5 Unforgivable Crapware Offenders

1. 1. Ask Toolbar

   After sneaking in with an otherwise harmless Java update, the Ask toolbar hijacks your default search engine and redirects you to a page of cluttered, confusing results in hopes that you click on a paid link. Real cool, Ask toolbar. Real cool.

   Really this should apply to all sponsored toolbar downloads -- Yahoo and Alexa are guilty too, among countless others.

   Image courtesy of Flickr, nathanmac87

   

2. 2. WildTangent Games

   It's not enough that this set of trialware games had to clog up your system -- they were actually spying too, collecting addresses and emails and possibly sharing that info without users' consent. Fun!

   Image courtesy of Flickr, Chase N.

   

3. 3. McAfee Security Center/Norton AntiVirus

   How would you like a thousand useless pop-ups? You're in luck; this exploitative free trial bogus could come installed on your system, or with a download of Adobe Flash. McAfee or Norton come pre-installed on some PCs and promise a month or so of virus-free protection, before turning around and demanding payment after the trial is over. Sure, that's how trial offers work in general, but there's something just a tad ironic about "anti-virus" software bugging you incessantly and slowing your system down.

   Image courtesy of Flickr, youngthousands

   

4. 4. AOL

   The only thing more time-consuming than loading a page on AOL is trying to uninstall all the bloatware bundled with the program. Somewhere, there's an entire landfill full of AOL free trial download discs.

   Image courtesy of Flickr, ~!

   

5. 

Crapware (a.k.a. bloatware, nagware, foistware) is like the school bully that trips you on your way to the front of the class for a book report. He isn't in the hallway after class shaking you down for lunch money or beating you up by the flag pole, but he makes your life just a bit more difficult.

The useless, irritating programs that can come pre-installed on your PC or sneak onto your system amidst an innocuous download aren't malicious, but they will clog up your system and get in your face constantly. It's almost worse than malware, because instead of just nuking your computer, they stick around and make your experience dreadful.

Consider this a Hall of Shame, then, for the very worst offenders in the annals of crapware — those toolbars, games and programs that have sat in the back of the class and taunted PC users for years. The worst things you could install on your computer. Here's to you, crapware.

Can you think of crapware that has tortured you, but somehow didn't make this list? Let it all out in the comments.

Homepage image via , joebelanger