Browser Toolbars...Leave them off

What are toolbars and why are they needed?
Good question.

A toolbar is considered a browser extension. It is designed to make your Internet browsing experience better. Browsers are the program that gets your web page for you. The most popular  browsers are Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Safari. Each one of these browsers come with their own toolbar. They all have an address bar (for the web page address), buttons to go back or forward pages and bookmarking ability.

So a tool bar is an extension on your browser. Ah...extensions. Extensions do make your browsing experience better. An extension does things that the browser normally does not. An example is streaming that YouTube video from Facebook. Streaming is not something that browsers ordinarily are programmed for. Browsers read the code in web pages and present it to you.

(Want to see what I mean? Simply right click on a blank part of this page and select View Page Source. That is what your web page looks like to the browser. The browser reads that and makes it look like this! :)  )

Back to what your browser can do. Remember when every time you went to open a PDF file that you had to have Adobe Reader installed? What happened it that you clicked on the PDF file or link and your browser realized that it couldn't open it and looked on your computer for Adobe Reader and called it to open the file for you. Now, some browsers just open those PDF files in a new tab. Why? Because the browser added that functionality to their programming, or rather, they extended the programming to include PDF files.

Extensions are a good thing when they work to make things better and more interactive. Another extension is Flashplayer that produces graphics on your web site. If you don't have that extension installed, you do not get the graphics.

Most extensions are there, behind the scenes, ready to act when needed.

What makes a toolbar different? First, it takes up space on your browser window. That means that you get to see less of the web page you are viewing. I have seen computers with 9-10 toolbars and the web page got about three inches of space on the computer screen! Not a fun way to view your webpages.

Your computer screen with toolbars.

1. The browser toolbar
2. Seven other toolbars. Note that they all have a search box.
3. The web page to view.
4. Another toolbar



So if toolbars are so readily available, and they are extensions, then they must be doing something for us, right?

Yes, they do something for us. The problem with toolbars, is, for the most part, they do what we can already do. Most toolbars offer search abilities. Remember that list of browser I mentioned? They all allow you to search for pages in the address bar. Do you another place to search? I would say no.

Some toolbars do add functionality for a very few people. There are toolbars that are specific to a person's field of interest. These toolbars have commands on them that these individuals use regularly. One is the Microsoft Developer Toolbar. It allows the use to view and modify HTML elements on the fly and inspect CSS properties. Very helpful for developers. The QuickStores Toolbar searches shopping sites for you.  The CasinoMan Toolbar helps you gamble while browsing. I believe there is a toolbar to watch stocks as well.

The majority of toolbars just help you search and get to your email, or a weather station, or a game. All of which can be bookmarked using the bookmark capability included in your browser.

Not only do these toolbars do what we can already do, and take up space, there was a time period where some toolbars also included malware like Trojans to steal information or corrupt your computer. This is not as common as it once was. (Malware producers have a tendency to move on once they are spotted.) Toolbars can also add functionality to web sites like producing all those ad popups that show up when your move crosses a certain word or phrase. We all want that, right? Do note that some of those pop ups are in the page and the toolbars take them and run with them.

My recommendation. If it is not something that would ruin your day to not have, then get rid of it, Do not download them. (Mind you, they sometimes come with the downloads that you do want. Read about that here.)

Enjoy your time on the Internet!
                                             .....and keep the BugOff !


You can also find me on Facebook, ask to be my friend, I will not turn anyone away.
Follow on Twitter, @BugOffComp

Places that helped me write this article: Free Browser Toolbars; 14 Popular Browser Toolbars; Text Popups; Wikipedia.

Don't download that!!!!

With the new Java and Adobe exploits and the new patches that are available, most of us have been downloading programs. Understandable and necessary. I would not suggest that anyone not keep their computers up-to-date with security updates.

The problem is that most of you now have the Ask Toolbar or the McAfee Security Scan Plus.

Why?

Because when you downloaded those new versions of Java and Adobe, you also received the Ask Toolbar and McAfee Security Scan Plus. But wait? You didn't order them, right? Yes, yes you did. And you did so by just clicking through the download.

There is a lot of information on those download windows that don't make much sense to you, and sometimes even me. But we know we need them and if in doubt, let the program install it the way it wants. For the most part, that program knows the best way to be installed and I agree.

The part we need to address is the extras. On one of those windows for the Java update (about 3 or 4 clicks in), you are asked if you also want to install the Ask Toolbar.

The Ask Toolbar is not malicious (and yes some of these extras can be very close to malicious), but do you really need an extra toolbar to help you search? All of the big browsers allow you to search straight from the address bar. The Ask Toolbar is just an extra program that sits there and takes up space and resources. If you are not going to use it, do not add it.

Likewise, Adobe Reader has been asking you to add extra programs:

The problem with this extra is that is a program that can interfere with your installed anti-virus and slow your computer down.

The only way to determine if there are extras is to read those download screens. ALL OF THEM. On all downloads. Every time. Without Fail. Uncheck those check boxes by clicking on the checkmark to make it go away.

So, what do you do if you missed these? Uninstall them. Its not hard, you just have to go do it. Need instructions? No problem.....keep reading.

• Click on Start.
• Click on Control Panel
• Look for Uninstall a program. (If you have the icon list, look for Programs and Feature (or Add or remove programs for XP users.))
• Wait for the list to finish populating. 
• Find Ask Toolbar. 
• Right-click on the name and then click on Uninstall. (or click to select and choose Uninstall near the top of the window.)
• Remember that sometimes the program acts like it is installing. That is because an installer is used to both install and uninstall the program. 
• Follow all directions, reading carefully, as sometimes they word things to convince you to keep the program.
• Repeat for the McAfee Security Scan Plus if needed.

Questions? Comments? Please use that comment section down below. (Yes you will need to sign in to Google. It is not a bad thing.)

Until next time......
                                    Keep the BugOff !!!


You can also find me on Facebook, ask to be my friend, I will not turn anyone away.
Follow on Twitter, @BugOffComp

PC Cleaners- Do they really clean?

I was on a weather site this evening to see if was going to snow tomorrow and saw this ad:

Now, I have to say that I did not click on it to see what program this former employee from Intel discovered that can scan and fix all the errors in your computer. It may work, but then again, his discovery may just be what I am going to tell you.

My experience with PC cleaners, is they do more harm than good. At the very best, you are paying for something that you already have for free. At worst you have downloaded your worst nightmare. Mostly they just don't do anything or do the function of programs you already have on your computer. I, personally, do not have any PC cleaners on my computer and I remove them from all computers I work on.

All the programs that you need to keep your computer cleaned up are all on your computer. They have always been there. Not necessarily accessible and easy to get to or use, especially if no one has told you how to get there, but they have been there.

Let's talk about a few things that slow your computer down. The first is programs that you have downloaded and use. Every single program out there feels that they need to be at the ready for your instantaneous use. So they set themselves up to be running in the background while you use your computer.

There are only two programs that should be running all the time. The first is Windows, because, after all, that is your operating system (yes, yes, I know there are those of you running a Linux system. Just insert your OS whenever I mention Windows :P) and your anti-virus. When you start your computer, Windows starts, in order for you to use your computer, and your anti-virus needs to start so that it is there protecting your computer.

All other programs do not need to start when you turn your computer on. Well, let me throw something in here. There are lots of services that need to run for your computer to work. There are services that allow your computer to talk to the Internet, services that allow you to print, services that allow you to use your email. And all these start at the proper time they are supposed to. These are the programs we are talking about here.** The programs we are talking about are the programs that were added at the time you bought your computer, or that you have added to your computer since then.

Programs like Adobe Reader, iTunes, Google Talk, DropBox, Skype, Yahoo Messenger, Steam, all want to be running as soon as you turn your computer on. Which is great if you are going to Skype the very instant you turn your computer on, every time you turn your computer on, without fail. Or you want to have Yahoo Messenger on so that your friend can send you a message when they get on their computer.

But here is what is happening. You turn on your computer, it gets all the things turned on that it needs to run, and then all these other programs jump in and get themselves started and running. What are you doing at this time? Waiting, and waiting, and waiting. And you can't do anything at all until all these programs are done setting themselves up. Now I listed seven programs, but on an average computer there are probably 15-20. And every time you download, or update, a program, most put themselves back on the start up list and you wait....and wait....and wait. Each time it takes longer to start your computer.

Can we stop these programs from starting when you start your computer? Yes. Is is going to prevent you from using these programs? No. Let's look at Adobe Reader. Everyone uses Adobe Reader. We all end up needing to read a document that is in pdf format and we need Adobe Reader to access those documents. So, if Adobe Reader is not running when you start your computer, and you need to read a pdf, what can you do? Well click on the pdf and read it. Adobe Reader will open at that time and you can use it. Now, I have to be perfectly honest with you, it will take 1-10 seconds longer to open that pdf if Adobe Reader is not already running. It is the same for all the other programs too.

So how to you keep these programs from starting up the same time Windows does? It is not hard.

• Click on Start 
• Type msconfig.exe in the search box. (XP users need to click on Run.. and then type msconfig.exe in the box).
• You will open a window called System Configuration with 5 tabs: General, Boot, Services, Startup, and Tools. 
• Click on the tab that says Startup.

Please note that the other tabs have very important info in them that you should not be changing. Especially the Services tab (remember when we talked about the services your computer does use? Look for the paragraph with **). Do not change anything in any other tab. You may end up being very frustrated.

• You will see a list of all the items that start when you turn on your computer. Under the list is two buttons, one says Disable all.
• Click Disable all.

Another note here. It is okay to stop all these programs. Remember that you are not stopping the program from working, just from running in the background of your computer, taking up resources and slowing down the start up of your computer. They will all eventually be back on this list again.

• Then click OK.
• You will be asked to to restart your computer. Click Exit without restart. Do not check the box that says Don't show this message again, we want to see this dialog box every time so we can choose Exit without restart.
• The windows will close and the next time you start your computer, it will be somewhat faster.

If you are ever unsure about what you are doing, press the Escape key (Esc) on your keyboard to abort or click cancel. If you need more help, comment and I will give you more information.

Questions? Right you are. This is only one way to get your computer cleaned up. But let's talk about those later. This is a lot to take in for one sitting.

Feel free to ask any other questions you have in the comments section. Yes you will have to sign in to leave comments. Its okay, you can do it. You will not be getting a flood of email and the new surveillance drone has much more important places to check out than you and your computer!

You can also find me on Facebook, ask to be my friend, I will not turn anyone away.

Meanwhile...

Keep the BugOff!