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MSG Plus! - update warning!


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FYI, When you install the automatically downloaded MSN Plus update (support for 6.2), it automatically installs a toolbar and some other kind(s) of spyware onto your computer. One was installed into the Program Files/Mp3Grid folder and another was installed into Documents and Settings/Local Data/Temp (Enable view hidden folders to view this folder).

So be careful when you try to update... and download it separately if possible, since the installer would probably have an option to disable the ad/spyware (unless Patchou has become greedier).

Edit: I was wrong :o. As long as you choose "I refuse, do not install the sponsor program" when the window that looks like an EULA agreement pops up, the adware/spyware will NOT install.

If you installed it with the sponsorship program already, follow this guide to remove it.

Also, feel free to flame me for my blunder (even Patchou agrees! do what your god says!). Hateful attention isn't that bad sometimes, especially when other people put a lot of effort into it :happy:.

Edited by Monkeh
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https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/160532-msg-plus-update-warning/
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But there have been multiple reports of the Autoupdate not prompting the agree button, it didn't even prompt for me. I think there is a stong hint that something is wrong here, it could even be a technical bug or maybe it doesn't prompt if certain conditions are met like previously autoupdating with the Agree button checked.

It's the same as when there were reports of an advertiser on neowin installing spyware through a hole in Internet Explorer, nobody thaught that the report was real but it turned out to be true. See https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=159695 .

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Of course anybody can say whatever he wants, but check out the first page, it's full of hateful messages and insults.. that's not what I call an opinion.

As for the auto-update, you don't have to take my word for it... just change HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Patchou\MsgPlus2\SoftwareBuild to a lower value and click Check for Updates in the about box. If you don't even trust it, just reinstall a previous version, move your clock one week ahead and restart Messenger to get the auto-update window.

And for the record... I don't many any penny if you don't user doesn't user the search engine, so there's no need for me to force install it. And as far adware, as I said, the sponsor gets unisntalled in 5 seconds if you use the Messenger Plus! unisntaller... Adaware only deletes some files, it's very useful sometimes but it's definitively not to best thing to do when software have a working uninstaller.

I thank you for wanting to donate but I got a donation page for more than a year on my web site and I didn't make mure more than a hundred bucks during that time :). Feel free to post your opinion about why you don't like Messenger Plus!, but please, put the insults aside; I really think they are not justified and a lot of posts in this thread confirm that.

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I've been using the software for years. I have never had a problem with it in any way, shape, or form. I just watched mine update and there is an option to install the sponsor software or decline. In my opinion, MSG Plus! just keeps getting better and better. Thanks Patchou.

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In response to Patchou, I just want to say that people are free to express any opinion they want, whether we agree with it or not. That's what freedom of speech means. Don't get me wrong however, I'm not against you or anything. In fact I defended you in a previous post :D. Of course sometimes (or most of the times) we do not agree with people's opinions and most of times opinions are formed due to lack of knowledge. But that's what democracy is, and like Churchill said, democracy is truely the worst governement system, except everything else! So be the bigger man and let things go! People will continue to use your software and support it, don't let the nine people who attacked the software bother you!

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I dont know why people would swear at Patchou ... wots wrong with him earning a lil money with his great software... u can remove it anytime anyways and he was nice enough to give us an option of refusing ... Patchou great work...

and thats my opinion :D :D :D :D :D ... sorry I juss love emoticons

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If this were my program and I saw how much negative publicity it got due to the sponsor (yes, i know it's their fault for not reading) I would look for another way to go about raising a little money. People who know their stuff aren't going to install the sponsor, only noobs will or those that make a mistake. To me, this is a slightly underhanded way to go about doing it. Maybe give people an option to buy it and offer 2 versions of MSG Plus with a sponsor, one that allows you to buy it and enter a serial # if you don't want to be bothered with the sponsor bit. Just a thought :)

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