Stowaways in the Download

By Pat Tyler, Computer Enthusiast



With broad band Internet connections becoming the norm, software distribution via download is becoming more prevalent. Often along with your download a stowaway is included. This is particularly true with freeware and shareware downloads. This doesn't mean that the hitchhiker is a virus or spyware, but it can prove to be problematic for your system.

This is a common way of distributing somebody's tool bar that is attached to your browser. Google, Yahoo, and now Ask.com distribute their tool bars this way in addition to directly from their own web sites. When downloading software, paid or free, be sure to read each screen in the download process and uncheck any boxes that give your permission for the free extra software to be downloaded and installed. Some of these statements are harder to find than others, but they almost always have a check box to indicate your permission.

Have any extra toolbars or surprise bits of software on your system? Often this is the vehicle that brought it to you. I have seen some computers with as much as four inches worth of toolbars hogging screen space in the browser windows. The owner will state that they have no idea of where the stuff came from.

How to Eliminate the Intruder


This software can be uninstalled in the same way as any other program. See Removing or Uninstalling Programs for details.