Quicktime

[Glenn]

Recently, I removed Quicktime from my startup programs
using msconfig. Today, Microsoft AntiSoyware pops up a
message telling me that it has allowed Quicktime back
onto my startup since it was determined to be safe. Has
anyone seen this and is there a way to never allow it
back on the list.

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Why not simply uninstall Quicktime? It doesn't come back on its own. The
uninstaller works and doesn't bug you.

I'm not sure exactly what is happening in the interaction you are seeing,
but there's a more general issue that I'd like to touch on: Microsoft
Antispyware is not a general purpose tool to uninstall or block any program
that the user decides is unwanted on their machine. Lots of folks want
this--not least among them network administrators. However, this tool isn't
it, and it can't be. This tool removes software which fits a particular set
of criteria laid out in this KB article:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/892340 Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta)
identifies a program as a spyware threat (Listing criteria and Dispute
process)

It doesn't uninstall all ad-supported software, and it doesn't uninstall an
arbitrary piece of software the user chooses to have removed. For those
things you need to use the add or remove programs entry in control panel
provided by the application vendor.

Is there some reason you can't use the uninstall for quicktime on your
system?

 

[Glenn]

As stated in my email, I just did not want Quicktime to
start automatically. I only want it to start when I
choose to start it. I have no intention of uninstalling
the app. I manually removed it from my registry startup
programs. It was fine for a few days and then Microsoft
AntiSpyware decided that it was a "safe app" a put it
back onto the startup. "A startup value (QuickTime
Task:"C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime)
has been granted permission to be added to your startup
registry
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersi
on\Run. Microsoft AntiSpyware has determined this program
to be free of known spyware."

Just because MS "determined this program to be free of
known spyware," does not mean I want it to automatically
start.

 

[JRosenfeld]

I had the same experience, but I think it was when I went
to a site that was using quicktime. I thought that
possibly Quicktime then set its entry into the run key and
MSAS popped up to say it had allowed it.
I just removed it again and it has not happened since.

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Sorry - I misinterpreted your message.

I do the same thing you do. I have Quicktime installed, but remove all
autostart elements. And it has stayed that way for me--I haven't seen the
issue that you and JRosenfeld report.

I wonder which version of Windows each of you is running? I'm on XP,
Service pack 2.

 

[Larry]

Bill, please explain/elaborate on what you did to "remove all autostart
elements". Thanks.

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Hmm - well, I've got no little blue Q's down there, but when I look at
Microsoft Antispyware's advanced tools, system explorers, startup programs,
there's QTTASK big as life. So I told it to permanently remove it. Anybody
want to bet how long it'll stay gone?

 

[Cntrysky]

I've been experiencing the same problem with Realplayer.
Both QuickTime and RealPlay go back on the list after a
while with the tool stating that it was safe to be there
as a startup item. I do want to keep RealPlay and
Quicktime installed but I only want to run them when I
want to use the programs. I've set them to block (and
the ghostly blocking icon would locate itself at the
bottom of the Startup section listing in the Advance
Tools) yet the actual startup item eventually would get
listed listed as well. I don't know why this happens but
it does. I specified it to block that startup item but
it would just come back

I have XP Pro SP2.

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Actually - it isn't back yet. That seems to have worked for me so far.

I've never had that trouble with Realplayer. The switch is buried, but you
can tell it to turn off the system tray stuff and it does.

 

[Bill Sanderson]

OK - I've got an answer to this one--check the message dates. It appears
that Quicktime itself puts the startup entry back with each use--which is
pretty obnoxious behavior, I think.

Microsoft Antispyware allows the action--gives it a green flag--because it
is a known app, even though I've "permanently removed" it.

So--I've removed it again--you can see that I don't open quicktime very
frequently.