Windows 7: Why does crapware still exist?

I've noticed that too. The real download button or link is often at the bottom of the page.

I swear if I ever become a computer sciences teacher, one of my assignments would be to properly download and install some programs while avoiding crapware.

Free speech means people will also get to insult other people, but that doesn't mean free speech needs to go. Along the same line of thought, open platforms mean we get both good and bad software, but that doesn't mean we should move to a closed platform just to weed out the bad software.

Or as Benjamin Franklin once said, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Anyone who suggests that we move to a closed platform because of crapware pervading through the environment of open platforms is either an idiot or misinformed, supports censorship (whether intentionally or not), refuses to take responsibility for their own welfare, and answers to short-term gains while giving up fundamental user rights and an environment where developers can develop software the developers themselves envisioned.

Free speech should extend to and terminate at the point when it impedes other's right to free speech.

Example: Westboro Church.

I've seen that on a lot of sites during the past few years.
It takes longer to find the real download button/link, than it takes to do the actual download.

Also, avoid companies/sites that demand that you install their download manager, "to speed up your downloads."
One time, some place wanted me to download a 20MB manager to download a 1MB file!

Right on the money lehnerus2000.

've seen that on a lot of sites during the past few years.
It takes longer to find the real download button/link, than it takes to do the actual download.

Also, avoid companies/sites that demand that you install their download manager, "to speed up your downloads."
One time, some place wanted me to download a 20MB manager to download a 1MB file!
------------------------------
The proper download button to the proper link is where they catch many people.

The snapshot of the java installer shows how easy it is for most to get duped into installing "unwanted extras" you don't want and why the smart move is being on the watch to uncheck things found already checked off.

Besides IE addons things like changing your home page, search engine, other annoyances are sometimes more cleverly wrapped with the need to be a little more attentative at just what is being installed when going to try something new out.

Now for closed platforms try Windows CE over something you can install on desktop, laptop, or netbook on your own. That offers very little and certainly has no "java support" for the limited form of IE seen with CE 6.0!

Another thing to keep a watch out for and hopefully maintaining a good av and anti-malware protection at the same time is other "little nasties" thrown into the mix at times! And that isn't just browser hijackers either!

Having never gotten around to installing a number of old XP tools freebies and other utilities being looked at but never gotten to you get into an updated software and suddenly learn there are "bugs" hidden insdie the zip file downloads that were supposed to be system tools and other off freewares. "Surprise! We caught you not looking!" so they thought anyways.

Even Adobe trys to bundle some things in with the update, although I haven't seen this the last couple times. I noticed that whenever you went to the site, it tried to get you to include something from McAfee in the d/l (some kind of toolbar I believe). It was off to the side so you had to be sure to look at the entire page before hitting the update button. Wonder how many people inadvertently d/led McFubar?

And yes Night Hawk, while running a scan with MSE on some programs I wanted to try out in (which were in zip format), MSE picked out one of them with a PUP bundled in with it. After MSE removed it, the program would no longer install. Fine with me...

In addition to what's been mentioned about bundled trialware which can earn authors commissions to pay for their freeware, many are also are trying to sneak spyware onto your PC.

Almost any search service, updater or toolbar is spyware that's gathering behavioral information about you which is crunched into data that can be both sold and used by the purveyor.

In addition these may paste ads everywhere you go based on searches or even text you type into emails. Hence when I invited a friend to lunch by private email every ad suddenly became lunch specials at local restaurants. This invasion of privacy pushed me to investigate and with John's help I learned how to Opt Out of Network Advertising tracking ads.

I am so tiered of being asked to install the Google Toolbar when installing just about anything that I want to puke. If it's not that its the Bing desktop or toolbar.