Windows Essentials Media Codec Pack
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Full user review
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"Vicious ad-ware"
Pros
It installed codecs... sort of...
Cons
The installer for this is evil, and installs ad-ware with a modal frame that disables the ability to quit the installer after a certain point.
Summary
I recently did a clean install of my windows partition. Looking to simplify my codec installation process and after see the positive review on this by Cnet, I thought this would be a decent package. Wrong! When I started up the codec installer it opened a windowless install dialog unlike the one in the reference image on this page. The first thing it prompted me was if I wanted to install the ask toolbar and make it my home page. I clicked the custom option, disabled these and clicked next. This is where things went horribly wrong. The next screen had a check-box for installing an ad-ware package. I unchecked it, but this disabled the next button. I realized this ad-ware was required to installed this package, but there was no cancel button. There was a thing that looked like a cancel x that was ghosted out, and didn't quit when I click on it. I then pulled up the task-manager and clicked force quit. The force quite button popped up but then disappeared behind the frameless installer dialog. I then thought perhaps the check-box might need to be enabled to access the cancel x in the dialog so I attempted to check it again. Nothing happened, the installer looked to have frozen, but I attempted to click the x a few more times, then as I was going to try and kill the process, the check-box suddenly checked it self, and it installed with out me clicking the next button. I was floored that they had some how registered my clicks on the x button as an install. I'm going to attempt to disable this, but am afraid the ad-ware is already installed, and if one thing experience as taught me is installers like this don't remove the ad-ware they install. I give this a 0 stars as it is the lowest form f scum-ware.