# Why are programs auto-installing in IE?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-programs-auto-installing-in-ie/163779>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 24, 2003, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-programs-auto-installing-in-ie/163779 "2003-03-24T14:58:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-programs-auto-installing-in-ie/163779/1 "2003-03-24T14:58:53Z")

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Today I stopped the installation of some sort of casino program, but it started installing without my permission as an ad on some website. The other day, some program called Xupiter installed itself, twice, and took me forever to remove it. I’m still not certain I’ve gotten it all. I use Ad-Aware 6.0 to check for stuff like this. I’m using IE 6.0. Does anyone know why this is happening? It would be so easy for a virus or backdoor program to slip through this way (though I run Grisoft’s anti-virus program).

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**Author:** ![Zumpel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/bb73d2/32.png) [@Zumpel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zumpel)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-programs-auto-installing-in-ie/163779/2 "2003-03-24T15:11:37Z")

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i’d say your security settings for IE aren’t tight enough and allow for scripts n stuff like that to be run without the user approving.

check out some security advise site for suggested settings, or set your security settings to very high for the time being at least.

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**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-programs-auto-installing-in-ie/163779/3 "2003-03-24T15:25:12Z")

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Thanks. I set my security settings up a notch. I had to end up searching through my registry for other instances of Xupiter and manually deleting it.

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**Author:** ![Zumpel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/bb73d2/32.png) [@Zumpel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zumpel)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-programs-auto-installing-in-ie/163779/4 "2003-03-25T17:26:31Z")

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This might be usefull as well (takes care of a range of those uber-annoying Ad/Spy Programs):

[http://www.webattack.com/get/adaware.shtml](http://www.webattack.com/get/adaware.shtml)

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**Author:** ![Zumpel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/bb73d2/32.png) [@Zumpel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zumpel)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-programs-auto-installing-in-ie/163779/5 "2003-03-25T17:26:37Z")

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No worries.

This might be usefull as well (takes care of a range of those uber-annoying Ad/Spy Programs):

[http://www.webattack.com/get/adaware.shtml](http://www.webattack.com/get/adaware.shtml)

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**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-programs-auto-installing-in-ie/163779/6 "2003-03-25T20:31:08Z")

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You can also disable “Enable Install on Demand.”

I’ve got IE 5.5 and this is how it works on mine: Go to Internet Explorer Tools up at the top of the window, click on Internet Options, Advanced, scroll down to Enable Install on Demand, and unclick it. I had an ugly run-in with CometCursor last year, and this is what I was told to do, and it fixed it.