PC Manager will sneakily try to change the Edge browser's default search to Bing if it's been set to a third-party search engine such as Google.
Microsoft is trying to restore Bing as the default search engine on users’ browsers by spinning it as a “repair” through a utility app called PC Manager.
PC Manager is designed to boost a Windows PC’s performance by freeing up memory and eliminating unused apps and files. It offers “Health check” and “Repair tips” buttons, which users can click on to see the recommended actions.
However, Windows Latest noticed the app pushing a curious recommendation: Both Repair tips and Health check nudge you to restore Bing as the default search engine on the Edge browser.
You know, this is a useful tool when you’re clearing a malware infection. Everyone seems to be assuming this is fully automatic, but it requires you to accept the change before it commits.
Of course, since everyone here is rabidly anti-Microsoft, anything MS does is automatically the worst thing in existance.
Edit: In this case, it is providing the option to reset Edge’s search and home settings back to “known safe” defaults. If you had this tool let you set anything, that’s an attack surface that can be exploited by a “tech” from India or a malware running counterops to prevent removal.
Worst case, you use another browser, since clearly Microsoft is the devil and you shouldn’t use Edge anyway.
I think the branding as a “repair” is meant to mislead uninformed users but I am totally with you, I would LOVE to get a list of settings that are going to change after an update so I can approve them. I can’t tell you how many times a random update reverts something I set up ages ago when I installed windows. Most of the time I may not notice the setting change for a while, until one day a feature doesn’t work as I expect it to.
PC Manager sounds exactly like one of those garbageware “PC tune up” apps I used to clean off of customer computers back when I worked at a repair shop. Right down to changing your homepage/search engine. But at least the other guys would give you a snazzy coupon toolbar or three.
So tired of companies telling me they know what I want more than I do. It’s all over the place in big ways like this and smaller annoyance ways too. My work mac just did a security update and it decided to change my desktop background
Everything that isn’t Free Software will become abusive eventually. It boils down to the simple fact that you can only trust your property, that you control.
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You know, this is a useful tool when you’re clearing a malware infection. Everyone seems to be assuming this is fully automatic, but it requires you to accept the change before it commits.
Of course, since everyone here is rabidly anti-Microsoft, anything MS does is automatically the worst thing in existance.
Edit: In this case, it is providing the option to reset Edge’s search and home settings back to “known safe” defaults. If you had this tool let you set anything, that’s an attack surface that can be exploited by a “tech” from India or a malware running counterops to prevent removal.
Worst case, you use another browser, since clearly Microsoft is the devil and you shouldn’t use Edge anyway.
I think the branding as a “repair” is meant to mislead uninformed users but I am totally with you, I would LOVE to get a list of settings that are going to change after an update so I can approve them. I can’t tell you how many times a random update reverts something I set up ages ago when I installed windows. Most of the time I may not notice the setting change for a while, until one day a feature doesn’t work as I expect it to.
This is a product you pay for and it doesn’t respect your choices…
Probably closer to renting the OS lol
Obligatory “install Linux” post.
Obligatory “Way ahead of you” post.
Obligatory “I use arch btw” post
Obligatory “I was a Windows user for decades until a couple months ago but Microsoft’s enshittification drove me to Linux and I have no regrets” post.
I see that anti trust / Internet Explorer investigation had no effect at all.
Like most things, it was nearly 30 years ago. So everyone acts like they can’t remember it.
Institutional knowledge is not something corpos seem to like anymore. That hampers next quarter thinking.
So trashy
PC Manager sounds exactly like one of those garbageware “PC tune up” apps I used to clean off of customer computers back when I worked at a repair shop. Right down to changing your homepage/search engine. But at least the other guys would give you a snazzy coupon toolbar or three.
Microsoft has fallen quite far from the heydays of TweakUI.
You know how many times I’ve had to remove a spyware/adware browser, extensions, and homepage from a family members computer? Too many.
How many times? Every single time…
So tired of companies telling me they know what I want more than I do. It’s all over the place in big ways like this and smaller annoyance ways too. My work mac just did a security update and it decided to change my desktop background
Everything that isn’t Free Software will become abusive eventually. It boils down to the simple fact that you can only trust your property, that you control.
Windows is not free software though, so it’s even worse
I never thought I would say this but Microsoft may be doing you a favor there.
I just had a big windows update and it asked part way through if I wanted to follow it’s suggestions, I said no and it carried on.
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“Freeing up memory and eliminating unused apps and files” sounds like the kind of bullshit app we have on Android already. Why bring that to PC.