How do I avoid installing Avira WebGuard & Ask toolbar?

i8change

I left the two boxes unchecked so they were not installed but the next time I logged on I still get the nag screen to install now or later! :mad:

http://www.avira.com/en/support-for-home-faq-detail/faqid/861

Thanks for any replies. Looks like Avast or MSE if I cannot get this sorted.

RussJK

If you install the webguard with Avira free, then you have to install the Ask Toolbar. Afterwards, you can disable the Ask toolbar apparently without penalty. Alternatively, select not to install the Avira webguard on install and it should never bother you about it again - this was certainly my experience.

Personally I think the AV webguards are a waste of resources, when there are more effective solutions. The regulars by now will have heard me saying this plenty of times before, but I do this for the benefit of others:

• alternative DNS with malware domain blocking, like Norton DNS, Comodo Secure DNS, etc (potentially faster browsing too)
• HOSTS file blocking with MVPS or MalwareDomainList lists (low resources). I use Hostsman to combine the two.
• Malwarebytes Pro IP blocking (great overall program with the complementary guard, one time fee)
• Adblock Plus with MalwareDomainList (limited to blocking infected scripts, images, ads, and Flash content from known malware sites). If used with Easylist, then you'll block nearly all infected ads, such as when eBay's ad service was compromised recently.

The only method listed (including the webguards from antivirus suites) that will have much of a chance to block newly established malware domains (i.e. zero day sites) would be using a HOSTS block with MalwareDomainList, as MVPS updates too infrequently. Using Noscript would negate the need for any of it, as would Sandboxie.

Even ClearcloudDNS (easily the best of the malware blocking DNS options) missed all but one of a batch of zero-day malware sites I recently tested a few days ago with some zero-day trojans. Surprisingly Panda free antivirus detected all but one of the zero-day samples I tried (which is something traditional AVs struggle to do), and Malwarebyes Pro detected the file that Panda missed via heuristics upon its execution.

When Google Images was serving a lot of infected results recently, it was Clearcloud and the HOSTS blocking that stopped most of them for me (also MBAM's IP blocker). At the time I was using Avast, and it's webguard barely ever spoke up for these infected sites.

i8change

Thanks for the info RussJK.

Unfortunately on my XP machines I made sure the "I accept the terms of the Ask.com......" and "Make Ask.com my browser default....." boxes were unchecked. But the nag dialogue "Install now" or "Later" still comes up again when I next log on.

Perhaps if I check those two first so I then get the "Antivir WebGuard" box on the next page, then uncheck that instead and continue through.

Seems a lot of messing about just to say "no thanks." I manage the Foxit Reader one OK and that's a tricky one.

RussJK

Possibly you could double check in the 'custom' part that the Avira Webguard isn't selected for install.

It's getting that you can't install anything these days, without checking what necessary information is hidden in the 'custom' options

Definitely know what you mean about Foxit (http://www.users.on.net/%7Eruss/foxitverynaughty.jpg); I've started using the Foxit .MSI installer instead which only installs the program itself.