Railfan Technology > GasBuddy caution.

I used GasBuddy to find the low cost gasoline whilst on trips.

It used to be that by zooming in, the actual prices and the location of the station could be determined.

Now, you only get a vague idea of prices depending on the color of the area of the map, no matter how far
you zoom in.

Apparently to get the actual prices at a specific station you need to install GasGlance.

DO NOT DO THIS!

I did and it commandeered my computer and installed "ASK" as the default search engine and screwed with Firefox and
Windows in general and made it so the program cannot be uninstalled by conventional means. Tried the procedure on
the ASK page and it did nothing.

The computer is so screwed up I cannot get Juno mail to work and a number of other programs will not come up.

Be Well,

Tim Colbert K3HX

I use the Gas Buddy app on my phone when searching for gas prices. Never had an issue.

As far as it installing the "ask" toolbar, that's usually something that you would uncheck before proceeding with the install.

Try this link if you can't get the toolbar and other gadgetry to uninstall via conventional methods

www.techradar.com/us/news/software/applications/10-tips-for-removing-a-program-that-won-t-uninstall-907471

I'm reading that Adobe flash Player is having this issue as well, some Admin's have been putting the Adobe update URL on the Firewall list. There is an obscure opt out box hidden on the page, just doesn't seem right.

While the zoom-in feature for an individual station icon is not functioning anymore, you can still generate a list of gas prices in an area. Click on 'gas prices' then 'gas prices by state/province' and click on the location you want to check. This seems to work.

When settings get messed up like this, I have found it expedient to just make a new (unprivileged of course) user called rail2014 for example, and essentially start with a fresh slate. Programs won't have to be re-installed, but settings like bookmarks will have to be redone. A pain yes, but sometimes easier than wrestling the bad actors into submission.

Can't you just restore?

There is so much junk on the computer, I figured to save the files then start over again.

My skills are very limited.

Be Well,

Tim Colbert K3HX

I had a somewhat different problem involving the installation of an unwanted toolbar in my browser. One has to uninstall it from the browser, as I recall. I is important to watch what is being installed with a program, especially a free program. I've been caught a couple of times, fortunately without serious consequences to the computer.

The 'uninstall programs' feature of Windoze is your friend. I've also watched the 'Task Manager' using 'all users' and found a few unusual things going on there as well. It's by no means a clean set up these days, Adobe being the most recent violator. Each of the processes on the Task Manager has a bunch of info on most Search databases, most lead to MicroSoft or an Education Institute discussion, other wise it's somebody snoopy on your system.

There's also a few opt outs in the Browser settings that come in handy. A simple but effective Anti-virus s/w is essential, but most of them add bloat-ware requiring all surfing to go through their security checks on their server, which clogs up your DSL and appears to be a slow system.

I got ASK on my computer twice and it does take over your computer. I had to restore the computer after hours of trying to remove it. I was working with a trail version of some video editing software. It was from a known company. After that I eliminated them from my purchase plan. I couldn't believe they would include them on a trail version form their company website.

Russ

Thanks for spreading the word Tim. I'll stay away from it. ...Swede...NA7SL...Albany,Or.

I've used a freeware program called File Shredder to eliminate unwanted programs. Works good. It will kill just about anything.

You can read reviews at CNET and other websites.

The best line of defense for any computer or computing device is the user. You should always be aware of what you're installing, where you're getting the software from, and if they are prompting you to add other things to the download, such as unwanted virus scanning software or, most famously, a new browser toolbar.

As far as it goes with the OP, I'm not certain what the Gas Buddy website would be asking you to download to view pricing as I can still search on my end without being prompted to download anything.

atsf5701 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've used a freeware program called File Shredder
> to eliminate unwanted programs. Works good. It
> will kill just about anything.
>
> You can read reviews at CNET and other websites.


I use the free program Revo Uninstaller with good results.

Vanakatherock Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The best line of defense for any computer or
> computing device is the user. You should always be
> aware of what you're installing, where you're
> getting the software from, and if they are
> prompting you to add other things to the download,
> such as unwanted virus scanning software or, most
> famously, a new browser toolbar.
>

Social engineering has gone a long way to play tricks on your mind these days. I hadn't downloaded program in several years, except from the usual suspects (Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, etc.) to install updates. Couple of years ago, I started noticing Google Toolbar/Chrome add-ons being checked as default for the Adobe Flash and Acrobat updates, as mentioned above. That was no big deal, since I usually read the fine print.

Recently, when I started to look for tools to allow my old Windows Vista machine to add h.264 codecs to my workflow, I saw all sorts of nasty baits to get you to install other stuff. I don't know how many times I clicked the [Decline] button until I got the tools installed!

The days of innocence is over in the software industry. You really have to be cynical and pretend that people are ought to get you. I had to bail out couple of my friends who accidently installed stuff they didn't want, because they fell for the social engineering use of fear ("Your computer 'might be' infected, install THIS", "Your software might be out of date, install THAT" and so forth).

I even fell for a visual trick where the "Download Now" button for a baitware was located so close to the button I wanted to click, that I installed the wrong software. Fortunately, I caught it and uninstalled it before I ran it... FYI, the name of the baitware was similar to the function I was looking for... I'd say that's pretty evil.

So people who might have gotten their computer infected, don't just blame yourself, you got tricked. Be careful out there.

Moral to this story: Do Not install toolbars or other unsolicited programs to your web browsers. Over the years of experience, I found these things cause problems for any computer even if the program is legitimate. Usually, it's two more of these programs that cause operational issues due to compatibility problems. This will lead to strange issues that are hard to diagnose. Also, don't get too happy on clicking "next" on installs. Often, these undesired programs will install, and it will be difficult to uninstall some of these programs. Remember, take it slow on installs and say "NO" to toolbars and other unsolicited programs.


Cass Telles
"Slow-Approach-Slow" - 'Go by way of the B&O'
Railroads of NW Ohio
http://www.trainweb.org/rrnwoh
My photostream on Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ctelles/