Opera Browser Assistant?

A Former User

When Windows 7 booted up, Opera Browser Assistant has stopped working. Here's the technical details:

Description
Faulting Application Path: C:\Users\Teacher\AppData\Local\Programs\Opera\assistant\browser_assistant.exe
Problem signature
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: browser_assistant.exe
Application Version: 60.0.3255.170
Application Timestamp: 5d01d850
Fault Module Name: browser_assistant.exe
Fault Module Version: 60.0.3255.170
Fault Module Timestamp: 5d01d850
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 000077db
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.4
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 0a9e
Additional Information 2: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789
Additional Information 3: 0a9e
Additional Information 4: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789


Extra information about the problem
Bucket ID: 149171724

Can anyone find the solution?

A Former User @leocg

@leocg i havent use a third party software but it's there in startup apps

leocg

leocg Moderator Volunteer @Guest

@thegeneral Yes, it seems that the assistant is being installed even on regular installations/upgrades.

Don't know if it is some bug or if it will be the default from now on.

A Former User @leocg

@leocg also autoupdate is showing up in download folder of windows explorer

leocg

leocg Moderator Volunteer @Guest

@thegeneral Has nothing to do with thi stopic and was discussed somewhere else already, including some explanation and possible solution if I remember correctly.

A Former User @leocg

@leocg yea and it didn't help and shouldn't be happening

leocg

leocg Moderator Volunteer @Guest

@thegeneral Never saw it happening here. Anyway, that discussion doesn't belong here so let's end it.

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer @leocg

@leocg I have the startup entry too. It was coming from "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" and was pointing to "C:\Program Files\Opera developer\assistant\browser_assistant.exe", which was present along with "installation_status.json" and "assistant_installer.exe". There was also an extra Opera Developer task in the Windows Task Scheduler that listed "component name=assistant" or something like that.

Weird thing is, in that installation_status.json, it lists "67.0.3575.31" for the version.

I also had tons of Opera Developer updaters in my task manager. And, I had a tons of Opera Installer(SFX) processes.

I also had a separate "opera_autoupdate" folder in the Opera Developer install directory that I hadn't seen before. But, that part was probably due to some of the new update mechanism stuff. Maybe this all is.

"C:\Program Files\Opera Developer\installation_status.json" also had:

"components":{"assistant":"C:\\Program Files\\Opera developer\\assistant"}

in it.

I removed all the stuff manually and will see what the next update does.

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer

There's also opera://flags/#new-component-update-mechanism, which is now enabled by default for Opera Developer. I would think it was just for things on the opera://components page, but maybe since the assistant is considered a component, it gets fetched and installed too now. Not sure though.

leocg

leocg Moderator Volunteer @burnout426

@burnout426 I did the following and managed to gte rid of browser assistant:

Removed all Opera and Opera Browser Assisnta related tasks from task scheduler
Uninstalled Opera (developer 68 in my case) keeping my data
Installed Opera developer using the offline installer downloaded from get.opera.com

Let's wait for the next update.

A Former User @ruetzelberg

@ruetzelberg said in Opera Browser Assistant?:

Hi folks,
here my facts about this issue:

I use Opera since decades. And always installed from Opera Homepage, resp. their FTP-Site. Never "Bundles"!

It runs on 2 PCs Windows7 and 2 PCs Windows10.

The issue ocurred on all 4 along with the "sheduled" autoupdate from Version 66.0.3515.103 -> 66.0.3515.115.

The tray icon only emerges on Windows10.

I would really appreciate to know what this process is for....

So long

I don't get the tray icon. Windows 10 Home (1909). I had both entries in startup, but never noticed anything running (although windows' own task manager says "medium" startup impact). Figured it was running something really quickly when I logged in. /shrug

A Former User

I am really, really puzzled as to why only a single opera moderator has commented here and ZERO folks from Opera have attempted an explanation of what this mystery software is doing on our computers. Can we take a tiny break from talking about where we're seeing it and how to remove it and instead focus on what the hell it actually IS?

-- "I checked with Opera. The Opera Browser Assistant is a legit program from Opera. It only gets installed when Opera gets installed when Opera is bundled with another program like an Anti-virus program. The assistant is just there to let you know that you have Opera on your system. "

The above doesn't really make sense (especially in the current context - it now being installed with every instance of the browser). It's not helpful. (although I thank whoever it was who tried contacting someone at Opera to get an answer).

leocg

leocg Moderator Volunteer @Guest

@dragaan Nothing on system tray here too. In fact I only noticed Browser Assistant in task manager and in Oper's installation folder because of the comments in this topic.

leocg

leocg Moderator Volunteer @Guest

@dragaan This is, mainly, a forum for users to help each other. Although people from Opera read the forum and may reply eventually, you hsould not expect any answers from them.

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer @Guest

@dragaan said in Opera Browser Assistant?:

I am really, really puzzled as to why only a single opera moderator has commented here and ZERO folks from Opera have attempted an explanation of what this mystery software

The info I posted at https://forums.opera.com/post/167025 came from an Opera developer. What the Browser Assistant is for still hasn't changed as far as I know. What seems to have changed is that the assistant is present on the system just from installing Opera directly. However, in my case, the assistant wasn't actually running. Maybe Opera is doing some a/b testing. Or, maybe Opera is just testing including it with the installer no matter what and keeping it updated, but only having it activated (and shown in the system tray) when Opera is installed by a 3rd party program. If so, maybe that makes things easier for bundling Opera. Or, maybe it's just due to Opera's recent updates to the updater. Maybe the assistant is just being installed and updated when not actually needed, which could be a bug or maybe intended.

Hopefully we'll find out.

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer @burnout426

@burnout426 said in Opera Browser Assistant?:

I removed all the stuff manually and will see what the next update does.

The update to 68.0.3616.0 brought all the assistant stuff back.

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer

I did uninstall Opera Developer and wipe out all tracks of it and the assistant. I then installed 68.0.3609.0 via the offline installer. That didn't install the assistant. But, when it updated to 68.0.3616.0 when I checked for updates on the about page, the update reinstalled the browser assistant. The assistant didn't manually run (may have if I restarted Windows though), but I manually started it. Its process just runs and closes and does nothing that I can tell (no systray icon etc.).

leocg

leocg Moderator Volunteer @burnout426

@burnout426 I'd forgotten about it but just checked now and here the update to 3616 also brought back the browser assistant.

A Former User @burnout426

@burnout426 said in Opera Browser Assistant?:

@dragaan said in Opera Browser Assistant?:

I am really, really puzzled as to why only a single opera moderator has commented here and ZERO folks from Opera have attempted an explanation of what this mystery software

The info I posted at https://forums.opera.com/post/167025 came from an Opera developer. What the Browser Assistant is for still hasn't changed as far as I know. What seems to have changed is that the assistant is present on the system just from installing Opera directly. However, in my case, the assistant wasn't actually running. Maybe Opera is doing some a/b testing. Or, maybe Opera is just testing including it with the installer no matter what and keeping it updated, but only having it activated (and shown in the system tray) when Opera is installed by a 3rd party program. If so, maybe that makes things easier for bundling Opera. Or, maybe it's just due to Opera's recent updates to the updater. Maybe the assistant is just being installed and updated when not actually needed, which could be a bug or maybe intended.

Hopefully we'll find out.

Yea, all I meant was that the description given didn't really tell much. Makes it sound as if it's a separate program from Opera (with a separate installer, updater, install directory, etc.) and all it does is put an "O" in your system tray to remind folks that they have the Opera Browser installed on their system? Yeah, that doesn't jive with me. Even if that was 100% true (why would that require an updater...), I would think it'd do more to "remind" folks to uninstall Opera, hehe.

Anyway, from what I can tell (without digging muuch deeper...), once I removed it from startup and its updater from startup tasks, the assistant program no longer runs when I start my PC. If I notice it running at any other time or doing anything else, I'll report it. Right now it APPEARS that Opera is fine with you just disabling it.

A Former User

I left Opera due to this "Opera Browsing Assistant" business. However I can't find another suitable browser to use apart from one I can't name which I do use. I like to have two browsers on all my machines so I have at the moment just the one ! Opera staff are back at work , its Tuesday evening here in the UK and its my opinion that Opera should make the browsing assistant an "optional" extra.
Surely the moderator of this forum was elected by someone at Opera to censor this forum , so must have some influence, or can anyone be the moderator !
Opera makes it clear where their HQ is so why can't a Scandinavian user go into their offices and get the full details of the "Opera Browsing Assistant" and post the results here ?