The ability to leave product reviews is a great part of our online shopping experience. Even if you plan to purchase a product in a store, you can still check the reviews as you decide whether or not to buy. However, many product reviews are fake. Companies pay marketing experts to add positive reviews for a product, and some companies will even leave negative reviews on their competitor's products. The key is to filter out the fake reviews and find the ones you can actually trust.
Here are a few tips to find the legitimate product reviews:
1) 2-4 Stars - Fake positive reviews will almost always have five stars, and fake negative reviews will almost always have one star. Reviews that fall in the middle are much more likely to be legitimate reviews, and they are also more likely to have a balanced look at the pros and cons. This is not to say that all one and five star reviews should not be trusted, but you should be much more careful trusting these reviews
2) Facts and Opinion - Many fake reviews will consist of opinions that lack facts to back it up. "Amazing! Purchasing this product was the best decision I ever made!" doesn't give you any information about the product itself. However, fake reviews can also go in the opposite direction: instead of sharing "opinions", they simply summarize the product information without describing what does or does not work well. The best reviews will have a balance of both facts and opinion.
3) Good and Bad - If you are being paid to make a company's product look good, you're not going to say anything bad about it. And if you are being paid to make another company's product look bad, you're not going to say anything good about it. Just like real reviews are more likely to contain a balance of facts and opinion, real reviews are also much more likely to contain a balance of the good and bad sides of a product.
4) The Same Thing - If you check multiple sites for reviews on a product and you see the same review posted on multiple sites, that is a sign that it has been placed there by a marketing company, especially if it meets other criteria above.
5) Don't Trust Just One - Never base your decision to purchase a product on one review, or even on the star rating. Read through as many reviews as you can to get a feel for the areas where this product excels and the areas where the product needs some work. Then, make your decision based on what you see mentioned often.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Monday, February 9, 2015
Stay Safe on Facebook
Facebook is a great tool to keep in touch with people, but it is not without its drawbacks. Like any other site, one wrong click can quickly take you places you don't want to be. Here are four ways to stay safe while Facebooking:
1) Watch Out for Scams - There are a multitude of scams on Facebook. Some promise to give you a free iPad or Xbox, some let you see the latest "shocking video", and some promise to change your profile or let you see who viewed you. They are all scams! No one is going to give you a free iPad for filling out a survey, and Facebook has been very clear that no app can change your profile or let you see who viewed it. And while there are plenty of videos available on Facebook, you probably don't need to install any updates in order to view them (especially if you are able to view videos on other sites). If you are unsure if a video is legitimate or a scam, try doing a search for the video's title. If you can't find it off of Facebook, it is probably a scam.
2) Don't Overpost - Do you completely trust every friend you have on Facebook? While I have plenty of friends I would trust, I also have many Facebook friends who are acquaintances from work or from my days in school. If your friends list is composed like mine and you post that you are leaving for a two week vacation tomorrow, the fact that your house will be vacant could end up in the wrong hands. (Even if someone will be there, your house-sitter might appreciate you not letting others think your house will be vacant.) On the same note, don't post pictures from your vacation or tag yourself at various landmarks until you have returned home.
3) Don't Use Your Credit Card - Facebook is free (and they say it always will be), but they offer the opportunity to purchase gift cards and other products through the site. Adding your credit card makes this process more convenient. However, connecting your credit card to your profile could leave you vulnerable if you forget to log out of your profile on a public computer. Plus, there is no guarantee that Facebook could not suffer a data breach. Unless you are using this feature regularly, it is best to keep your card number away from Facebook.
4) Address and Phone Number - As I mentioned earlier, not every Facebook friend is an actual friend. Therefore, not all of my Facebook friends need to be able to see my address and phone number. Anyone who needs either of these can always message me or get in touch with me some other way. Unless you tightly control your friends list, leave your address and phone number off and let those who need it ask for it.
1) Watch Out for Scams - There are a multitude of scams on Facebook. Some promise to give you a free iPad or Xbox, some let you see the latest "shocking video", and some promise to change your profile or let you see who viewed you. They are all scams! No one is going to give you a free iPad for filling out a survey, and Facebook has been very clear that no app can change your profile or let you see who viewed it. And while there are plenty of videos available on Facebook, you probably don't need to install any updates in order to view them (especially if you are able to view videos on other sites). If you are unsure if a video is legitimate or a scam, try doing a search for the video's title. If you can't find it off of Facebook, it is probably a scam.
2) Don't Overpost - Do you completely trust every friend you have on Facebook? While I have plenty of friends I would trust, I also have many Facebook friends who are acquaintances from work or from my days in school. If your friends list is composed like mine and you post that you are leaving for a two week vacation tomorrow, the fact that your house will be vacant could end up in the wrong hands. (Even if someone will be there, your house-sitter might appreciate you not letting others think your house will be vacant.) On the same note, don't post pictures from your vacation or tag yourself at various landmarks until you have returned home.
3) Don't Use Your Credit Card - Facebook is free (and they say it always will be), but they offer the opportunity to purchase gift cards and other products through the site. Adding your credit card makes this process more convenient. However, connecting your credit card to your profile could leave you vulnerable if you forget to log out of your profile on a public computer. Plus, there is no guarantee that Facebook could not suffer a data breach. Unless you are using this feature regularly, it is best to keep your card number away from Facebook.
4) Address and Phone Number - As I mentioned earlier, not every Facebook friend is an actual friend. Therefore, not all of my Facebook friends need to be able to see my address and phone number. Anyone who needs either of these can always message me or get in touch with me some other way. Unless you tightly control your friends list, leave your address and phone number off and let those who need it ask for it.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Reduce Computer Eyestrain with a Simple Program
If your day is anything like mine, you spend a lot of time looking at your computer screen, sometimes late into the night. The glow from your monitor can make your eyes think that it is daytime, even at 10:00 at night. This can make it more difficult to get to sleep when you do finally turn in for the night.
Fortunately, there is a program that can solve this problem. F.lux is a program that will adjust your monitor's brightness based on the current time. After you enter your location, your monitor will gradually brighten throughout the morning, and then dim as the sun goes down in the evening.
The f.lux icon will sit in your taskbar so that it will be easy to disable it if you need to do color-sensitive work on your computer. If you need to do photo or video editing, you can quickly disable it for one hour, or if you want to watch a movie, you can put it into movie mode, which disables it for 2 1/2 hours. If you know you will be working on a project for a long time, you can also choose to disable it until the next day.
I can tell you from personal experience that this program works for those who use a monitor for long periods of time. Since both of my jobs require heavy use of my eyes, I have had eyestrain problems for several years. However, since installing f.lux, I have found that my eyestrain has decreased.
Fortunately, there is a program that can solve this problem. F.lux is a program that will adjust your monitor's brightness based on the current time. After you enter your location, your monitor will gradually brighten throughout the morning, and then dim as the sun goes down in the evening.
The f.lux icon will sit in your taskbar so that it will be easy to disable it if you need to do color-sensitive work on your computer. If you need to do photo or video editing, you can quickly disable it for one hour, or if you want to watch a movie, you can put it into movie mode, which disables it for 2 1/2 hours. If you know you will be working on a project for a long time, you can also choose to disable it until the next day.
I can tell you from personal experience that this program works for those who use a monitor for long periods of time. Since both of my jobs require heavy use of my eyes, I have had eyestrain problems for several years. However, since installing f.lux, I have found that my eyestrain has decreased.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Three Steps to Secure Your Home Network
Wireless networks are wonderful. We can take our laptop, tablet, or phone and sit anywhere in the house while we surf the web. However, having wireless access in your home also means that someone sitting in their car across the street can use your internet unless you take steps to block that person out. And while you might just think that you are being generous by allowing others to use your bandwidth, any activities (including illegal ones) performed by a person on the network will be connected back to you. You may be able to clear yourself eventually, but you will end up with many hassles and legal bills before that happens.
Fortunately, it is simple to secure your home's wireless network to block out intruders.
1) Add a password - This is the most basic security step you can take. When someone tries to connect to your network, they will be forced to enter the password you set up.
To set up your password, you will need to access your router's control panel. To access this panel, you will need to go to a web browser window and enter your router's network address. (The network address will be listed in your router's documentation, or you can look up the address for your router online. It will begin with 192.168.) Next, you will need to enter the user name and password. These have a default setting, so if you have not changed them, look up the defaults in the documentation or online, as well. Then, you will need to navigate to where you can change the password. The exact procedure will differ based on your router, but for my router, I click on "Wireless" and then "Security". For the best security, you will want to use WPA2 security unless you have a device that cannot connect with WPA2. On my router, this is changed under "Authentication Type". Underneath that option is a place for the "Passphrase". This is obviously where you will enter the password that you want.
While this step will keep most people off your network, a determined person will still be able to get around your security if all you do is add a password. To stop these people, you need to do more:
2) Change your SSID - The SSID is a name that identifies your wireless network. By default, it will usually contain the brand name of the router. Remember how we could access the control panel earlier by looking up the router's address online? If your router's brand is listed in your network name, anyone on your network could look up that address and access your control panel. Even if the model number is not in the description, most manufacturers use the same one or two addresses for all their routers. Once on your network, it would not take long to be inside your control panel.
To change your SSID, you will once again go to the control panel and search for an "SSID" option to change. On my router, I can access that by simply clicking on "Wireless". Once there, think of a creative name for your network. You can use your last name, your address, or even change it to "FBI Surveillance Van". (Yes, I know of at least two people who have done that!) This is not a password, so there is no need to be concerned about coming up with a complicated name. The critical factor is that your router's brand name is gone!
If you want to be extra conscious about security, you can disable SSID broadcasting. This will cause your network to appear as something like "Unidentified Network" or "Unnamed Network". Then, in order to connect, you will have to enter the network name along with the password you set earlier. While this provides a little extra security, it also adds the inconvenience of having to remember and enter the network name along with the password.
3) Change your Access Password - Remember how we had to enter a user name and password to access the router control panel. Because so many routers use the same default address, it would not take long to guess the address of most routers. Once the person has done this, they will almost always have access to the model number of your router (it is usually displayed on the login page). If your user name and password to access the control panel is still the default, they can look it up just as easily as you can! Once inside your control panel, they can make all kinds of changes to your network, including blocking you from accessing your own router.
To stop this, change your router's access password. (Some may also allow you to change the user name, but others may not.) This may take a little time to find in your control panel, but it is worth it. You can also attempt to look up directions in your documentation or online. Make sure you write this password down! You will most likely use it infrequently, so you want to have it written down where you can find it when you need it.
Fortunately, it is simple to secure your home's wireless network to block out intruders.
1) Add a password - This is the most basic security step you can take. When someone tries to connect to your network, they will be forced to enter the password you set up.
To set up your password, you will need to access your router's control panel. To access this panel, you will need to go to a web browser window and enter your router's network address. (The network address will be listed in your router's documentation, or you can look up the address for your router online. It will begin with 192.168.) Next, you will need to enter the user name and password. These have a default setting, so if you have not changed them, look up the defaults in the documentation or online, as well. Then, you will need to navigate to where you can change the password. The exact procedure will differ based on your router, but for my router, I click on "Wireless" and then "Security". For the best security, you will want to use WPA2 security unless you have a device that cannot connect with WPA2. On my router, this is changed under "Authentication Type". Underneath that option is a place for the "Passphrase". This is obviously where you will enter the password that you want.
While this step will keep most people off your network, a determined person will still be able to get around your security if all you do is add a password. To stop these people, you need to do more:
2) Change your SSID - The SSID is a name that identifies your wireless network. By default, it will usually contain the brand name of the router. Remember how we could access the control panel earlier by looking up the router's address online? If your router's brand is listed in your network name, anyone on your network could look up that address and access your control panel. Even if the model number is not in the description, most manufacturers use the same one or two addresses for all their routers. Once on your network, it would not take long to be inside your control panel.
To change your SSID, you will once again go to the control panel and search for an "SSID" option to change. On my router, I can access that by simply clicking on "Wireless". Once there, think of a creative name for your network. You can use your last name, your address, or even change it to "FBI Surveillance Van". (Yes, I know of at least two people who have done that!) This is not a password, so there is no need to be concerned about coming up with a complicated name. The critical factor is that your router's brand name is gone!
If you want to be extra conscious about security, you can disable SSID broadcasting. This will cause your network to appear as something like "Unidentified Network" or "Unnamed Network". Then, in order to connect, you will have to enter the network name along with the password you set earlier. While this provides a little extra security, it also adds the inconvenience of having to remember and enter the network name along with the password.
3) Change your Access Password - Remember how we had to enter a user name and password to access the router control panel. Because so many routers use the same default address, it would not take long to guess the address of most routers. Once the person has done this, they will almost always have access to the model number of your router (it is usually displayed on the login page). If your user name and password to access the control panel is still the default, they can look it up just as easily as you can! Once inside your control panel, they can make all kinds of changes to your network, including blocking you from accessing your own router.
To stop this, change your router's access password. (Some may also allow you to change the user name, but others may not.) This may take a little time to find in your control panel, but it is worth it. You can also attempt to look up directions in your documentation or online. Make sure you write this password down! You will most likely use it infrequently, so you want to have it written down where you can find it when you need it.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Are Your Files Really Deleted?
You've selected your file and hit the delete key, and then you've gone to the recycle bin (or trash can) and emptied it. Your file has now entered the world of electronic oblivion, right?
Not so fast. Every single piece of your data is still there. Obviously, this is good news if you accidentally deleted a file that you now want back, but it not good if you are planning to sell or dispose of your computer and do not want your personal information in the wrong hands.
To understand this, your hard drive is divided into small sectors. When you save a file, it places it in one of these sectors. If it is too big for one sector, it will fill the first sector, and at the very end will be code telling it where to look for the next sequence of data. Very large files may fill tens or hundreds of sectors. The file system in your operating system (Windows, MacOS, Linux, etc.) contains a list of the files saved and where to look for the first sector of the file. When you open a file, the computer looks in the file system for the first sector, loads that sector, and then continues the process with each sector the file is using.
At the very beginning of each sector is a single bit that tells the computer whether or not it is allowed to write data into that sector. When you empty the recycle bin, it simply deletes the reference to the file in the file system and changes all these bits so that the computer knows it can write new data into that sector. However, the data is actually still there! Over time, much of it will eventually be written over by new files, but until the computer decided it needs that sector for new data, your old data will still be stored there.
However, you can make sure your files are actually gone. If you are planning to sell or dispose of your computer, I would recommend using the program CCleaner. The free version contains a Drive Wiper. Once it opens, click on tools on the left side, and then select drive wiper. Choose to wipe the free space (wiping the entire drive requires taking the drive out of your computer and putting it into another computer), and then choose the security level: the number of times that the program will write junk data into each empty sector. A single pass will be enough for most purposes, but if you have highly-sensitive data, you may want to choose more passes. Then, select the drive you want to clean, and click Wipe. The process will take a while, but the protection you will receive is definitely worth it.
Not so fast. Every single piece of your data is still there. Obviously, this is good news if you accidentally deleted a file that you now want back, but it not good if you are planning to sell or dispose of your computer and do not want your personal information in the wrong hands.
To understand this, your hard drive is divided into small sectors. When you save a file, it places it in one of these sectors. If it is too big for one sector, it will fill the first sector, and at the very end will be code telling it where to look for the next sequence of data. Very large files may fill tens or hundreds of sectors. The file system in your operating system (Windows, MacOS, Linux, etc.) contains a list of the files saved and where to look for the first sector of the file. When you open a file, the computer looks in the file system for the first sector, loads that sector, and then continues the process with each sector the file is using.
At the very beginning of each sector is a single bit that tells the computer whether or not it is allowed to write data into that sector. When you empty the recycle bin, it simply deletes the reference to the file in the file system and changes all these bits so that the computer knows it can write new data into that sector. However, the data is actually still there! Over time, much of it will eventually be written over by new files, but until the computer decided it needs that sector for new data, your old data will still be stored there.
However, you can make sure your files are actually gone. If you are planning to sell or dispose of your computer, I would recommend using the program CCleaner. The free version contains a Drive Wiper. Once it opens, click on tools on the left side, and then select drive wiper. Choose to wipe the free space (wiping the entire drive requires taking the drive out of your computer and putting it into another computer), and then choose the security level: the number of times that the program will write junk data into each empty sector. A single pass will be enough for most purposes, but if you have highly-sensitive data, you may want to choose more passes. Then, select the drive you want to clean, and click Wipe. The process will take a while, but the protection you will receive is definitely worth it.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Seven Security Programs You Need On Your Computer
If you have a Windows computer, you probably know that you need an antivirus. But did you know that you need more security software than just an antivirus? Here are seven types of security software you should have on your computer:
1) Antivirus - We'll start with the most obvious one. Antivirus software is designed to protect you from threats trying to get onto your computer. Antivirus software actively scans to protect you from the latest threats. In addition to performing regular scans of your hard drive, it will usually scan websites and downloads. If you do not have an antivirus on your computer, Avast and AVG are the two free programs I recommend. Make sure you only have one antivirus program that is actively scanning your computer. Running more than one program will cause conflicts that may allow viruses into your computer.
2) Firewall - A firewall uses rules to determine which network connections to allow. Without a firewall, anyone who knows or guesses your internet address (known as an IP address) can send you messages. While we can't stop them from sending messages to your IP address, we can stop those messages from ever reaching your computer. Most firewalls are configured upon installation to work with your computer, but you may need to enter exceptions to allow programs to connect to the internet.
Fortunately, Windows has a built-in firewall that runs automatically unless it detects another firewall, so you probably already have a firewall running. To check your firewall settings or enter exceptions, simply type "Windows Firewall" into a search box. If you want to use something other than the Windows Firewall, I recommend ZoneAlarm's free firewall. Just like antivirus software, you should never run more than one firewall on a computer.
Fortunately, Windows has a built-in firewall that runs automatically unless it detects another firewall, so you probably already have a firewall running. To check your firewall settings or enter exceptions, simply type "Windows Firewall" into a search box. If you want to use something other than the Windows Firewall, I recommend ZoneAlarm's free firewall. Just like antivirus software, you should never run more than one firewall on a computer.
3) Emergency Cleanup - It doesn't matter how good your antivirus is, it will not catch everything. When something slips past your antivirus software and a full scan still won't catch it, it is time to call in some backup! These programs scan like antivirus software, but they do not actively scan everything in the background and they are designed to work alongside your primary antivirus.
My preferred program is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. Malwarebytes is totally free (although it will offer you a free trial of its premium version). Hitman Pro is free to scan. If malware is detected, it will offer you a free 30-day trial license to remove it. If you have already used the 30-day trial once, you will need to purchase a license in order to remove any malware.
My preferred program is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. Malwarebytes is totally free (although it will offer you a free trial of its premium version). Hitman Pro is free to scan. If malware is detected, it will offer you a free 30-day trial license to remove it. If you have already used the 30-day trial once, you will need to purchase a license in order to remove any malware.
4) Emergency Boot - Malware is continually finding ways to make it harder to remove. I dealt with a computer recently that blocked the download of just about any antivirus software. Fortunately, I already had software downloaded onto a flash drive! Recently, there has been an abundance of malware that stops the boot process. The FBI scam is the most notable example. Instead of booting to your desktop, your computer is taken to a screen claiming that your computer has been locked by the FBI and requiring a MoneyPak code be entered to pay your "fine".
These emergency boot programs will bypass your computer's normal boot process in order to allow you to run their scanner. My preferred emergency boot program is made by the same company that I recommend for emergency cleanup programs: Malwarebytes Chameleon. Both programs contain instructions on how to set up a flash drive with the software for your use.
These emergency boot programs will bypass your computer's normal boot process in order to allow you to run their scanner. My preferred emergency boot program is made by the same company that I recommend for emergency cleanup programs: Malwarebytes Chameleon. Both programs contain instructions on how to set up a flash drive with the software for your use.
5) Website Reputation - When you conduct a search on Google (or some other site), the pages are ranked in order of the search engine's perceived relevance to your search terms. However, there are companies that specialize in getting websites to the top of your search results. If these companies are able to manipulate search engines to get to the top of your results, don't you think that the bad guys know the same tricks to get their pages up there, too?
When you get a list of search results or even visit a site, do you know what pages are safe and what are not? Fortunately, there are products that specialize in providing analysis of pages. My favorite is Bitdefender Traffic Light. It will analyze each page you visit and give you a green light (appears safe), a yellow light (appears questionable), or a red light (not safe). The traffic light appears at the top of your browser window and also next to your search results. Bitdefender Traffic Light is available for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, but it is not currently available for Internet Explorer.
6) Ad Blocker - For years, I refused to use or recommend using an ad blocker. I felt that advertising was the price we had to pay for the availability of free content on the internet, and I still hold that opinion today. However, recent stories of advertising networks allowing malicious software to be transmitted through their ads has changed my opinion on ad blockers.
I now use AdBlock Plus to block advertising. It is available for all major browsers, and it offers a great compromise between my feelings on internet advertising and security by not blocking non-invasive advertising (the criteria for this determination is set out on their website). If advertising networks are not going to keep us safe, then we will have to take the necessary steps to do it ourselves.
7) Privacy Protection - Websites are getting sneakier at tracking everything you are doing online so that they can give you "relevant" ads. Recently, it was revealed that two of the most popular cellular providers were using "supercookies" that were difficult to remove in order to track users. It seems like everywhere you go, there is someone wanting to watch you.
To assist in protecting my privacy online, I use Blur (formerly DoNotTrackMe). This will stop secret data collection on your devices. It also has the ability to mask your email address with a disposable one and generate and store secure passwords for all your accounts. (I do not currently use the password feature and I rarely use the email feature. I primarily use it to block tracking.) Blur is available on all major browsers and also for your mobile devices.
When you get a list of search results or even visit a site, do you know what pages are safe and what are not? Fortunately, there are products that specialize in providing analysis of pages. My favorite is Bitdefender Traffic Light. It will analyze each page you visit and give you a green light (appears safe), a yellow light (appears questionable), or a red light (not safe). The traffic light appears at the top of your browser window and also next to your search results. Bitdefender Traffic Light is available for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, but it is not currently available for Internet Explorer.
6) Ad Blocker - For years, I refused to use or recommend using an ad blocker. I felt that advertising was the price we had to pay for the availability of free content on the internet, and I still hold that opinion today. However, recent stories of advertising networks allowing malicious software to be transmitted through their ads has changed my opinion on ad blockers.
I now use AdBlock Plus to block advertising. It is available for all major browsers, and it offers a great compromise between my feelings on internet advertising and security by not blocking non-invasive advertising (the criteria for this determination is set out on their website). If advertising networks are not going to keep us safe, then we will have to take the necessary steps to do it ourselves.
7) Privacy Protection - Websites are getting sneakier at tracking everything you are doing online so that they can give you "relevant" ads. Recently, it was revealed that two of the most popular cellular providers were using "supercookies" that were difficult to remove in order to track users. It seems like everywhere you go, there is someone wanting to watch you.
To assist in protecting my privacy online, I use Blur (formerly DoNotTrackMe). This will stop secret data collection on your devices. It also has the ability to mask your email address with a disposable one and generate and store secure passwords for all your accounts. (I do not currently use the password feature and I rarely use the email feature. I primarily use it to block tracking.) Blur is available on all major browsers and also for your mobile devices.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Block Piggybacking Programs
Have you ever installed a program you downloaded and found that you unknowingly gave the installer permission to install other programs or change your home page and search defaults? It has happened to me before. I like to call these "piggybacking" programs. Companies have made it increasingly difficult to find the check-boxes you need to click on in order to avoid these installations.
The latest thing has been to offer the option of a "Standard Installation" or a "Custom Installation". The standard installation will install the extra programs, and you only see the check boxes that stop the installation after you have chosen to do a custom installation. If you never choose custom installation, you never realize that you are giving permission for these programs to be loaded on your computer.
These programs used to just be annoying, but now they are becoming malicious. I recently downloaded one program to try, and I found out that a company that produces adware was going to be installing its software alongside this program. (I chose not to install the original program I downloaded, either.)
Fortunately, there is a program that helps clear these check boxes: Unchecky. Unchecky will work in the background and automatically uncheck most of these boxes for you. Unchecky does a good job, but it is not perfect, and it does not replace watching the installation process yourself. However, it will work as a great sidekick to help defeat annoying and malicious piggybacking software.
The latest thing has been to offer the option of a "Standard Installation" or a "Custom Installation". The standard installation will install the extra programs, and you only see the check boxes that stop the installation after you have chosen to do a custom installation. If you never choose custom installation, you never realize that you are giving permission for these programs to be loaded on your computer.
These programs used to just be annoying, but now they are becoming malicious. I recently downloaded one program to try, and I found out that a company that produces adware was going to be installing its software alongside this program. (I chose not to install the original program I downloaded, either.)
Fortunately, there is a program that helps clear these check boxes: Unchecky. Unchecky will work in the background and automatically uncheck most of these boxes for you. Unchecky does a good job, but it is not perfect, and it does not replace watching the installation process yourself. However, it will work as a great sidekick to help defeat annoying and malicious piggybacking software.
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