Problems with installer, possible malware infection

[notahappybunny]

Hi,

 

I hope this is the right forum. I just installed ImgBurn from your site but probably clicked the wrong download button. I didn't notice the text links at first so I hit the ImgBurn download button on the right side. I think the URL was http://imgburn.downloadhosters.com/?gclid=CNr4uJec7rcCFQSCQgodBBQAvg

 

Does it belong to you?

 

Now my startup page is Delta-search instead of Google which is very annoying BUT what worries me the most is the fact that pretty much every site I found about Delta Search say it's malware or adware, see this for instance: http://deletemalware.blogspot.com/2013/02/remove-delta-searchcom-redirect-delta.html

 

Another interesting thing, Avast didn't block anything suspicious but when I tried to download ImgBurn on my laptop I got this warning from Eset: 

 

http://i.imgur.com/wOlG5o0.jpg

 

I can't seem to find a way to remove this delta search nuisance. It probably messed up my registry or smth. I'm not that good with computers. Hopefully, I will find a way to remove it because I really don't want to bring it to Geek Squad again, they clearly overcharge. 

 

It would be really nice if you stopped pushing Delta search and similar junk with ImgBurn. 

Edited June 18, 2013 by notahappybunny

[LIGHTNING UK!]

No, downloadhoasters.com is nothing to do with me and it's not one of the official mirror sites.

 

If you installed a toolbar or whatever and you didn't mean to / don't want it, try just removing it via the normal 'add/remove programs' / 'programs and features' within Control Panel.

[notahappybunny]

Then whoever owns that site is pushing ImgBurn bundled with toolbars and similar junk. And the misleading ad is placed on your site. Anyway, the delta search thing is gone now. Malwarebytes found and removed a few threats including the installer I downloaded from downloadhoasters.com. 

[rjamesd]

notahappybunny - you'll also find that the delta toolbar crap is also being peddled in the installer downloaded from the **official imgburn site**, imgburn.com - this site - as I found. See here: http://forum.imgburn.com/index.php?showtopic=21629

 

LIGHTNING UK! hope the pennies you get from the adware are worth the noise being created in these forums...

[LIGHTNING UK!]

...potentially being offered by the installer downloaded from the **official imgburn site**, imgburn.com...

[rjamesd]

...potentially being offered by the installer downloaded from the **official imgburn site**, imgburn.com...

 

Why did you bother with the 'offers' in the installer? I'd be inclined to think that most people DON'T WANT IT and would either: opt-out and untick the offer OR once installed, uninstall straight-away.

 

You haven'r really explained why you use them. You keep saying that ImgBurn hasn't changed. However, the "apparatus" around it i.e. the installer is a conscious choice of yours. In that YOU have chosen to package imgburn into these installers for distribution.

 

I am really astounded by the contrast between the brilliance of imgburn in its functionality against the utter utter lameness of your business model but consciously choosing to bundle crapware. I'm sure there are people like me who are willing to pay for a full version of your software after using a lite version.

[ianymaty]

The offers are optional so you can avoid them. It cost you a click but for the author it brings some cash for his time invested in this marvelous piece of software.

 

It's his choice to let us use it for free so respect that and let him decide how it release it. If you don't need the offers just click to opt-out. It's simple as that.

 

If someone give you for free a box of crap and tell you that in that box there is a diamond, what would you do? Think about it!

 

As long as you can opt-out, what is realy the problem here? The one more click to be?

[rjamesd]

The offers are optional so you can avoid them. It cost you a click but for the author it brings some cash for his time invested in this marvelous piece of software.

 

I have actually DONATED 30 dollars to the author for their hard work via their donate button, about a week ago when I started contributing to users' concerns about these extra 'offers', see here: http://forum.imgburn.com/index.php?showtopic=21629&p=148361

 

My concerns are these:

1. not so much with the additional 'offers', toolbars, etc. But more WHO they are from. I have never heard of them, e.g. delta-search so it's natural and reasonable to be suspicious compared with brands that one knows. You just cannot argue with that, in all aspects of life you use things and services with established and trusted reputation. Now, if you confined your 'offers' to Ask, Yahoo, AVG, CNET, Google, etc then I wouldn't be here voicing my concerns. As imburn providers we trust YOUR software - i.e. the imgburn program (nothing else) and you yourselves can give us that guarantee. However - can you 100% guarantee that these 'offers' such as the delta-search are not harmful to the user's PC, can you?! Now I would like to think they aren't harmful and the responses to my reports of malwarebytes forum suggest that they are just adware, but still, relatively unknown companies so trust isn't there...

2. the deceitful default enabled setting of the options. Answer this: why aren't they turned off by default?! and the fact that the installer shows that they are recommended by imgburn - which the author admits themselves their concerns about that - see here: http://forum.imgburn.com/index.php?showtopic=21629&p=148367

3. 'brings in cash' a 'few extra bucks' for these 'offers'. The reality is that people will either opt-out of these offers during the install or uninstall them afterwards - so whoever provides these 'offers' will find that their tool are not being used so they are getting a poor investment on their return from paying money to the imgburn author to agree to include their tools. Seems pointless to me. And I've stated before in these discussions, I think this is a rather lame business model. I really don't understand why you couldn't offer a paid-for version as I'm sure I'm not the only person who would be willing to (and had proved it ) to pay for your brilliant product. This what other companies do such as nch,com.au do and other companies use platforms such as regnow, digital river, cleverbytes as means to deliver their paid-for products. In the going the route you have, you have tainted your reputation. Comment?