Pros
This software is less than a watered-down version of the real ACDSee: it's just a mere image viewer, to look through your pictures and print the occasional one. It offers NOTHING that IRFANVIEW can't do. Irfanview is also free, is a portable app (doesn't touch your registry), and is even more compact and faster.
Cons
Adware
Spyware
Unauthorized programs installation
...and there's no way around it.
Even if you do custom install to un-check the toolbar and spyware installation, it eventually updates itself and installs a whole bunch of junk onto your computer. Taking that off requires more than just the standard windows control panel uninstaller.
What's more, the games console that it installs, loads into memory, and can't even be terminated - it just stays loaded in the taskbar, even after you terminate the whole process tree.
Summary
We have enough problems as it is, with windows malfunctioning, even without spyware and adware running in the background.
This has got to be the most frustrating install I've ever experienced.
Save yourself the trouble: get IRFANVIEW isntead.
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Pros
OK, there are plenty of people that will tell you how great ACDSee is. I'm here to tell you how to keep ADWARE off of your computer.
This package installs an adware toolbar, and other adware. Do NOT let them intimidate you by the statement: "Custom install: for advanced users only"! The options are simple:
1. Custom install
2. uncheck items (install toolbar, change my homepage)
3. press Next
While installing, my Firefox (portable) browser crashed(despite me having unchecked the option to install toolbar) - no big deal, I just restarted it after.
Also, my Zone-Alarm detected an ADWARE during installation
\Program Files (x86)\PricePeep\pricepeep.dll
which it removed. Not sire if it was from ACDSee or from the CNET Installer - it was detected and removed while it was still installing, so I'm highly suspicious of CNET rather than acdsee.
Cons
Well, it's the fact that you have to choose custom install if you don't want the tenth toolbar installed and messing up your browser!!!
Summary
Always make sure that you have a good firewall, up to date antivirus and spyware remover. I highly recommend ZoneAlarm - it's a no-brainer, as it's all of these tools rolled into one, it works seamlessly, and definitely one of the better free security programs. It helped remove an adware program that was transferred onto my computer in an under-handed way during install.
By all means, try it out. But they have also just released ACDSee 16, which does lots more than this little free utility.
For more information on ACDSee, read the other reviews - there will be plenty of them, as I've heard nothing but good about this program... and this, for a long time (as in over a decade).
Updated on Jun 1, 2013
1 STAR:
UPDATE INSTALLS ADWARE AND SPYWARE AND UNWANTED GAMES PROGRAMS!
IMPORTANT READ!
After writing this, I ran this program, and it offered to UPDATE it.
Was I ever sorry that I did this! It re-installed PricePeeper.DLL, added pricepeeper.exe, installed a whole bunch of games and ADWARE and SPYWARE.
It was a MAJOR undertaking to remove it all!
I needed: Uninstaller Pro, as well as CCleaner
After reading a review of ACDSee16 on a photography website, I actually wanted to buy the full program. But I am so pissed off that I will not buy it.
I'm removing this program.
I used IRFANVIEW up until now, and will revert back to it. It is a no-fuss, lightlning fast image viewer that does EVERYTHING acdsee free does, it's only 1MB in size and installs NO adware, NO spyware - it's even a portable app, not touching your registry.
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Reply by multi-timm on June 1, 2013
IMPORTANT READ!
After writing this, I ran this program, and it offered to UPDATE it.
Was I ever sorry that I did this! It re-installed PricePeeper.DLL, added pricepeeper.exe, installed a whole bunch of games and ADWARE and SPYWARE.
It was a MAJOR undertaking to remove it all!
I needed: Uninstaller Pro, as well as CCleaner
After reading a review of ACDSee16 on a photography website, I actually wanted to buy the full program. But I am so pissed off that I will not buy it.
I'm removing this program.
I used IRFANVIEW up until now, and will revert back to it. It is a no-fuss, lightlning fast image viewer that does EVERYTHING acdsee free does, it's only 1MB in size and installs NO adware, NO spyware - it's even a portable app, not touching your registry.
