Opera Browser Assistant?
-
treego last edited by
@blackbird71 said in Opera Browser Assistant?:
@treego Perhaps to avoid a chance of setting off a "theirs is bigger than yours" flame-war. At least back in the olden days, it was generally considered good netiquette to avoid an appearance of touting a competitive product in a sponsored software forum... it tended to keep dialogue focused on the issue at hand.
Personally, I think it is good to compare Opera to other browsers in the forums. Specifically naming the other browsers helps to highlight where Opera is superior/inferior. If it is inferior in some way, this forum could help developers to catch up to the other browsers. If Opera is superior, it's a good chance to congratulate the developers for their good work!
-
A Former User last edited by
In answer to why I can't name the "rival" browser. In another post topic I was asked what other browser I use and the moderator locked the topic to stop me from replying !!! I can only assume it was the moderator who locked the topic and I will apologise if proven wrong. I had no notification that the topic would be locked either ! Suffice to say its not a rare browser but what I and some other people consider the natural successer to the Opera browser. If the moderator wants to cancel this post too perhaps they would have the decency to send me a personal email with their reasons why.
-
leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by
@mike88 That topic was locked because it was a goodbye one and those kind of topics are usually closed because there i sno meaning in keep them opened.
Mention of other browsers is not forbidden. However, if it starts a flame war or if it look slike the user is just spamming the other browser, then topics may be locked, posts deleted and so on.
-
A Former User last edited by
I'm comparatively new to opera, installed the offline version a couple of weeks ago (Windows 7), but several days ago I noticed that all my startup programs didn't start. It appeard that all my entries in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run were gone (except for Opera Browser Assistant). I have a very strong suspicion, that the auto-updater not appended/update the Run registry entry, but wiped it completely. I may be wrong, but I compared daily backups of the registry and harddrive and could not recall any other install activity on my side. I hope that it is already noticed and will be fixed.
-
A Former User last edited by
Although I don't have Opera on my computers now I would like to reinstal it on at least a few of them, but can't until I get an answer to what the "Opera Browser assistant" actually is. I could try a new (to me) browser but that may be adding petrol to the fire (unknown territory). I can remember Opera had a feature called The "Amazon Assistant" that would ask to be installed on what seemed like most occasions Opera was booted up. I always declined. Searching Google for the OBA shows it as being installed when third party applications are used to instal it, but this is not the case in these latest instances. I am especially careful about security on my Windows 7 machines, so like to know what is being installed. Will we ever know the answer ?
-
ruetzelberg last edited by
@kingstio said in Opera Browser Assistant?:
It appeard that all my entries in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run were gone (except for Opera Browser Assistant). I have a very strong suspicion, that the auto-updater not appended/update the Run registry entry, but wiped it completely.
Same happened to me, when i reinstalled Opera!
I'm not sure, if it was done by uninstall or by reinstall.
But afterwards the whole key ("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run") with some other needed(!) startups was gone!
What luck i backuped it just before, to document the Opera-entry. -
burnout426 Volunteer last edited by
@kingstio You could uninstall Opera (delete that entry if it's still there), add at least one entry for something else in the key and reinstall Opera to see if Opera truly is wiping out the whole key. If it doesn't do it, you can then try again by installing an older build of Opera from https://ftp.opera.com/pub/opera/desktop/ and letting it update to see if it happens during just a update.
-
-
A Former User last edited by
To the moderator, I am trying to be serious here. You say "The answer has been already given." presumably in response to my question about the "Opera Browsing Assistant" .However I cannot see any definitive answer anywhere ,where is it ?
-
-
A Former User last edited by
To the moderator. The post says assistant gets installed if Opera is bundled with another program and according to the majority of these posts, it is not the case ! I will probably try and instal it tomorrow from the given link but I have the thought the OBA will still appear if not on instal then when the program updates.
-
-
-
operacat last edited by@mike88
I agree with mike88 Mar 6, 2020. That Assistant install was caught by my
Security Task Manager. I spent considerable time on this issue.
Just a bit of history I can still find: Opera 10.10 Build 1893 20091120
I've got a laundry list of problems I reported that are not fixed.TOP NASTY: My ISP is now Spectrum.net -- a very bad company, not my choice.
Only can get my voice mail on Opera Beta 64.0.3417.19.
Every subsequent Opera release gets "Internal Server Error"
I am now using the Brave browser to get my voice messages.
Also works with Google Chrome (which I hate) and Firefox.)BioBrief: I wrote my first program in 1960 - GoTran Fortran.
I worked at IBM in 1965 on OS/370 machine and assembler language.
I wrote Air Traffic Control Software on contract to the FAA in 1967.
My last real job was year 2000 for a very large stock brokerage.
I was dancing on the top of the World Trade Center in June, 2001.
Now I live in Hawai'i -- See http://MauiCat.com/
Thanks for listening to a professional curmudgeon. -
A Former User last edited by
The following link provides step-by-step instructions (two ways of removing): https://geekermag.com/remove-opera-browser-assistant/
I'm with @mike88 and others here Opera was not installed or bundled with other software, it was installed directly from download link on the opera.com home screen, first install (Opera Installer: 67.0.3575.137) on a recent fresh OS installation (Win 10 x64), 2 days ago. It also seems to have made itself the default browser, I may have missed it but don't recall having opted in for that.
-
A Former User last edited by
Hi, I recently noticed in the Windows task manager, that there is an Opera process running on startup called "Opera Browser Assistant". I would like to know what exactly is its function and if it can be uninstalled if it is not really necessary.
-
skoy21 last edited by skoy21So, what we know so far is that Opera assistant gets installed with Opera, and not necessarily with a bundled setup as mentioned above, in my case at least it's from the offline installer of version 67.xx which I downloaded 5 days ago from opera.com after installing fresh windows.
It adds a startup entry.
A Registry entry for the startup HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\Run32.
It ads a folder named assistant in the install directory.
It adds a schedule in Task Scheduler, which is probably for updating it self, if I judge from the arguments of the entry.So, what does it do apart from updating itself? What is it's functionality? As it seems, it's not necessary for Opera to function correctly.
-
donq last edited by donq
@skoy21 said in Opera Browser Assistant?:
So, what does it do apart from updating itself? What is it's functionality? As it seems, it's not necessary for Opera to function correctly.
For sure it is not necessary. What it does - I have seen putting it some big red O into system tray (most likely you could open Opera using that icon) and I have seen it display very ad-like promotion inside (or on top of) Opera window - at first I thought this is some unkillable ad, then I opened task manager and saw opera assistant there and killed it (and all its traces) immediately.
Of course Opera could (and should) explain, what kind of unwanted software it installs. I have not seen any official explanation and thereby consider it pure malware
-
burnout426 Volunteer last edited by
@skoy21 said in Opera Browser Assistant?:
So, what does it do apart from updating itself? What is it's functionality?
See https://www.opera.com/privacy.
Browser Assistant. Your copy of Opera for computers may include a component that displays desktop notifications promoting the browser’s features. It checks if any notifications are pending on a scheduled basis and may anonymously report occurrence of certain system events (namely low battery, low hard disk space, new Wi-Fi network connected, another browser installed). This information is not collected by us and no personal information is sent.
-
donq last edited by
Thank you very much!
Well, even as explained by Opera, it looks and behaves like malware anyway
