BleepingComputer.com: KB976002 To Allow or Not

Hi

I had this KB976002 up date trust upon me last night, after searching google this morning; reading a lot of views I decided to refuse it to install. My reason it is something to do with the EU telling MS to force EU members to make a physical choice on what "Browsers" they use. Alarm bells rang in my head asking why?

Over to your comments

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976002

Wonder if it is even available in the states
I haven't seen it

Hi

Since denying it on my PC I have had a few "Desk Top" anomalies



All I've done with them is "Right Clicked" select property, selected open with "Note Pad" then bundled them up into a folder before my "Desk Top" gets full. the contents of the last file is below

Quote

Hi El Tel

Thought I'd bump this, in case there are any EU citizens, who have any interest in the matter.

Microsoft offers web browser choice to IE users

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8524019.stm

How Random Is Microsoft’s Random Browser Choice Screen In Europe?

http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/22/microsoft-ballot-screen/

I installed the update (KB976002) last week; didn't see any harm, lazy really.
It's your choice and if anyone complains about being 'forced' to do anything, blame the EU, not Microsoft;
isn't it rather the case that the EU insists on people being given the choice of browsers;
it's barmy, we've all been using / trying alternative browsers for a long time without the EU's 'nanny' attitude.

From the KB976002 article:

"Browser Choice application is available to users who are located in member countries of the European Economic Area.
The application is available to download through Windows Update.

This application creates a shortcut on your desktop.

This shortcut lets you visit a Web page in which you can select which Web browser you want to install.

Additionally, the first time that you log on to the computer after you install the application,
Windows Internet Explorer starts automatically and displays the Browser Choice Web page."

I didn't get the shortcut, nor the Web page, although I see that the file browserchoice.exe
is now sitting in my Windows\system32 folder. It won't run either; perhaps it assumes I am
content with IE8 and don't need a choice. (Well, it's right!).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Since denying it on my PC"

I don't believe you are really suggesting that not installing the update caused those 'anomalies'.

Has the problem reoccurred - what is the full location / filepath of the icon(s) and what do you see if you then
look in the relevant folder in Docs & Settings.

The only info on the Internet, loosely related to the stuff included in your quote, seems to indicate possible
problems with registry keys, but it's too vague, IMO, to link to.

If you have any problems with your browser:

How to reset Internet Explorer settings:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923737

Hi Pete

petewills, on Mar 1 2010, 03:58 PM, said:

Mine is sitting in C:\WINDOWS\Softwaredistribution\Downloads\ ( Date Created 26/02/2010 22:39 ) the night before

petewills, on Mar 1 2010, 03:58 PM, said:

I can't say what exactly caused this, just strange it was noticed the day after I denied it to "Install" around the time I was searching it.
On minimising my "Tabbed Browser" session to do other work, it was then my "desk top" looked like the image in my second post Thinking "Shish Kebab I've broke mi PC" ( I'm good at that )

petewills, on Mar 1 2010, 03:58 PM, said:

Not since I right clicked on one of the files selected properties and then selected "Open With Notepad"
Then I created a new folder and bundled them all in there, as for that I don't know what to do with them. My second post show the contents of one, they are pretty much similar in contents.

petewills, on Mar 1 2010, 03:58 PM, said:

petewills, on Mar 1 2010, 03:58 PM, said:

Not that I've noticed

Hi El Tel

Thanks for the detailed reply.

As regards the browserchoice.exe file, seems a little presumptuous of MS to put it
on your computer, before you'd agreed to install the update.

Apart from double clicking on any of the .html files, to see what comes up in Internet Explorer,
or whether you get 'Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage' message, my own reaction
would be to delete the lot, unless you keep all log / report files.

If in doubt, leave them in the Recycle Bin and reboot;
can't see that deleting them will make a scrap of difference.

btw, the update was High Priority; should have been optional, in my view and once installed
it cannot be uninstalled, according to the note which comes up in add / remove.

Returning to your original post, I can't see that you need it and you can select 'do not show this update again'
in Windows Update, if it bugs you.

[ I read somewhere that it comes up in msconfig, but not in mine; must have concluded that
I was already a convert; nor does Autoruns make any reference to it.]

Your desktop pic is quite impressive - royalty-free?
Any particular program used to create your Avatar, or is Nottingham the home of creativity?

Hi Pete

petewills, on Mar 2 2010, 02:03 PM, said:

Sorry for the delay, took me a while to find...
Yes Royalty FREE ( I love that word ) from " Dangerous Creatures " found on my PC when snooping around... This is when I generally brake it ...

When my PC was up-dated from ME 2 XP I asked for somethings to be transfered over, documents, my desktop etc which included ( Well I thought ) a beautiful ocean scene called " Paradise " ( Sadly I've lost this ) complete with the " Puffer Fish " for the recycle bin, a " Wasp " for system busy and a crawling " Bug " for system working. All of which are found in " C:\Program Files\Plus!\Themes

petewills, on Mar 2 2010, 02:03 PM, said:

Not sure, but while I was searching around this GR8 forum, I noticed a member with one similar and ask the ? how difficult would be to change it to " El Tel ", the next day he very kindly done it for me... Way Cool

Regards
El Tel

I remember it now - the Microsoft 'Plus' program, which I couldn't bring myself to buy, when I had
the old Win98 SE system. (Dangerous Creatures and about 11 other themes). Never mind.

As to the .gif Avatar, it contains 40 images (according to Irfanview Information); I've used Unfreez
in the past to create gif animations easily; may have a go at doing my own sometime.

Cheers from Brum; maybe not the coolest, but still the second city.

Hi Pete

petewills, on Mar 8 2010, 05:21 PM, said:

Good luck, I've had a look through some of my post, but drew a blank on who made it for me.

petewills, on Mar 8 2010, 05:21 PM, said:

Hi El Tel

Thanks again - no problem;

Australian member DSTM has an avatar, on which yours appears to be modelled.

Over and out for the time being.

Hi...

El_Tel, on Feb 28 2010, 10:03 PM, said:

This folder has sat on my desktop long enough now, as my PC seems to be OK the folder is now in my "Recycle Bin" awaiting for my weekly auto tune up.



Regards
El Tel

If it's in the Bin and all is well, banish it to oblivion, forthwith.

Hi

Just an up date, all those file have long been banished and all seems well

El_Tel, on Mar 1 2010, 11:22 PM, said:

I had almost forgot about this, as it has never activated, I have now put this in the recycle bin.

Hi El Tel - saw your post by accident, it's been long removed from my topics list.

Glad to hear you've had no problems.

As I installed the update, even though it never offered me the choices icon, the browserchoice.exe
has to stay in my system folder, otherwise subsequent visits to Windows Update result in a
notification that a high priority update, LOL, is available, i.e. the said browser choice update;
tested this by putting the file in the Bin. Had to replace it to stop the update nagging.

Cheers.
Vote Conservative.