OT: browserchoice.exe

Has any Windows users had this European Union mandated Browser Choice
bollocks drop onto their machine?

One of mine got it yesterday via MS Auto-update, and it doesn't half look like malware,
The .exe dropped into %system_root%\win32 and a shortcut to it placed on the desktop and a registry key to run it on next reboot in
HKCU.....\Run

The GUI it launches makes no claim that it is from Microsoft or anyone else and more times than not it doesn't launch properly
displaying gibberish or "Requested Range Not Satisfiable"
Do I get the impression M$ does not have it's heart entirely in this exercise?

The choices in the initial viewport are the usual suspects viz.
IE8 Firefox Opera Chrome Safari

and if you hit the scroll-bar you can choose:
Maxthon K-Meleon Flock Avant Sleipnir Flashpeak Greenbrowser
--
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

On 11/04/2010 13:18, Graham. wrote:
> Has any Windows users had this European Union mandated Browser Choice
> bollocks drop onto their machine?

Not yet.

> One of mine got it yesterday via MS Auto-update, and it doesn't half look like malware,
> The .exe dropped into %system_root%\win32 and a shortcut to it placed on the desktop and a registry key to run it on next reboot in
> HKCU.....\Run

> The GUI it launches makes no claim that it is from Microsoft or anyone else and more times than not it doesn't launch properly
> displaying gibberish or "Requested Range Not Satisfiable"
> Do I get the impression M$ does not have it's heart entirely in this exercise?

IMO In an ideal world, _Every_ popup on an operating system, even the
little bubble ones from the task tray, should be securely identified
with the source/manufacturer - and a mechanism should be in place to log
these popups, select individual ones to block, and have a link so that
the nature of why the popup appeared can be researched online.

> The choices in the initial viewport are the usual suspects viz.
> IE8 Firefox Opera Chrome Safari
>
> and if you hit the scroll-bar you can choose:
> Maxthon K-Meleon Flock Avant Sleipnir Flashpeak Greenbrowser

It's meant to be a bit more random than that!

--
Adrian C

Adrian C wrote:
>
>
>> The choices in the initial viewport are the usual suspects viz.
>> IE8 Firefox Opera Chrome Safari
>>
>> and if you hit the scroll-bar you can choose:
>> Maxthon K-Meleon Flock Avant Sleipnir Flashpeak Greenbrowser
>
> It's meant to be a bit more random than that!
>
The joys of NOT having MS windows!

"Adrian C" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On 11/04/2010 13:18, Graham. wrote:
>> Has any Windows users had this European Union mandated Browser Choice
>> bollocks drop onto their machine?
>
> Not yet.
>
>> One of mine got it yesterday via MS Auto-update, and it doesn't half look like malware,
>> The .exe dropped into %system_root%\win32 and a shortcut to it placed on the desktop and a registry key to run it on next reboot
>> in
>> HKCU.....\Run
>
>> The GUI it launches makes no claim that it is from Microsoft or anyone else and more times than not it doesn't launch properly
>> displaying gibberish or "Requested Range Not Satisfiable"
>> Do I get the impression M$ does not have it's heart entirely in this exercise?
>
> IMO In an ideal world, _Every_ popup on an operating system, even the little bubble ones from the task tray, should be securely
> identified with the source/manufacturer - and a mechanism should be in place to log these popups, select individual ones to block,
> and have a link so that the nature of why the popup appeared can be researched online.
>
>> The choices in the initial viewport are the usual suspects viz.
>> IE8 Firefox Opera Chrome Safari
>>
>> and if you hit the scroll-bar you can choose:
>> Maxthon K-Meleon Flock Avant Sleipnir Flashpeak Greenbrowser
>
> It's meant to be a bit more random than that!
Yes, Google suggests they should appear in a random order, the main five certainly,
but they don't appear to!

It may be that I have become an early adopter because the machine in question
still has IE6 as its default browser, (don't ask, I have a good reason).


--
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

"Graham." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:hpsenk$l78$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Has any Windows users had this European Union mandated Browser Choice
> bollocks drop onto their machine?

I killed mine before it arrived. I don't 'auto-update" :-)

--
Carl Waring

On 11/04/10 13:18, Graham. wrote:
> Has any Windows users had this European Union mandated Browser Choice
> bollocks drop onto their machine?
>
> One of mine got it yesterday via MS Auto-update, and it doesn't half look like malware,
> The .exe dropped into %system_root%\win32 and a shortcut to it placed on the desktop and a registry key to run it on next reboot in
> HKCU.....\Run
>

It's been going on since early March, apparently. The register have had
some articles on this:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03...rowser_ballot/

Also, I noticed recently that Mozilla have a website to help 'clarify'
what it means:
http://opentochoice.org

But, it's had very little publicity.