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Other => General Topics => Topic started by: Avastfan1 on June 30, 2010, 10:31:31 AM
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The free Foxit PDF Reader has been updated to Version 4.0.0.0619. This version contains a range of new features including comments tools, text viewer and converter, form filler, spell checker and advanced editing tools, along with bug fixes.
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/downloads/index.php
I have version 3.3.1.0518 installed, yet the internal update function does not show the new version.
If I download the new version from the website, does it now contain malware or adware (eg. ask toolbar)?
I am unsure whether the old version even had it?
Thanks!
Avastfan1
Thanks!
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Hi,
Yes, it still has the toolbar option in the installer. But you can opt-out of it.
Check here for more detailed guide : http://www.ghacks.net/2010/06/30/foxit-reader-4-installation-read-carefully/
nmb
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Thank you very much for that link!
Is it better to install using the MSI? Or is it better to use the 'portable' version in the .zip?
Cheers,
Avastfan1
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Your Welcome.
Its completely your decision - on how you use it.
1). Do you require to use it on multiple computers and want it to carry on usb? or if you do not want the program to set registry entries, use the portable version.
2). Else, if you use it on your desktop, install it using the msi.
nmb
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Thanks again.
Just installed using the MSI installer. I selected 'custom install' and deselected the Foxit toolbar option.
How do I know now if it installed the ask toolbar? The screen from the ghacks website with the 'accept or decline' did not appear during install.
In the Windows 'Add/Remove Programs' there is no listing of the ask toolbar.
Thanks!
Avastfan1
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Since you have deselected the toolbar option, it has not showed you the terms.
Make sure : Check your internet explorer by opening it and even Firefox, if you have.
nmb
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These toolbars are harmless in general. They are annoying but they are just as easy to remove as they are to install.
Next time pay more attention to what installer is saying. It's what most of people don't do.
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Next time pay more attention to what installer is saying. It's what most of people don't do.
+1
In case any of your software installed any toolbar, or for any uninstaller for that matter, help's here : http://uninstallers.blogspot.com/
nmb
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Thank you both for the information and tips.
Perhaps I was not clear in my earlier post. However, I was alert for the 'toolbar screen' before installing Foxit Software. In fact, I took the time to ask for advice on this board and read the information posted on ghacks about the toolbar.
Hence, as already mentioned: I selected 'custom install' and waited for the 'toolbar screen' to appear (which it did not!).
I read on the ghacks website that 'the MSI installer does not include the toolbar'. Which is why I will repeat my original question more clearly:
Can anybody else confirm that the MSI installer for Foxit Reader does not include the Ask toolbar or any other adware/malware bollocks?
Thank you in advance!
Avastfan1
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Doh!
I'm sorry. Yes, it doesn't have the toolbar stuff.
nmb
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There is another alternative to the PDF problem.
Simply use the latest build of Google's Chrome browser (6.0.447.0)
It uses a built in PDF function. :)
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Or, you can try coolPDFreader which is a small download but reads PDF files very quickly.
It also has many other features. Read about it at the link below.
http://www.pdf2exe.com/reader.html
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I like to quote something here.
Last day,
I was seeing video. Which was a presentation by Mikko hypponen(CTO of F-secure) at some college. In the presentation he did speak about pdf attacks. At the end of his presentation, one of the audience got up and asked : What software do you recommend? So mikko said,We stopped recommending softwares to people. The questioner asked again : Why? Mikko said,We did a mistake before and we don't want to repeat it. When ie was the most used browser, hackers and malware writers started targeting ie... so people asked what other browsers to use, then we recommended firefox.. now, that was the mistake we did.. because of that, user base of ff grew, but virus writers started targeting it. But instead if we had not recommended any particular browser but given a list of browsers, the users would be distributed among them and so the writers wouldnt targert the browsers so much like we are seeing now. Same is the case here. So we do not recommend any particular pdf reader.
Disclaimer :Above are not exactly the same words of the speakers but they conveyed similar info.
nmb
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Thank you again for the support.
I have not tried coolPDFreader nor Google Chrome's inbuilt PDF reader. However, should Foxit Reader become unstable or other reports of malware/adware surface, I will be sure to try them!
Cheers,
Avastfan1
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Download the .zip version of Foxit from http://www.foxitsoftware.com/downloads/index.php and you won't get any of this toolbar nonsense. It is sad that all the promoted download links point directly to the .msi version hence these floods of complaints about Ask toolbars etc every time they bring out a new version. There never was a need for an installer for Foxit, but some people asked for it and look what they got....
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Just keep in mind that MANY software now include adware like you are dealing with in this thread. The best way to avoid it is to do a custom install and read your screen carefully to avoid installing anything you do not need. After downloading the file and before installing it, scan it with Avast and an on-demand scanner (MBAM, or something else) to make sure it is malware-free.