Ask.com default browser

[Bo]

I am on Chrome on Windows 8, and I also have Internet Explorer as a back up. Today, at 12:45, a Mcafee automatic update took place when my dad was on the computer. When I switched it on and launched the two browsers, they both went automatically to a very dodgy looking default browser powered by Ask.com. It was very difficult to get rid of, and it took about 1 hour to get both back to Google (just finished now). I could only guess that the Mcafee update did this, has anyone else experienced the same thing?

 

[Sanji Himura]

Most programs, when you install them, have a preferred web search engine that ask you to switch to them. I'm not insulting anyone's intelligence here or anything of the sort, but when the McAfee update was installed, your dad, not knowing any better, probably allowed the switch to take place.

Though one question remains, why are you using Google especially when you are from the UK, and knowing that they track you for the NSA?

 

[Bo]

It was an automatic update. It only notifies you once it is complete. I also just like Google, clean layout etc, not really bothered about NSA.
EDIT - The way you usually change default browser through Chrome (settings, default browser etc) didn't work for this. The default was supposedly set as Mcafee, but whenever I changed to Google, it would just reset back to dodgy powered by Ask.com browser.

 

[BobK]

When updating McAfee you have to be careful to uncheck the boxes about switching your search engine etc. This is one reason of several why I avoid McAfee like the plague.

 

[wfooshee]

Not just McAfee, but many apps have defaults which will install things like Ask.com. You have to uncheck the boxes instead of just next-next-next-next.
But the pieces of Ask should have been in the add/remove programs in the control panel. It's really not that hard to uninstall. But you DO have to uninstall it. It's very insistent when it's there.

 

[Grayfox]

Ask.com is not spyware but just crapware.

Go to programs and features to uninstall it.
At times the service may not get removed and will require manual removal.

When installing things.
Slow down and make sure nothing is that says "install X as well" and/or use Custom install option as express will normally have things like that installed as the add on is recommended.

 

[Bo]

Disabled automatic updates now, just a bit of a pain. And once it's on there, it's ridiculously stubborn to get rid of.

 

[G.T.Ace]

I'd highly recommend to switch the antivirus software to avast!, Nod32 or Kaspersky.
McAfee is trash and Avira is also automatically installing this Ask.com crap nowadays.
Something like that should never happen with security software.