OpenCandy in the installer...my $0.02 worth

[beholder242]

Earlier this month, I built a new PC, and as I was installing my usual set of tools and utilities, I decided to install the updated version of ImgBurn 2.5.8.0 as the one I had stashed in my utilities folder was 2.5.6.0.  I downloaded from the main ImgBurn website as I considered it the most trusted source.  Almost as soon as my download finished, Trend popped up saying the download was malware and automatically nuked the file.  Puzzled, I downloaded again and was able to start the installer before Trend had its way with it again.  Everything seemed normal until I noticed a new wrinkle in the install of some obscure toolbar.  I hate toolbars and like to opt-out of those, but this one was greyed out, appearing to indicate it would be forced whether I like it or not.  I instead aborted the install, and Trend promptly nuked it from my hard drive again.  I tried a few more times to download from the main ImgBurn site, but eventually gave up since Trend insisted on nuking it.  I went back to my safe 2.5.6.0 installer and put that on instead.  At that point, I decided that if this was how LIGHTNING UK! was going to treat their wonderful piece of freeware, then I'd just stick to 2.5.6.0.

 

Then I came here to see what others were thinking, and imagine my surprise to go through 5 pages of this forum, and at least 50% of the posts on each page (what would that be, 20? 25? per page?) are complaining about malware, adware, OpenCandy, etc. etc. with varying degrees of civility.  What I found most strange is that in response (when there were responses), LIGHTNING UK! basically said it was either the users' faults or OpenCandy and not his fault.  

 

LIGHTNING UK!:   It *is* your fault.

 

Why?

 

Look, I don't think anyone here would blame you for wanting to make a buck off your software, whether it be through donations, or simple and straightforward opt-outs for the Ask.com toolbar.  I think I just automatically do that whenever I see those in installers nowadays, and never had a problem with it.  But OpenCandy is a downright sneaky piece of adware, and it's something YOU chose to incorporate into the installer.  OpenCandy did not put a gun to your head and force you to include it, and the users sure as hell didn't request OpenCandy get put on their machines, regardless if it's just there temporarily or not.  If the other posts on your forum are to be believed by people who inadvertently installed OpenCandy's offers, then they are clearly a deployment platform for malware, plain and simple.  

 

But just out of curiosity, I just downloaded (4pm CDT on 10/28/14) and installed ImgBurn 2.5.8.0 on my work laptop.  Fortunately, Kaspersky isn't quite as aggressive as Trend, and it allowed me to install.  I went through the EULA, chose the install location, the options for ImgBurn install, and then got the first OpenCandy offer.  Express Install was default selected, but the Custom Install option was grayed out.  Normally, this indicates the Custom option is disabled.  If you click it, though, it does activate and permits you to uncheck the option boxes.  I clicked Next and got the second OpenCandy offer.  Same thing here:  Custom Install was grayed out, but selectable, and the checkboxes could be unchecked.  This behavior is clearly deceptive.

 

The good news is, after opting out and completing the install, I checked my Add/Remove Programs (or whatever they call it now on Windows 7) and the only thing that shows being installed today is ImgBurn.  So I was apparently able to successfully opt out, as you do say.  I also can confirm that opening the installer with 7-zip and extracting the ImgBurn.exe file does work as well to avoid OpenCandy.  I didn't check to see if this method breaks anything, though, for example if a required DLL or other dependency was not present since I didn't do a proper install.

 

Despite this, I strongly urge you to reconsider going forward with OpenCandy.  The software is showing deceptive tendencies at the very least, and could be installing malware regardless of users opting-out at the worst.  Either way, it is significantly tarnishing the reputation of this software, which is discouraging as it has been my go-to piece of CD and DVD-burning software ever since it's life after DVDDecrypter.

 

If you really want, I'll record a few installs of this in a VM and let you see for yourself what other users are seeing.

 

And one more thing regarding OpenCandy and whether or not it's a malware-deployment platform:  Why is it that the software it offers are all so obscure and generally toolbars?  I mean, it's be one thing if the third-party software being offered was coming from recognized names like Microsoft, Symantec, Adobe, or Google, but the offers I saw on my install were from companies that I'd never heard of.  Sorry, but to me that just reeks of some guy in his basement writing "utilities" (read: malware), making up some company name, and colluding with OpenCandy to infect as many users computers as possible.

 

Just my $0.02 worth.

[ianymaty]

 

LIGHTNING UK!:   It *is* your fault.

 

 

 

It "is" LIGHTNING UK! fault that ImgBurn is here for us and free!

 

As your story tells, you managed to install only the ImgBurn from all the offers. It is clearly that if you actually read what you intend to do you end up right. People need to be carefull this days. And not only with computers.

 

I'm not here to be the advocate of LIGHTNING UK! but you sure know that this offer could be under a contract and he can't do much until it's finished. Than he can decide what to do next.

 

All complains should go to OpenCandy. http://www.opencandy.com/  You can't blame him about OpenCandy offers.

[beholder242]

 

 

LIGHTNING UK!:   It *is* your fault.

 

 

 

It "is" LIGHTNING UK! fault that ImgBurn is here for us and free!

 

As your story tells, you managed to install only the ImgBurn from all the offers. It is clearly that if you actually read what you intend to do you end up right. People need to be carefull this days. And not only with computers.

 

I'm not here to be the advocate of LIGHTNING UK! but you sure know that this offer could be under a contract and he can't do much until it's finished. Than he can decide what to do next.

 

All complains should go to OpenCandy. http://www.opencandy.com/  You can't blame him about OpenCandy offers.

 

 

Hey all ImgBurn users who don't like OpenCandy in the installer: according to ianymaty, it's OpenCandy's fault that the ImgBurn installer has OpenCandy in it.  So, e-mail OpenCandy and tell them to take their components out of the ImgBurn installer.

 

I predict that their response will be, "We have no control over the compiling or packaging of the ImgBurn binaries or installer.  We just provide the wrapper components that LIGHTNING UK! has chosen to incorporate into the ImgBurn installer and pay LIGHTNING UK! for every offer his users see.  Have a nice day!"

 

Sorry for the heavy sarcasm, but are you starting to see the distinction I am trying to make?

[rjamesd]

 

 

LIGHTNING UK!:   It *is* your fault.

 

 

All complains should go to OpenCandy. http://www.opencandy.com/  You can't blame him about OpenCandy offers.

 

 

YES. YOU. CAN. BLAME. HIM.

 

He just needs to remove it and offer the software as paid for. That's the honest way to make the money.

 

So many other software makers so this. Many small ones.