HyperSnap now installs toolbar, without asking?

[rjbull]

Copy of an e-mail I just sent to Hyperionics:

I have a single-user license for HyperSnap, so I installed it on my USB stick.  I just upgraded to the most recent version 6.80.01, installing on top of the last one on my USB stick.

1) Installation process thinks you want to install to hard disk, even though the box for portable USB is checked. That is, the Browse for the target  installation directory seems to point to the c:\Program Files etc. and one has to take extra steps to navigate to the USB stick.

2) Installation put a Hyperionics toolbar in IE. I didn't see it ask for this - granted, I may have missed it - but I certainly didn't see it, I absolutely do not want it (I check on new versions using WebSite-Watcher) and it's taken me time and effort to remove it. I'm still not sure I have it completely removed.

Please, don't do this.  I got so angry I've deleted HyperSnap altogether.

I should add, it installed the toolbar for both Firefox and IE.  The Firefox add-on was easy enough to uninstall, though I then had to re-start Firefox to complete it.  The IE toolbar was much harder to get rid of, as mentioned above.  The toolbar seems mostly about checking the latest versions of Hyperionics products.  I'm not prepared to waste screen space on that and resent having to waste time on removing it.  This misbehaviour seems new, I don't remember it from earlier versions.

It also means that the "portable" installation isn't truly portable, because it interferes with whatever host machine you install from, setting Registry keys.  I should haved used Total Uninstall; I didn't expect to have to do that with "portable" software.

And instant (as in, sent e-mail, posted here, went to bathroom, checked here, checked e-mail) response from author Greg Kochaniak;

Hello Robert,
Sorry about this trouble. I tried to not offer and not install the toolbar
when the portable setup is selected, but maybe I made an error in my
programming. The setup asks if you want it for a regular installation. I'll
look into it and fix it if necessary.
The toolbar is removed completely after you uninstall it from Windows
Control Panel - Add/Remove Programs (on Windows XP) or "Programs and
Features" on Vista and Windows 7.

Greg

Can't reply fairer than that (and note that I did say I might have missed the option).

[sajman99]

Yeah, these sneaky toolbar antics are getting out of control.

If we don't want or need some toolbar or other add-on, we shouldn't have to take time to uninstall the junk.

Having paid for this software, you have every right to complain. Seems to me you have been disrespected by Hyperionics.  

edit: Ah, perhaps an honest mistake was made and they will fix the issue promptly. If so--good for them!

[rjbull]

sajman99, looks like you were posting while I was modifying my OP, because the author replied so fast; looks like an error on his part.  But - as is obvious - I thoroughly agree about fighting nuisance toolbars.

[rjbull]

Playing message leapfrog   

[cyberdiva]

I too recently upgraded my copy of HyperSnap to version 6.80.01, and I was DEFINITELY asked whether I wanted to have the toolbar installed.  There were also links to the additional EULA and privacy policy that would be in effect for the toolbar.  I almost NEVER want an extra toolbar, and I get upset if the software makes a toolbar necessary.  Fortunately, in this case, it seemed clear that the toolbar was by no means necessary, and I chose not to install it.  I am 100% sure that I was told about the possibility of the toolbar and given the option not to include it.

[J-Mac]

I too recently upgraded my copy of HyperSnap to version 6.80.01, and I was DEFINITELY asked whether I wanted to have the toolbar installed.  There were also links to the additional EULA and privacy policy that would be in effect for the toolbar.  I almost NEVER want an extra toolbar, and I get upset if the software makes a toolbar necessary.  Fortunately, in this case, it seemed clear that the toolbar was by no means necessary, and I chose not to install it.  I am 100% sure that I was told about the possibility of the toolbar and given the option not to include it.

-cyberdiva (April 20, 2010, 06:03 PM)

I'm curious - was yours a portable version? Or a Windows-installed version? I have to agree with rjbull that given an option or not, such an add-on should never be part of a portable app as it would leave behind remnants of its installation on public or friends' computers.

Thank you.

Jim

[Curt]

-they are both one and the same file

[cyberdiva]

I'm curious - was yours a portable version? Or a Windows-installed version?

-J-Mac (April 20, 2010, 10:50 PM)

Jim, I think Curt has answered your question.  I installed mine on my desktop, and to be honest I probably couldn't have answered your question without Curt's response, since I paid no attention to the possibility of installing HyperSnap on a flash drive or other portable media.   But I agree with Curt, and his screenshots are also what I saw--including the set-up page devoted to the toolbar.  It's hard to miss.

[rjbull]

But Curt's screenshots are set for installation to a hard disk.  I checked the Portable box, and I don't remember seeing the second of the two screenshots.  Even then, the target installation directory was set at c:\Program Files and I had to navigate to the USB drive.

I'm not going through that again, but what I think is, installation-as-portable correctly doesn't offer to install the toolbar because it knows that you don't want that on a portable installation.  Then it goes ahead and does it anyway.  But, author Greg Kochaniak has said he'll look into it.

[wraith808]

I think in the installer it's quite likely that the two options for install use diverging paths... and it's quite possible that he forgot to duplicate the screen in both paths.  It's easy enough to do unintentionally.

[Curt]

it takes so little to uninstall the thing and try again

[cyberdiva]

I'm not going through that again, but what I think is, installation-as-portable correctly doesn't offer to install the toolbar because it knows that you don't want that on a portable installation.  Then it goes ahead and does it anyway.  But, author Greg Kochaniak has said he'll look into it.

-rjbull (April 21, 2010, 03:28 PM)

I've found Greg to be very responsive to reports of problems.  I suspect he'll sort this out quickly.

[J-Mac]

It does look like a true error. I asked about which type of installation because I suspected - as most probably did - that the portable installation was designed NOT to install or even offer the toolbar/search engine change etc. while the full installation IS intended to offer that stuff. Still appears that way, and it does sound like the developer pretty much said that. He sounds like an OK guy and will probably work with anyone to straighten the mixup out.

Thank you.

Jim

[PhilB66]

I ran the installer (sandboxed), selected the portable option... HS6 autoinstalled the bigseekpro toolbar.



For a portable version... use 7-zip to extract the files from the installer and then delete unnecessary files (hstoolbar.exe, hstb.exe, etc.). Run the program, enter your key, configure and save (.ini file) in the application folder.

[Darwin]

I hate installers that install these toolbars, even if it is "optional". My feelings about it remind me of an incident with my grandfather. An old Yorkshireman (he would have been around 92 at the time), I was making him lunch - a cheese sandwich. I asked if he would like mayonnaise on it and he barked at me:

"If I wanted a flaminng mayonnaise sandwich, I'd ask for a mayonnaise sandwich"

Says it all, really.

Miss my grandfather dreadfully... though I was scared Witless of him when I was young!

[wraith808]

it takes so little to uninstall the thing and try again

-Curt (April 21, 2010, 04:45 PM)

While true, some people don't want to do this (as I found in another thread), and looking at it from a different perspective, I can see their point, if not necessarily agree with it.

[cranioscopical]

An old Yorkshireman...
"If I wanted a flaminng mayonnaise sandwich, I'd ask for a mayonnaise sandwich"

-Darwin (April 22, 2010, 08:23 AM)

Is it not true that, in some parts of Yorkshire, mentioning mayonnaise remains a hanging offense?

[Darwin]

An old Yorkshireman...
"If I wanted a flaminng mayonnaise sandwich, I'd ask for a mayonnaise sandwich"

-Darwin (April 22, 2010, 08:23 AM)

Is it not true that, in some parts of Yorkshire, mentioning mayonnaise remains a hanging offense?

-cranioscopical (April 22, 2010, 11:14 AM)

Clearly! Two other of his pet peeves were peanut butter ("muck") and pasta ("I don't want no flaming pastas (sic)")... No one DARED suggest that he eat peanut butter. Verboten.

[rjbull]

I ran the installer (sandboxed)

-PhilB66 (April 21, 2010, 10:30 PM)

Good idea.  I didn't think of that.  I wasn't going to try again by the regular route, because I'd have just had to do the uninstalling again as well.  <sigh>  time to install SandBoxIE, I suppose...

For a portable version... use 7-zip to extract...

And a workaround for extra kudos!  Go to the top of the class, PhilB66!     You do have to know which files are unwanted, though.