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Microsoft PC Manager App 'Repairs' Your System by Making Bing the Search Default (uk.pcmag.com)

submitted 6 months ago by ForgottenFlux to c/technology

65 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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.

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[–] Blaster_M 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (3 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

The issue is that they're taking a tool with actual legitimate use cases, particularly maintenance and repair uses, and turning it into something to just push their own service. It'd be like a doctor saying you can only be healthy if you use his brand of fuckin... Vitamins or some shit,I don't know. It's got nothing to do with Microsoft, it's not automatically the worst thing in existence, it's just that Microsoft CONSISTENTLY does this kind of garbage, and it's one of those things that isn't overtly even a bad thing, you just have to look a bit.

So in short, I agree it is(was?) a useful tool, I don't agree that everyone is rabidly anti-microsoft, any more than anyone's rabidly anti-get-punched-in-the-taint.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

They are saying that you need to use there product to have a healthy PC. How on Earth is a search engine related at all to PC health. People are not idiots.

[–] SpliceVW 2 points 6 months ago

A lot of malware takes over your default search engine.

[–] psilotop 1 points 6 months ago

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.