Author Topic: ImgBurn - full of OpenCandy and other crap (Read 58,163 times)

Carol Haynes · « **on:** April 24, 2014, 01:18 PM »

Really sad to say I won't be recommending ImgBurn any more - my go to app for disk burning.

Just downloaded the latest version and it is full of crap - and even if you take the long install route and deselect everything except ImgBurn it STILL install multiple crapware apps (including the very annoying Conduit SearchProtect).

Very sad development!

(PS that was the download direct from the ImgBurn server so no one else had added the crap)

mouser · « **Reply #1 on:** April 24, 2014, 02:01 PM »

Well that is really sad news if true -- ImgBurn has also been by go-to cd burning app for quite some time. Maybe there is an alternative download or older version still available?

Quote

even if you take the long install route and deselect everything except ImgBurn it STILL install multiple crapware apps

This would be the deal killer for me. If i have to be careful and take extra steps during installation, i can live with that -- and OpenCandy in the installer doesn't bother me -- but if it's true that it installs crapware with no way at all to skip it, that's a deal killer.

ewemoa · « **Reply #2 on:** April 24, 2014, 02:40 PM »

I've been using the instructions at:

http://www.portablefreeware.com/index.php?id=583

to end up with portable set ups -- not convenient, but perhaps a work-around?

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #3 on:** April 24, 2014, 03:02 PM »

Its a bugger - really cross about this.

When I was installing I was careful to choose all non-standard settings available but even so Malwarebytes went crazy during and after installation and I then found Conduit Search Protect in my system tray with no way to close it and the uninstaller is nothing like a full uninstall (it failed anyway - probably because of MBAM, but who knows).

I understand ImgBurn want to make some cash so why not charge $10 and make more profit and not piss off long term users!

MilesAhead · « **Reply #4 on:** April 24, 2014, 03:24 PM »

One good thing about http://www.videohelp.com
Even if the author no longer provides a download, videohelp usually still does:

http://www.videohelp.com/tools/ImgBurn/old-versions#download

It looks like is has Imgburn installers back to 1.0

also this:
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/DVD-Decrypter

40hz · « **Reply #5 on:** April 24, 2014, 04:20 PM »

It's so out of character that I'm wondering if the dev sold it and the website to somebody else. Because what they're doing is utterly suicidal from a business perspective.

SeraphimLabs · « **Reply #6 on:** April 24, 2014, 04:49 PM »

Conduit SearchProtect is malware straight up.

If you let that get installed, you'll be hunting it for hours trying to get it out again.

It sounds to me like ImgBurn went the same way as Daemon Tools, sold out to backroom malware deals to try to make ends meet because the donation box wasn't keeping up.

This kind of thing is why I archive all of the software I use. That way I still have known good versions that have worked for me before in case I need them again.

Tuxman · « **Reply #7 on:** April 24, 2014, 05:03 PM »

The "free burning software" market seems to die out slowly.

On Windows, I currently use cdrtools (like InfraRecorder without the GUI clutter) from here (German site). Probably this is one of the very few future-safe options.

Stoic Joker · « **Reply #8 on:** April 24, 2014, 05:53 PM »

It looks like the latest version from ImgBurn's site - with the OpenCandy EULA - is v2.5.8.0 which is 3.30MB. This has the same release date and size as the v2.5.8.0 file at MilesAhead's VideoHelp link. So it appears that v2.5.7.0 (5.83MB) from MilesAhead's VideoHelp link is the last safe version to download.

Jibz · « **Reply #9 on:** April 24, 2014, 06:07 PM »

I've been updating ImgBurn through Ninite, and haven't noticed anything suspicious, but perhaps I just haven't looked close enough.

superboyac · « **Reply #10 on:** April 24, 2014, 06:52 PM »

hmmm...first cdburnerxp and now imgburn too? what's the deal?

x16wda · « **Reply #11 on:** April 24, 2014, 11:20 PM »

That's odd, I have installed 2.5.8.0 and it only had the normal OpenCandy crap. Nothing else hidden away, no Conduit or anything.

Presumably your installer file is different from the one I have.... which was also downloaded from the site when the older version prompted me to download.

Size: 3,469,871
Date: june 17 2013 8:20:23pm
File: SetupImgBurn_2.5.8.0.exe
CRC-32: 00e8e0b2
MD4: 2cba62e925b22077e7b1d1656fb6dc29
MD5: 9685e1b00b7d1b31ede436bd9b12be39
SHA-1: 5ca96a0c243390c378dee1a629684ea261e2cfc4

Any chance you have a DNS redirect going somehow? The checksums on the download page at the site match my file. Try re-downloading?

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #12 on:** April 25, 2014, 12:37 AM »

No the MD5 sums match the one I downloaded just now on the same computer (the original download was deleted).

Wonder if the installer was infected and they replaced it - I didn't have search protect appearing before I ran the original setup file and as soon as I double clicked it Malwarebytes went mad - it was definitely the installed direct from the ImgBurn server (I never use mirrors if I can avoid them)?

I unpacked it and can only see opencandy?

Just installed it again as an update and Malwarebytes blocked opencandy before installation and then it installed normally?

Strange.

Actually maybe they have random installers with different packages - I just looked at an old copy of 2.5.6.0 and that has the Ask Toolbar in the installer ???

mouser · « **Reply #13 on:** April 25, 2014, 12:57 AM »

Quote

That's odd, I have installed 2.5.8.0 and it only had the normal OpenCandy crap. Nothing else hidden away, no Conduit or anything.

Sometimes even the official web pages will redirect you to a site like cnet, which can bundle adware -- i know ccleaner has been known to do this (and offer an alternative less visible clean download alternative) -- maybe you ran into something like that, or enough people complained that they quickly changed the download.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #14 on:** April 25, 2014, 08:24 AM »

That would be very odd because the page and hashes must be generated according to where they are sending the download from. I definitely clicked the direct ImgBurn server link.

Just downloaded another copy this morning.

The download link was: http://download.imgburn.com/SetupImgBurn_2.5.8.0.exe

The file hashes matched those publish but it was a different file to the two files I downloaded yesterday. They must have a script that updates the page periodically and provides a range of different downloads. Yesterday morning I was unlucky and go SearchProtect bundled which is pretty scummy!

Josh · « **Reply #15 on:** April 25, 2014, 10:52 AM »

I just installed imgburn and while I had to de-select the opencandy stuff, I do not have any "extra" things installed. I tested it with an installation monitor and the only files/folders created/installed were the imgburn files.

Windows 8.1.1 pro

techidave · « **Reply #16 on:** April 25, 2014, 10:57 AM »

I just last week downloaded the current version of ImgBurn from their servers. I deselected the Conduit stuff. I have noticed a problem with that machine but I better double check it to make sure.

As Carol said, this will be a deal killer for me too if they continue to add known malware to their installer. Its bad enough that we have to put up with Open Candy.

Stoic Joker · « **Reply #17 on:** April 25, 2014, 11:15 AM »

Quote from: Carol Haynes on April 25, 2014, 08:24 AM

That would be very odd because the page and hashes must be generated according to where they are sending the download from. I definitely clicked the direct ImgBurn server link.

Just downloaded another copy this morning.

The download link was: http://download.imgburn.com/SetupImgBurn_2.5.8.0.exe

The file hashes matched those publish but it was a different file to the two files I downloaded yesterday. They must have a script that updates the page periodically and provides a range of different downloads. Yesterday morning I was unlucky and go SearchProtect bundled which is pretty scummy!

The think I'm wondering is does OpenCandy come completely pre bundled with it's offers, or does it have a phone home on launch to see what's hot today type function? Option two would allow the size to remain consistent and the behavior to vary wildly.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #18 on:** April 25, 2014, 11:42 AM »

Not sure about OpenCandy but 7-zip will unpack the installer - and on three downloads in two days of the same version I have found three different things bundled inside the installer package plus OpenCandy. The one I downloaded today included the ASK Toolbar which is at best a pest and at worst malware.

I suppose it isn't impossible that OpenCandy itself is providing random crap on the system during install - but I thought it was supposed to always allow you to deselect things you don't want - so where did Conduit come from?

Renegade · « **Reply #19 on:** April 25, 2014, 04:01 PM »

OC when I looked into it in depth is harmless.

https://cynic.me/2011/04/03/opening-up-opencandy/

You can opt out easily.

Stoic Joker · « **Reply #20 on:** April 25, 2014, 05:54 PM »

Quote from: Renegade on April 25, 2014, 04:01 PM

OC when I looked into it in depth is harmless.

https://cynic.me/2011/04/03/opening-up-opencandy/

You can opt out easily.

Indeed, and I don't believe that is being questioned (per se). But you article does confirm my suspicions above with this:

Quote

OpenCandy does not do that. What it does is to download a list of possible offers, then choose one of the offers and present it to a person during a software installation.

Therein lying the problem ... If the offer of the day doesn't decide to play nice with 'Let the user say no' rule then everybody else in the chain gets shit on. So we end up with a classic case of one asshole (in this case apparently Conduit Search), screwing it up for everybody (ImgBurn/OpenCandy/Us in general) because they insist on being sneaky with their shitware instead of creating a quality product that people actually want.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #21 on:** April 26, 2014, 01:21 AM »

As I understand OpenCandy (which isn't very well to be honest) any offer from OpenCandy should give you the option to opt out BEFORE the installer is run - if not what is the point of allowing an opt out.

Having said that ImgBurn are obviously bundling other crap in with their own installer on top of OpenCandy because I have found the Ask Toolbar included directly in ImgBurn installer direct from their own server. As far as I am concerned Ask toolbar is also crap ware. It hijacks your browser and as far as I am concerned that makes it an infection.

I have no idea and no way of knowing if Conduit came in ImgBurn's installer or was dumped on my system by OpenCandy - either way ImgBurn is ultimately to blame. Nowhere on their webpage does it say "we will lump into the installer some random crap to get us money and annoy the hell out of you".

If they need money to be viable charge for the product - currently it is described as freeware - but software that can screw up your system isn't free.

I don't know how much they get from OpenCandy and the other crap vendors but if they charged $2 a copy they would probably get more income and we would have a good product. Personally I would have happily payed $10 for this useful app.

Renegade · « **Reply #22 on:** April 26, 2014, 01:56 PM »

Quote from: Carol Haynes on April 26, 2014, 01:21 AM

...any offer from OpenCandy should give you the option to opt out BEFORE the installer is run - if not what is the point of allowing an opt out.

Carol, that's simply impossible/unreasonable/impractical. You're effectively asking that before the code runs, code runs to let you opt out. You have to run the code in order to be able to opt out.

The only way to do what you're asking is to use multi-file installers, which is a really bad idea. It's pretty simple to uncheck a box as it is.

Check the blog post I did previously on OC. I walk through it pretty well and get deep into the code/traffic.

Has OC changed radically since I looked into it? I know their compliance officer quite well, and he's pretty vicious at keeping the nasty stuff out.

40hz · « **Reply #23 on:** April 26, 2014, 03:50 PM »

^
Ok. If that's the case, why not just ask people to opt-in by giving them an option to download and run Open Candy (or other bundleware) after the product they actually requested got installed?.

Oh. I see. They don't want to do it that way. Ok...got it.

In fairness, I've seen some "free" products that state up front that they include Open Candy or other software with their installer. I have absolutely NO problem with anyone who does it that way. In fact, my respect for them goes up several notches because of their candor. What I don't respect is companies that try to slip things under the radar - and then get indignant when called out for doing so.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #24 on:** April 26, 2014, 03:59 PM »

Quote from: 40hz on April 26, 2014, 03:50 PM

^
Ok. If that's the case, why not just ask people to opt-in by giving them an option to download and run Open Candy (or other bundleware) after the product they actually requested got installed?.

Oh. I see. They don't want to do it that way. Ok...got it.

Does it seem to you there's a time wasting theme with the web these days? If there's one thing that frustrates me it's reading a whole list of features complete with screen shots and reviews, and there's no way to download the software on the page. Or every button points me to some zip archiver I never heard of.

The Web seems to be saying "Yes, you can still get free software, bit it's gonna' cost you!'

Maybe it's all a scheme to boost tranquilizer sales?