Adobe Acrobat Toolbar Worse than Malware?

Phr3n3tik writes "Adobe Acrobat has long included a toolbar plugin to automate PDF Making from Office Products. Those who found the toolbar an eyesore, or just used it infrequently could always hide it from view. Not so in their new versions, (6, and 7 apparently.) Their new take on the PDFMaker toolbar is getting some users riled up, since it is harder to Move/Hide/Delete/Uninstall this new toolbar than many forms of malware!"

Comments

Not just 6 and 7

[SdnSeraphim]

I haven't used Acrobat 4 for quite a long time. However I cannot find a way to remove the PDF toolbar even after I have removed the software completely from my machine.

Re:Not just 6 and 7

[justforaday]

IIRC, it's the PDFMaker.dot file in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Startup.

Versions

[AzBats]

I'm trying to stick with 5 since it works and the other versions are getting too feature rich.

How to remove...

[Golgafrinchan]

Here's a page that provides instructions for how to remove the Acrobat Toolbar from Word.

Instructions

Worked for me!

Worse than malware?

[s4m7]

How can you tell in the MS office suite? The whole thing's got so many sliding panels, animated dogs saying "it looks like you're trying to get some work done." and other crap too numerous to list... I can't imagine one more toolbar being noticable.

Re:If it looks like malware...

[0x461FAB0BD7D2]

If it weighs as much as a duck, and made of wood, it's a witch.

Re:Where is the line...

[m50d]

If it can't be uninstalled through the standard add/remove programs thing then it's malware. Plain and simple. The only reason not to let your users remove you is if you're deliberately doing something they don't want.

Re:Simple answer:

[bl4nk]

What about people that installed it when they needed it, but later found out that they did not need it? What if they installed it when they knew it was easy to hide, and then updated their version of Acrobat?

No so simple, my friend.

It's About the User Interface

[Delilah Jones]

True, not being able to get rid of a simple toolbar is not exactly malware-worthy.

But let's face it, not being able to customize your own personal environment can be pretty frustrating.

Imagine having a stack of papers on your desk that could never be removed, no matter what you did. Dang man. That'd drive me nuts!

BTW, this discussion of permanent toolbars kind of reminds me of the invasive qualities of AOL. Ever try to get that junk off your PC? It's worse than a virus!

how about don't install it

[michaelbuddy]

I wouldn't mess with it anyway. You can use Ghostscript. And you can used the modified primo pdf from active pdf. it's a free PDF creator.

http://www.primopdf.com

works great. one time it will ask you for personal info after you make like 25 pdfs, but you can just push the cancel button if you don't want to give them any statistical information. It appears as a printer on your computer. I use it, it's great.

Adobe on how to completely uninstall toolbar:

[TheGuano]

For Windows:
http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/328399.html

For Mac:
http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/329307.html

Annoying, but at least they show you how to get around the reappear/reinstall/undeletable garbage the toolbar usually subjects you to.

Re:That is a kind of malware

[marnerd]

Obi Wan lied to you. PDF IS your father.

Obligatory PC elitist reponse to Mac elitist

[TiggertheMad]

Adobe toolbar, what's that? I just hit "Save to PDF" on any print dialogs...

Would that be with the right or left mouse button?

Toolbars are very easy to remove

[megalomaniacs4u]

Yes the visio version of the bar is right PITA.

The toolbars are dead easy to remove.

1. Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs
2. Find Acrobat Professional
3. Click "Change", wait a little while
4. Click "Next"
5. Make sure the modify radio button is selected and click "Next"
6. Expand "Create Adobe PDF"
7. Expand "Acrobat PDF Maker"
8. For each toolbar you want to remove click the drop-down icon and select "This feature will not be available"
9. Hit "Next"
10. Hit "Update" & wait a while...

WILL you say that I am mad?

[Sgt_Jake]

It simply converts documents to PDF when you click it.

Oh no no no... it does plenty of things.

Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded -- with what caution -- with what foresight, with what dissimulation, I went to work! I was never kinder to the registry during the whole week before I killed it. And every night about midnight I turned on the back door and opened it oh, so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my edits, I put in a dark comment, commented so that no bits came out, and then I thrust in my command. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly, very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the backups. It took me an hour to place my whole script within the opening so far that I could see the library as it lay within its folder. Ha! Would a madman have been so wise as this? And then when my script was well in the folder I executed it cautiously -- oh, so cautiously -- cautiously (for the hard drive creaked), I launched it just so much that a single thin electron fell upon the vulture toolbar. And this I did for seven long nights, every night just at midnight, but I found the toolbar always closed, and so it was impossible to do the work, for it was not the toolbar that vexed me but this Evil Icon. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into my applications and spoke courageously to them, calling them by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how they had passed the night. So you see it would have been a very profound program, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon the toolbar while it slept.

I had my head in, and was about to open the folder, when my pinky slipped upon the enter key, and the program sprang up in the toolbar, crying out, "MAKE PDF?" And now have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the senses? With a loud yell, I threw open the script and leaped into the registry. It err'd once -- once only. In an instant I dragged it to the trash, and emptied it quickly. I then smiled gaily, to find the deed so far done.

Yet, upon the next reopening, first and formost it mocks me. It was open, wide, wide open, and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness -- all a dull grey with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones, but I could see nothing else of document's font or margin, for I had directed my sight as if by instinct precisely upon the damned spot.

I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury, but the toolbar remained. O God! what COULD I do? I foamed -- I raved -- I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and bounced upon my cube, but the toolbar arose over all applications and continually increased. It spawned over -- over -- over! And still the office chatted pleasantly , and smiled. Was it possible they saw not? Almighty God! -- no, no? Adobe saw! -- Adobe suspected! -- Adobe KNEW! -- they were making a mockery of my horror! -- this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical responses no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! -- and now -- again -- hark! louder! louder! louder! LOUDER! --

"Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! -- tear up the registry! -- here, here! -- it is the beating of his hideous icon!"

With profound apolgies to Poe, this is the truth of that toolbar.