The Windows Apps You Never Need To Install

[CWuestefeld]

What software is more trouble than it's worth?

Today I stumbled on a post (http://www.dashes.com/anil/2006/08/the-windows-app.html) asking this question.

He proposes two things for the "award": WinZip and any codec pack. Other commenters point out the various IE toolbars, and Adobe Acrobat.

Unfortunately the conversation then collapses into debates about various archiving programs and codecs. But the question is still interesting.

So, what programs make you sigh when you sit down at someone else's computer?

[mwb1100]

As far as codec packs go, I'm not sure about whether or not they're really 'sketchy' or useless (though I haven't installed one because of rumors or indications that some might be malware infected, so I guess I consider them sketchy), but Microsoft really dropped the ball on this.  I'm not sure how dealing with various audio/video formats should work, but I'll tell you what - it seems like more than half the time I get a non-YouTube video link or file from from someone and try to play it, I'll get:

• some message about not having the right codec, but no decent indication of what I need or where to get it
• sound but no image
• image but no sound

YouTube's use of the Flash video format has largely fixed this problem (I guess by making that format a defacto standard), but codec problems are a big thumbs down for me, and I fix the blame squarely on Microsoft for pushing that complexity on to *me* - someone who knows squat about the technology and whose interest in the technology extends exactly zero beyond being able to push a play button and have the stuff actually play.

[nosh]

Windows Media Player!!! Although I have a feeling it's almost certainly the most 'popular' player. [404: zombies.ico]

[Deozaan]

So, what programs make you sigh when you sit down at someone else's computer?

Pretty much any bundle-in browser toolbar (Yahoo!, Google, etc).

Pretty much anything Yahoo! for that matter.

McAfee Antivirus.

I used to really hate RealPlayer and QuickTime but it's been a really long time since I've used them or seen them so maybe they've changed.

Any sort of software that comes with a digital camera, like Kodak EasyShare software for photo albums and things.

iTunes.

And last but not least: OSX 

EDIT: This one is kind of the opposite of your question. Things that annoy me when they're not on someone else's computer:

FireFox.

[PhilB66]

Lifehacker posted this question in "Ask the Reader" segment.

[Deozaan]

And how could I not immediately think of AOL?