{"id":554,"date":"2013-06-04T18:00:39","date_gmt":"2013-06-04T23:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.properwichita.com\/consulting\/?p=554"},"modified":"2013-06-04T18:00:39","modified_gmt":"2013-06-04T23:00:39","slug":"wichita-it-support-watch-out-for-hitchhikers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.properwichita.com\/consulting\/2013\/06\/04\/wichita-it-support-watch-out-for-hitchhikers\/","title":{"rendered":"Wichita IT Support – Watch Out For Hitchhikers!"},"content":{"rendered":"

For information about our Wichita IT Support Services<\/a>, visit the homepage at Proper Technology Solutions.<\/p>\n

Software\u00a0That Comes Along for the Ride<\/h2>\n

I\u00a0tend to\u00a0call them software hitchhikers.\u00a0 They tag along with software that you want to install, generally with the free applications we all use from the web.\u00a0 We’re also all aware of the dangers of picking up hitchhikers in real life.\u00a0 This is similar.\u00a0\u00a0Did you ever wonder where you get those toolbars in Internet Explorer, or some\u00a0different ‘security’ applications you might see.<\/p>\n

As a Wichita IT\u00a0support company, we see all of them, and this post is designed to help you avoid some of the pitfalls our customers encounter installing applications from the web.\u00a0 With that in mind, I offer three suggestions that will go a long way towards leaving these hitchhikers on the road.<\/p>\n

Suggestion 1:<\/h3>\n

The first thing you should be asking yourself is:\u00a0 Do I really need this application?\u00a0 Some may offer the same features that are already built into the operating system.\u00a0 If it passes this test, move to suggestion 2!<\/p>\n

Suggestion 2:<\/h3>\n

Read EVERY prompt carefully during the install.\u00a0 I know, I’m yelling.\u00a0 Just wanted to get your attention because this is really important!\u00a0 As users, we tend to get into the ‘Next’ habit.\u00a0 When we see the ‘next’ or ‘continue’ prompt, we press it, regardless of\u00a0what the screen says.\u00a0\u00a0So-called ‘free’ software vendors\u00a0usually fall into the TANSTAAFL category (There’s No Such Thing As A Free Lunch) and are trying to make their money somehow.\u00a0\u00a0My favorites are the ones who offer additional features to the program if you pay a registration fee, though these are getting few and far in-between.\u00a0 When reading the prompts, look for any check boxes or a list of what will be installed.<\/p>\n

Suggestion 3:<\/h3>\n

Installing an application, you may be prompted to choose between an “Express” or “Custom” installation.\u00a0 It’s tempting and faster to choose Express.\u00a0\u00a0Unfortunately, this is the new way of hiding hitchhikers.\u00a0 Express install will add additional applications, and the only way you’ll see them is to choose the custom installation.\u00a0 Don’t be afraid of the custom install.\u00a0 You’ll get a list of what is going to be installed and have the opportunity to uncheck items you don’t want.\u00a0 If you are downloading a photo viewer and one of the options is a music player, uncheck it.\u00a0 Some will even have markings next to the components similar to ‘required’, which will tell you what really needs to be installed to run the application.<\/p>\n

Example<\/h2>\n

Here’s a pair of\u00a0examples\u00a0to show what we’re talking about and how these hitchhikers are getting into your system:<\/p>\n

Java Updates<\/h3>\n

My IT support clients ask me this all the time.\u00a0 “Do I need to\u00a0install Java\u00a0updates when it prompts?”\u00a0 The short answer is\u00a0“Yes!”.\u00a0 The long answer is, “Yes, but read the prompts!”<\/p>\n

Here’s a graphic showing the\u00a0second step of the Java install process for the most recent update my system prompted me\u00a0to install:<\/p>\n

\"Windows<\/a>

Windows IT Support - Java Update Prompt<\/p><\/div>\n

Oh, that ‘Next’ button looks so tempting, doesn’t it.\u00a0 I want to click it myself.\u00a0 Hold up, what’s with the check box?\u00a0 “Install the Ask Toolbar and make Ask my default search provider”<\/p>\n

Not only will we get an unneeded toolbar, any time we search from the address bar, we’ll get Ask.com instead of Google or Bing.\u00a0 When was the last time you used Ask?<\/p>\n

Adobe Reader<\/h3>\n

Yes, Reader is a great tool.\u00a0 Check the download page:<\/p>\n

\"Wichita<\/a>

Wichita IT Support - Adobe Reader Download Page<\/p><\/div>\n

Check the check box.\u00a0 Ah, now we see it.\u00a0 Do you really want that?<\/p>\n

If you’re looking for small business or residential IT support in Wichita and surrounding communities, give us a call at (316) 337-5628.\u00a0 We can help you with all of your support needs.\u00a0 One of our trained and certified network technicians can help you either remotely or at your location.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For information about our Wichita IT Support Services, visit the homepage at Proper Technology Solutions. Software\u00a0That Comes Along for the Ride I\u00a0tend to\u00a0call them software hitchhikers.\u00a0 They tag along with software that you want to install, generally with the free … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.properwichita.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.properwichita.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.properwichita.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.properwichita.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.properwichita.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=554"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/www.properwichita.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":565,"href":"http:\/\/www.properwichita.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554\/revisions\/565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.properwichita.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.properwichita.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.properwichita.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}