thank you guys!
Melih
I like my browser to start off with a blank page. so…using IE8 you can add search providers by going to the
search site - Comodo Secure Search protects you from infected websites and searching for TEST then copying/pasting the resulting URL
TEST, Ask.com in to IE8 search providers box. then make this my
default search provider.
this ends up as – when i search http://www.ask.com/web?o=1674&
is this any good, does the o=1674 (originator??) identify that its been through comodo or am i wasting my time
with this??
thankyou for many truly excellent programs. i’ve been using the registry cleaner for some months now, its fab.
ive just downloaded the new system cleaner, so i expect to be back some time to heap some more praise on that.
your doing a wonderfull job, thankyou.
:BNC
I don't really understand what people, like in the threads you mentioned, are talking about. Basically it seems they just say, the Ask toolbar is no good, without giving an explanation. It is unacceptable and therefor CPF is as well.I won't speak for others...you can read [url=https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/reviews/display/671]Here[/url] just a sample of the back web chatter about this tool bar.
Personally, my biggest complaint is how the tool bar is installed. It is my opinion that this tool bar should be considered Foistware simply because it WILL install itself regardless of the useless check box that implies you have the option not to install it.
Try it. Anyone who reads this, if you are interested, just try to opt out of installing the tool bar. You can’t. In spite of removing the check from the box, the tool bar installs itself against your wishes. To me, there is no difference in that type of behavior and that of a common burglar.
If some salesman knocks on your door and you answer to say that you are not interested then the sales person FORCES his way in paying no regard to your wishes…that is a burglary. Just that simple. Regardless of intent, if someone forces their will on you, the behavior has got to be considered, at the very least, annoying even to the simplest minded juror.
I am personally very concerned that Comodo has partnered with third party software that behaves in this manner. I respect the very notion that other users will indeed have a differing opinion, but as for me, I will no longer be recommending comodo without detailing the ups and downs of installing the software having foistware bundled with it.
In addition, when I downloaded and installed the latest Comodo Internet Security suite package, I used the Firefox browser. As stated above, when making my choice to forgo the installation of the tool bar, it not only installs regardless of my wishes, it is also installed on Internet Explorer…and I would only assume that any other browser you may have would have been hijacked in this manner as well.
The uninstall string is handy, but not complete. When uninstalling, I was left with the following registry entry left overs:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AskBarDis]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AskBarDis\bar]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AskBarDis\bar]
"CacheDir"="E:\\Program Files\\AskBarDis\\bar\\Cache\\"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AskBarDis\bar]
"HistoryDir"="E:\\Program Files\\AskBarDis\\bar\\History\\"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AskBarDis\bar]
"SettingsDir"="E:\\Program Files\\AskBarDis\\bar\\Settings\\"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AskBarDis\PopSwatter]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AskBarDis\PopSwatter]
"HistoryDir"="E:\\Program Files\\AskBarDis\\PopSwatter\\History\\"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Extension Compatibility\{43D9E6F0-1776-4897-AE14-ECEDECBAFEC0}]
"DllName"="askbarAB.dll;askbarAC.dll"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Extension Compatibility\{5A074B21-F830-49DE-A31B-5BB9D7F6B407}]
"DllName"="askBar.dll;ajBar.dll"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Extension Compatibility\{5A074B29-F830-49DE-A31B-5BB9D7F6B407}]
"DllName"="askBar.dll;ajBar.dll"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Software\Comodo\Firewall Pro\Configurations\0\HIPS\Policy\33\Rules\4\Allowed\3]
"Filename"="E:\\Program Files\\AskBarDis\\unins000.exe"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Software\Comodo\Firewall Pro\Configurations\0\HIPS\Policy\33\Rules\4\Allowed\3]
"DeviceName"="E:\\Program Files\\AskBarDis\\unins000.exe"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Software\Comodo\Firewall Pro\Configurations\0\HIPS\Policy\83]
"Filename"="E:\\Program Files\\AskBarDis\\unins000.exe"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Software\Comodo\Firewall Pro\Configurations\0\HIPS\Policy\83]
"DeviceName"="E:\\Program Files\\AskBarDis\\unins000.exe"
…so, a manual removal of those remnants is required to fully remove the software’s footprints. I am very disappointed.
I checked those entries and I can’t find any of them in my registry using the latest cis beta. Haven’t checked registry against previous versions, however it have never happened to me that the bar installed itself against my will (none of my browsers were hijacked) . So maybe something went wrong with your install. (Im running windows xp sp3 /genuine/ and no other security application)
Btw I have nothing against that toolbar, I don’t see why is it any worse than the others. Heck, most of the browsing and email people do are through an unencrypted channel. So much for privacy… I don’t install it simply because the engine doesn’t fulfill my searching needs.
The issues you posted are indeed alarming, but I can confirm the opposite. You may check it on other systems if you have the possibility and revise your post accordingly to the findings. Other volunteers are welcome to check the issue.
Regards,
Blas
Yes, it is an alarming post. But, fortunately, it is still total & utter rubbish. It’s better known as FUD or… Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt.
I have, personally, installed CIS with the AskBar component unchecked many, many times (20+?) & not once was any Ask component installed, registry changes/additions, files, etc… nothing. Not once. In fact, I’ve never installed the AskBar.
Nope. Just ran the latest BETA install under Process Monitor (something I’ve done a few times recently) & it certainly did not install any Ask components (files, registry, etc…). ???
1972vet
I see from another post of yours that you’re…
Can you send me the screen shots & Process Monitor Log proof please? Also which version of CIS was this & what is the OS please. Thanks.
PS You do realise that article you posted was about the Ask.com Toolbar, that is not the same thing as is in the CIS installer.
The version I have installed is 3.5.55470.430…I just reinstalled it and did not see an option for the ask bar. It did however install the “Safe Surf” feature, but did not ask me if I wanted to install that either.
As the safe surf feature works hand and glove with the ask bar why then is it necessary to install this when one can allegedly opt out of the installation of the ask tool bar?
I have a Windows Vista machine running a triple boot…Vista, Xp, and Windows 7. I use Firefox exclusively and have it designated as the default browser. Internet Explorer is only used for updating.
For what comodo does for us, using the comodo search is the least I can do. If it takes an second to find what I want with the ask toolbar, then I personally don’t care. My life isn’t like every minute of my life is mission critical
I just sit back, drink a ■■■■ or two while being on the net :■■■■
I also appreciate very much what comodo does for the community in offering their excellent software free of charge. However, it concerns me that they may be sacrificing a bit of trust by partnering with third party software with whom the volunteer community of security experts have been doing battle over the years.
The “Ask” search engine will cause “targeted” ads to be presented to you based upon:
- The content of the web pages you visit
- Any personally identifiable information you have provided
- Keywords appearing in your search queries
Many security experts consider this type of behavior offensive…
I like COMODO.so I will try to get use to using COMODO search .
I’ve edited this post to retract my statement since as it turns out, it is not true. I had thought that the “Ask” tool bar was no longer included in the latest bundled download but I was wrong (My original post was to say Thanks for removing it).
I would like to explain what I did…what resulted…and hope for an explanation.
While doing some research I found that Comodo had offered a new release on 2/19 so I downloaded it since I still had the older version.
I uninstalled what I had, rebooted, installed the version I had just downloaded (released date 2/19) and was surprised to see the installer continue on without a hitch, asking me nothing about whether or not I wanted to install the tool bar or change my home page etc…
I got excited about that thinking that comodo had, over the past several months or so, taken a different position and removed it from the bundle. I posted the “Thanks” here and I’m sure some of you may have wondered why.
I also tried the same on Windows 7…which brings about the reason why I am posting here again. In Windows 7, I had done the same…uninstalled the version of CIS that I had (same one that I had on XP), rebooted, and tried installing the latest release of CIS and what a shock. During the installation, I was asked to install the tool bar, change my home page etc…and I can’t explain nor understand how this behavior can happen on these two different systems.
As with the previous version, I installed it using the Vista compatibility mode but such a tweaking isn’t necessary when installing in XP. That is the only difference that I can see but…as I found out, the results are quite different. When I installed this in XP (the date is above), I had no need of removing any check marks from the tool bar and home page questions because they never were presented. Could this somehow be related to some installation history preference? If so, where is it…and if so, why does it not behave the same way in other operating systems?
Can anyone explain this? It’s still a mystery to me.
I thought I’d chime-in…
I’m no fan of toolbars. That said, choosing one (and only one) and using it, and then foresaking all others that one is offered during the course of one’s lifetime of Internet usage, probably makes some reasonable sense, just generally. Having more than one toolbar starts to get a little silly… especially considering that each toolbar tends to decrease the vertical size of the active window in Internet Explorer… which is already small enough.
The Google and Yahoo toolbars have probably been around the longest, and are among the most trusted. Of those two, I’ve always trusted Google’s more. Ask’s toolbar, despite some of what’s been written in this thread, is also basically worthy of trust… as is the Ask.com web site itself (and as are the Google and Yahoo web sites as well… and, again, just in my opinion, Google’s more than Yahoo’s or Asks’s).
Microsoft’s relatively newer “Windows Live” toolbar is also worthy of trust… and, to even my surprise – ney, astonishment – that’s the one (the only one) that’s I’ve permitted to “infect” my copy of Internet Explorer… my very first toolbar that I’ve ever allowed in going on 15 years of worldwide web use! I shake my head in disbelief even as I’m writing it here.
The reason I’ve finally (only recently) decided to allow the Windows Live toolbar into my world is that I see the handwriting on the wall (and have seen it, for some years, now) regarding the direction that Microsoft is taking when it comes to its operating system, its heretofore built-into-the-OS apps, and Office (and Office-related) applications. The “Live” paradigm has been Microsoft’s goal for years… no more desktop apps… everything online… where Microsoft can eventually implement a pay-as-you-use sort of methodology.
Whether Microsoft is right to do it – or whether it will ultimately actually succeed (either at all, or at least to the degree that Microsoft obviously hopes) – is a debate for another time and place. It’s beside the point(s) I’m trying to make here. I’m just saying that Micrsoft is clearly intending to blur the line between what’s on one’s desktop (and in one’s local machine), and what’s online via the Internet. That’s obvious, if nothing else, with Microsoft’s elimination in Windows 7 of common utilities previously built-in to the OS which, commencing with Windows 7, are left out of the OS and are only available (gratefully, still free) via download from the Windows Live web site… and which downloadable utilities each contain a strong default ability to seriously blur the line between the desktop and the web.
So I’ve allowed the Windows Live toolbar into my life because I learned more than twenty years ago (I’ve been in IT for 32 years, now) not to try to end-run whatever company owns the desktop (market). No one hates Microsoft more than I do; but it owns the desktop… despite the best-laid plans of Apple… and the Linux community… and the open-source world (the latter two of which I am a huge fan). None of that will change anytime soon… quite possibly ever… and wishing won’t make it otherwise.
I don’t hope Microsoft will ever be able to take Office off my hard drive and replace it with a solely online app. But I do see the inherent advantages of a tightly-knit – perhaps even virtually seamless – eventual desktop/online inegration at the Office level. I just don’t want it to cost extra… or, if it does, I want said extra cost to be included in the one-time purchase price of the software.
Regardless how it’s finally done, desktop/web integration and line blurring (or even elimination) is the inescapable wave of the future… and my allowing onto my system the Windows Live toolbar is one of the first steps toward my personal acceptance and embracing of it… as my three decades of experience tells me is inevitable, whether or not I like it.
So, given what I wrote earlier herein about the silliness of more than one toolbar in one’s copy of IE, there’s simply no room for the Ask.com toolbar in mine. Nor the Google toolbar. Nor the Yahoo toolbar.
Yet, I do want to somehow help Comodo derive as much revenue as it can from as many places as it can… including from its OEMing of Ask.com’s technology if that’s, in fact, the choice that Comodo has made (with the wisdom of said choice being yet another discussion for yet another day).
In my considerable research of search engines, I have found that Google (like it or not for those who not Google fans) reigns supreme… in pretty much all areas that matter. No other search engine can touch it… including Ask.com’s search engine… or Yahoo’s… or AltaVista (which, incidentally, was the first one I ever used, back when it was pretty much the only game in town)… or any other.
That said, Ask.com has its place (albeit only occasionally) in my life. In short, Ask.com’s input interface responds better to searches posed in the form of a question (a true and actual question… with a question mark at the end of it, and everything) than any other search engine out there.
To get the biggest ■■■■ out of Google, on the other hand, one needs to know a little bit about plus and minus signs, and quotation marks, and the word “OR” (only in capital letters, mind you); and one needs to be good at visualizing the actual words – the actual strings of text – which are likely to be on the web page(s) which one seeks.
Most people don’t really know how to use Google… at least correctly. They don’t know about its advanced operators and extraordinarily effective (when used properly) methods of narrowing-down search results, and really drilling down to what what one truly seeks in one’s search. If one takes the time to go read-up on how to most correctly, efficiently and effectively use Google on such as the http://www.googleguide.com web site, one can find absolutely anything, absolutely anywhere… and I mean fast. I routinely dazzle effectively entire rooms full of people with my ability to make the most difficult-to-find (at least for those aforementioned rooms full of people) things appear right on the first (or, at worst, the second) page of Google search results because I bothered, long ago, to study-up at the Google Guide web site; and because I have printed-out, and have hanging on my wall on either side of my monitor, Google Guide’s various cheat sheets and quick references. And bygod I use 'em!
There is no equivalent to this with any other search engine web site… including (and perhaps especially) the Ask.com web site.
But, boy-oh-boy, whenever my wife (who, godloveher, is only one notch above an Internet newbie) wants to search for something by posing her search in the form of an honest-to-goodness actual question (question mark and all), the Ask.com web site has no rival… and is perfect for her. Yes, of course I’m teaching her the intracacies of the proper usage of Google, a la what she’s slowly learning from the Google Guide web site. But until she masters that (or even after, whenever she wants to just pose the search as a true question), the Ask.com web site is actually quite nice for her. I even use it myself now and then whenever I think that maybe I’ll find what I’m looking for by putting it in the form of an actual question… question mark and all… such as, for example, when I hope to find the answer on a question-and-answer kind of web site… just to give but one example.
Now that I know that Comodo’s got a customized, OEMed Ask.com interface which somehow helps Comodo whenever it’s used, I, personally (and once I explained it to my wife, she agreed) want to do all my Ask.com searches (however few they may be) through it.
But there’s nowayinhell that those Ask.com searches are going to be via the Ask.com toolbar in either of our copies of IE. No way. Not a chance. Ever. Period. As my now-grown daughter used to say: Ick.
In fact, I wish Comodo (and, as long as I’m on the soapbox, the maker of the unrelated CCleaner, too… and a whole buch of other vendors, as well) wouldn’t even include the Ask.com (or any other vendor’s, for that matter) toolbar in its software installers…
…or, if it absolutely insists on so doing, that it would uncheck the option be default so that the end-user must actually and intentionally opt for the toolbar during installation instead of uncareful end-users being surprised by its unexpected presence afterward… as is the situation now. I expect low-life game and screensaver makers to try to sneak toolbars onto my system during installation, but I think that sort of thing is beneath the likes of Comodo… or so is that just my opinion.
And we don’t want to make Ask.com (or any other search engine) our homepages, as suggested up near this thread’s beginning. That’s just unacceptable (at least to us), no matter what search engine we’re talking about!
Nor do we want to make Ask.com the default search in the little IE search box to the right of the IE “Address:” bar, either. That’s Google’s exclusive domain on our machines… as, in our opinion, it should be since Google’s the hands-down best search engine on the planet… bar none.
Of course, we can type a search into the IE search box, and then use the drop-down selector thingy to choose Ask.com as the place to actually execute it… but that’s a lot of clicking. Having an Ask.com button (such as would be the case with the Ask.com toolbar) right on IE’s native toolbar is best (but without also having the entire Ask.com toolbar installed).
How to do this, you ask?
I’ve accomplished it by using an obscure little IE toolbar button making utility that was originally written for use with IE4 thru IE6; but which, as it turns out, works just fine with both IE7 and IE8, to wit:
[b]PJSoft's IE Toolbar Button Maker[/b]
http://home.drenik.net/pjsoft/download/ieaddtoolbtn.exe
Sorry for the direct download link, but don’t worry… there’s no adware/spyware or virus in it. It’s safe. And the direct download link is given because the utility’s maker doesn’t even have a web page describing it anymore. I think he considers it a dead product. Plus, even if you could get hold of its maker, his English isn’t all that great.
So, the utility is virtually unsupported. Its interface is just a few notches above “sucks” and is not terribly intuitive or easy to use. And, worse, if you try to use the little utility to edit buttons not created by it, you can even goof-up IE a little.
But by-golly, it sure works, once you get the hang of it, for quickly and easily creating additional native IE toolbar buttons. I first successfully used it (after admittedly fiddling with it a bit to finally figure out precisely how) long ago – back on IE5, as I recall – to put little Google and Ask.com buttons (along with a blank browser screen button, and a couple of others) right onto the native IE7 (and now, in my case, the native IE8) toolbars on both mine and my wife’s notebooks. (Remember, now: I’m talking about added buttons, here… on IE’s native toolbar… not entire Google or Yahoo or Ask.com toolbars and all of their various added buttons.)
Now that I know that Comodo has its own version of Ask.com; and now that I’ve decided to use it (and not the direct Ask.com interface) whenever I want to use Ask.com (which isn’t often, mind you… but I’m just sayin’), I’m going to use the aforementioned little utility to edit our Ask.com native IE toolbar buttons so that they now take us to Comodo’s OEMed version of Ask.com.
And I’ve made this posting here in the hope that others – especially those who, like me, wouldn’t install the Ask.com (or Google’s, or Yahoo’s) toolbar even with guns to our heads – will do the same so that we can still help-out Comodo as much as we’re willing by going ahead and using its Ask.com interface whenever we bother to use Ask.com at all… but without also installing the Ask.com toolbar.
For me, that’s the perfect compromise: I have a Comodo/Ask.com button on the IE native toolbar, but without installing the Ask.com toolbar itself. Perfect.
Hope that helps.
hi all,specially to Mr.Melih.I’m an user of CIS suite and love it! i read your post and find out that your Company can make mony if we use Comodo search;I din’t know that! so i decided to run from now on Comodo Search;is it necessary to use also Ask toolbar? and how can I add this because I unchecked at CIS’ installation,since I’m a lazy guy?Should I uninstall CIS,then install again?have a good day!
thanks,Tarantela,it works.now,
will remain to enjoy the Comodo search.
thank you very much for your kind support.
I don’t want you to get into the hassle of reinstall. Please just spread the word about Comodo, thats also good enough.
thank you for your kind support
melih
Perhaps people are concerned about their privacy. Well, just use Google. They store your information longer than any of the other big search engines. I think it is (close to) two years.
I for one am glad there is a way to give something back to Comodo that doesn’t cost me anything.
well said!
Agreed it is just a little way to give back to comodo for the great products it puts out.
wow that red is ■■■■■■■ the eyes 8)
I bookmarked it, It’ll be my backup search. 
:■■■■
Weird I use WOT(web of trust) sometimes when I search I get the ratings with wot, sometimes there are no ratings beside the search results… wondering is this is a bug problem or is it ask.