Toolbars, startup items and being allergic to removing them.

[Anriana]

I don't argue with customers over some technical stuff. Not because I'm lazy, but because if they are going to need ten minutes to believe what I, the person they are turning to for help, is telling them, then they can go die in a fire.

[draggar]

One thing about me being in tech support is I'm very anti-toolbar. This happened after trying to troubleshoot a customer's internet explorer only showing a blank white page. After about an hour and a half, I removed the google toolbar and it worked.

Since then, the first thing I do is go into add/remove and uninstall ALL the IE toolbars.

Some customers object. I simply tell them that:

1. Since IE 7 and 8 already have a search box and pop-up blocker, toolbars conflict and cause issues. Plus, some antivirus softwares install their own toolbars/add-ons to IE so you don't need them.
2. Some are blatant spyware like MyWebSearch.

Technically, all of them are spyware - even Google and Yahoo. They track your usage (all in the name of "improving your web experience". Some people like the search window. Then why not just go to Google.com or Yahoo.com? Things like this make me glad that we've locked out most of the users from installing things, but it's the few who can that cause problems.

Also - MyWebSearch is a lot worse than spyware.

[sld72382]

Also - MyWebSearch is a lot worse than spyware.

What's funny (and really sad at the same time) is that the vendor of MyWebSearch likes to sue antispyware companies to take their program out of their definitions "because it slanders their name." Well if the shoe fits....

Spy Sweeper is one of those programs. Webroot (who makes Spy Sweeper) got one of those "take us off your list or we'll sue" letters from MyWebSearch and instead of standing their ground, they folded like a deck of cards and removed it from their list, which is the reason Spy Sweeper seems to skip over it.

Which is why I like to use MalwareBytes and VIPRE (Basically CounterSpy with an antivirus), they refuse to fold and if something is malware, they leave it in.

[draggar]

MyWebSearch is not spyware? That is true - in my experiences it is scareware / pseudovirus.

[Lingering Grin]

Some people like the search window. Then why not just go to Google.com or Yahoo.com?

Not to mention Firefox has a search bar built into it by default that can connect to all of the major search engines

[Naaman]

Not to mention Firefox has a search bar built into it by default that can connect to all of the major search engines

And customisable

[earl colby pottinger]

Old Macs and Extensions

I once had a customer with a 114 extensions loaded at boot-up on his Mac-II running System 7.xx who could not get a new piece of software to work. Disable the extensions, the software worked, enabled them again and it failed.

So I told him where the problem was and that it would be a lot of work to find what one was causing the problem so could he tell me what ones he was using (I could see by thier names that a number of them overlapped in thier functions).

He:

1) Could not tell me what most of the extensions did or why them needed them for thier work.

2) Refused to have any of them removed/disabled because they were using them all.

3) Had me spend almost 3 hours finding the problem extension and *STILL* refused to let me disable it.

4) Complained to my boss for being billed 4 hours @ $75.00 per hour and still having the problem.

Luckily, by then I had learnt to *WRITE EVERYTHING* the customer demanded on the work order. I just hand it to my boss and said "Read it first, before giving any refunds.".

Guess what? No refund.

[Wenchie]

Yeah, the first thing I do whenever I have a client calling in who's having problems with their IE is have them go to View-> Toolbars and read me off EVERYTHING checked. And then I have them uncheck/disable all the toolbars. A lot of them are office assistants who don't have permissions on the computers to actually remove programs, but disabling them works as well 99% of the time, and keeps them from arguing with me that they're removing something important. I tell them (it's still there if your boss wants to enable it again, but tell him that it's interfering with our system and if he's having problems with our website, that's why.)

[Demolition Man]

Not to mention Firefox has a search bar built into it by default that can connect to all of the major search engines

Same with Opera.

[EricKei]

1) Could not tell me what most of the extensions did or why them needed them for thier work.

2) Refused to have any of them removed/disabled because they were using them all.

Consider adding "make up your damn mind!" the next time he calls for a problem. If he uses them every day, then he must know what they are and what they do....