Software Bundles and optional clauses
Bundled programs and optional installation wizard clauses are everywhere. Nearly all programs that you might try to install on your PC would have some sort of on opt-in or opt-out clause within their setup wizards and while most of the time this shouldn’t be seen as a major concern, users need to realized that those options shouldn’t be neglected and overlooked as sometimes carelessness and negligence towards that could lead to certain rather unpleasant issues with your PC. One glaring example is when some form of undesirable software application is added to another program as an optional install. This is how a large portion of Adware, Browser Hijackers or other kinds of PUP’s (potentially unwanted programs) are getting distributed. Since a lot of users do not pay enough attention to the details and settings within the installation wizards of new programs, oftentimes they end up installing some pesky and irritating application in addition to the program that they actually wanted on their computer.
The issue with this is not only that the added software could be annoying but in some cases, such optional applications might also cause certain security problems. Many Adware and Hijacker programs could be potentially capable of making your system susceptible to various online threats and the best way to prevent this happening to your computer is to ensure that no such undesirable programs make it inside your PC’s system.
This is what leads us to the problem with optional clauses within installation wizards – many of those are confusing, misleading or even hidden from plain sight within the Custom installation menu. Normally, a careful user would be able to navigate through the setup menus and find (and disable) anything optional that is potentially unwanted. However, if you want to be certain that there’s nothing left, there is also a neat software tool which can help you achieve that and here, we will give you some more information about it.
Unchecky
Unchecky is a basically a software program that has the sole purpose of automatically unchecking any installation wizard checkboxes such as optional installs, clauses for changing your browser’s frontpage and search engine or ones for installing new toolbars and browser extensions (among others). The software application is unobtrusive and unnoticeable while working. However, once you try to install some new piece of software, you will notice that any checkboxes within the setup wizard have been automatically unchecked (even the ones that are hidden in custom settings menus!).
The installation of Unchecky is as simple as it could be – you simply run the .exe installer, choose language and click on Install. The process happens in an instant and after that, the program is already working in the background. A Desktop icon gets created from which you can access the minimalisitc and clear interface of the program where you can find a couple of basic options. Unchecky requires almost no system resources to run so it will not affect your computer’s performance whatsoever even if your machine isn’t all that powerful.
If you, for whatever reason want to disable the tool, you can do it from its Home tab by simply clicking on Suspend Device (Administrator Rights required). TO get it back up again, just select Resume service and Unchecky will be enabled once more. Of course, the functioning of the tool will not prevent you from manually checking the optional clauses in any installation wizards that you might want to be opted-in, however, it will keep you from accidentally installing or allowing something that you might not actually want.
Conclusion
This little yet effective software tool is surely a great addition to anyone who wants to add an extra layer of security to their system. Even though the task of Unchecky is simple, this program can go a long way towards keeping your computer clean and making it better protected against any potentially unwanted programs or undesirable browser changes. Keep in mind that file bundles and optional installs are some of the most common reasons for people landing Adware and Hijackers so if you think that you won’t be able to manually uncheck everything unwanted from the installation menus of new programs, we recommend that you give Unchecky a go.
