this post was submitted on 17 May 2024
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11
Microsoft PC Manager App 'Repairs' Your System by Making Bing the Search Default (uk.pcmag.com)
submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
12 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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[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

I see that anti trust / Internet Explorer investigation had no effect at all.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

They went full malware.

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

Obligatory "install Linux" post.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

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.

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

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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Microsoft has fallen quite far from the heydays of TweakUI.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

This is a product you pay for and it doesn't respect your choices....

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Maybe this will sound unrelated but have you seen a PC infected with tons of malware?

The web browsers tend to be the most affected apps by malware and if the user doesn't want to reinstall, forcing the web browser to change the default search engine helps a lot, because it is literally impossible to do that manually when the PC is full of shit.

Other than that, yeah, Microsoft doing anti-consumer things, as always.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

forcing the web browser to change the default search engine helps a lot

How does changing your browser's default search engine (from another legitimate search engine) help get rid of malware?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I never thought I would say this but Microsoft may be doing you a favor there.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Why’s that?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

Because the standard search Google has deteriorated so much.