Posts made by dragaan

@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.

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).

@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

@leocg I have been using Opera for a while now, but I have been using Avira (free AV) even longer (ever since I built this PC 4 years ago). I just received a notification to update to a new version of Avira, which I declined for the moment until I see what they've done..., and during my first few moments researching this new version I see that it says "As part of the security package, you'll also benefit from the all-new Avira protected Opera browser with built-in security and privacy tools." Now I NEVER used the Avira browser add-on, as it is well known to be terrible, if not malicious, so I hope this new version of Avira Free AV doesn't force a new version of Opera on me and replace/merge the old one (which I've had for a long time and customized to my liking). I'm now wondering if Avira had downloaded part of it's big new update to my system and this assistant somehow came with it, as it has just appeared in the last day or so in the startup programs.

One thing I noticed, though, is that although I have the Opera browser assistant string in my startup programs (as seen through CCleaner), I do NOT see any evidence of any "assistant" actually running. One person mentioned they had it running with an icon showing up in their systray. I don't have that. I also scoured over Process Hacker (which I use nonstop throughout the day) for any evidence of a new program or anything called "opera browser assistant" and I cannot find any, which is a little odd. I've checked my services, I've checked every running process I can see in Process hacker, and I don't see any evidence of any new program running. But it IS in my startup options. Weird.

I DO see the program in my Opera directory, though. I don't know what it's supposed to do, but if it's running and exiting extremely quickly then I guess that's why I don't see it. Can a moderator explain EXACTLY what this "browser_assistant.exe" program does? I looked at the .json files in n++ and couldn't really make anything out, except that it's doing something to the registry.

@leocg said in Opera Browser Assistant?:

@mike88 Browser Assistant is installed when a third party software installs Opera.

Opera was NOT installed through third party software on my system. Others have stated this above. I'm not sure why this keeps getting repeated.

Could installing the new version of MS Edge (chromium-based) have messed with anything? Because Opera has been on my system for a long time now (installed directly from the Opera website/installer - NOT through 3rd party software!)

Oh, and I have never installed Opera as part of another app installation. I choose the apps I want to install, and I almost never use anything that is bundled with another program (except something like RivaTuner with MSI Afterburner). Opera was installed standalone, and I'm 100% certain of this.

@rlwieneke I just noticed today, 2/26/20, that I have "Opera Browser Assistant" as a new startup entry (when looking at startup programs in CCleaner, which I regularly do). This is absolutely a new thing, as I am very vigilant when it comes to startup apps/tasks, etc. Also, in scheduled tasks I have always had "Opera scheduled autoupdate" listed as a startup task, but now I noticed there is also an "Opera scheduled assistant autoupdate" task.

Now I am a little less certain of all the entries in that tab of CCleaner's "startup" area. I do think I've always had 2 Opera autoupdate-type tasks scheduled at startup, but I'm not sure if it said "assistant" before. Either way, something new is going on here. Doubt it's coincidence this thread was necro'd by 2 of us on the exact same day almost a year later.