There was a time where I might have been “offended” that a company was trying to bundle extra software, but in this day and age, if you’re giving your software away for free, you gotta make a dollar to pay your programmers, and if that means Avast puts an option for Chrome to be installed so they can make an extra buck by spreading Google’s browser to the masses, I don’t fault them for that because at the end of the day Avast is one of the superior anti-virus/malware programs on the free and pay markets.
Over 3 years now and I will not have any anti-virus software running in the background anymore. To me its worse than having a virus.
I run a few things manually every week or two and never a problem except for the odd tracking cookie.
Most of these types of software start out good then become something that does more harm than good. Just my opinion.
My update to Avast!7 reminds me each reboot that I am “almost finished with the installation” – and has a box checked which asks me to “participate in Avast community”. I uncheck this box every time – and the sequence repeats each reboot.
I am always skeptical of being “hard-wired” to a server somewhere and permanently sharing information – does anyone know how to get rid of this “reminder” without “joining the Avast community”? Thanks.
Like other upgraders I did not see the screen shown above on 2/24/12. For early installers that screen with the Chrome options was supposed to appear after the reboot. Prior to the reboot Avast downloaded and then a message appeared that it needed to reboot to complete the install. After the reboot that screen with the checked Chrome options never appeared and we instead received a message that Avast was installing. I am meticulous about doing custom installs and unchecking options for unwanted software, so I resent the implication that all users were asleep at the switch.
Another issue was that Avast did a system-wide install of Chrome rather than the user install I had in place. It also advised me after the fact that Chrome had been installed by an Administrator. Who gave Avast the right to do a system-wide third-party software install as an Administrator of my system without my permission?
I contacted Avast and received a response from the Quality Control Manager that it was a bug in that iteration that caused the problem. I had to uninstall both Chrome (had already lost all my settings, extensions etc.) and Avast to get my laptop working properly again. I did a clean install of Chrome and when I did a later clean install of Avast it recognized that Chrome was already installed and did not offer to install it again. This makes me think that Avast rushed in a quick fix.
This had nothing to do with not paying attention for users who did not get the screen (though that may be the case for some users who did get the screen). It was an Avast bug. See the tweet and the Avast forum post;
https://twitter.com/#!/lukashasik/status/173784651276623873
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=qus049ao4ba8dr9uu4nqum76e6&topic=93980.0
I left out the part that my first clue that something was wrong with my laptop was when I tried to open Chrome and it crashed repeatedly (many threads for this after Avast install). Like other users I also experienced other issues. For example I opened Control Panel to check the recent installations and the screen froze. So I restarted my computer again and when I tried to open Chrome, I received the message that an Administrator had done a system-wide install of Chrome. I initially thought it was a Chrome issue but after a quick Twitter check realized that Avast 7 was the culprit.
Avast if my favorite AV, i am using the same for the last 4 years. including chrome i don’t think a serious matter bcz people now very familiar with chrome.