I got the new "Instant Search" Popup and I am not happy with it. Whoever suggested this feature seriously needs attention. I thought at first it was malware infecting my computer before I did a Google search and see that Opera is responsible. I have looked in settings but cannot see a disable for this . Can someone help please ?

As a longtime user of Opera and noticed it fails to perform basic functions sometimes correctly I am wondering if it is worth bothering with. Vivaldi always works as expected but Opera ? !!!
Today I caught two Opera auto update processes running in task manager at the sametime. Both pointed to the correct Opera file, why two processes and while I'm speaking about therm why won't Opera let us turn off auto updates ? Also had Opera crash reporter appear at a different time today also in task manager. However I have Opera set to NOT send crash reports so why is it running ? Business organisations usually get the basics right before adding new features but Opera doesn't seem capable of this. I will continue to use Opera probably as a secondary installation so I can remove it easily if it continues to display "odd" behaviour.

Pleased to read yantas comments. I have many machines (Windows 7) and sometimes do standalone installations. They can be installed into one folder (with sub folders)on the hard drive so easy to delete if something suspicious happens. In the end today, I completely removed everything with the word Opera reinstalled and set up my settings all in about 10 minutes.

I got exactly the same about 10 minutes ago. Clicking on the "X" in the popup crashed Opera. Is this malware or a stupid thing that Opera developers think we want ? We need to know ! I am using latest version of Opera for Windows 10.

Regarding your message, i don't get the issue now. It could be because I don't have Opera on as many computers as I once did, due to Opera's irritating issues like the" Browsing assistant". If detailed answers can't be given the customer can walk and try other chromium browsers like I have done.

OK not a major issue but when I browse to an Amazon.co.uk site the Amazon assistant icon appears at the right of the address bar. If I right click the sign there are two options, to "install now" and "not now". Amazon is the only site that has this annoyance. I have my permissions for notifications set to "ask" first, but how do I get rid of Amazon assistant completely ? If i go to an Amazon site tomorrow it will reappear. It is not listed in my extensions folder either and as it only seems to appear in Opera ,can I draw my own conclusions from this?

I have been a long term user of Opera but find it doesn't have a status bar at the bottom of the page. Vivaldi have recently got their status bar to provide more info regarding page loading process etc. Anyone know of an extension suitable for Opera ? I've had a quick look myself and can't find anything.

Thanks for your responses, I have now calmed down. I have removed it from the sidebar but when I first had the "instant search" bar appear I don't think I clicked on anything to get it to appear, which makes it mysterious. I hope the "instant search" bar can only be used by user intervention and not when Opera thinks it should be shown. As a side note when Opera does these "upgrades" why don't they show a page automatically after the update so the user is aware of what features have been added or removed.

OK today had a small problem. Wanted to download offline package to update browser, I have done this many times in the past. The url is
https://www.opera.com/computer however going there no offline installer shown on the whole page apart from a portable usb installer. At the bottom of the page is a green box saying "Download Now" which downloads the stub which is not what I do ! Vivaldi came to the rescue and typing in exactly the same url showed the link to the offline installer of Opera towards the top of the pageon the right.. So i got what I wanted in the end. Why this hassle ?

Thank you burnout426 for your reply the comments have been noted

As the original poster of this problem over 2 years ago it is a pity that it hasn't been sorrted out yet. People expect a browser to work properly or a full explanation as to why the problem occurs. Also users should not be expected to try and sort the matter out, it is up to Opera to do this. I experiment with Opera on an occasional basis but its not going to be my main browser whilst this problem still occurs. My main browser is another chromium browser with huge backing and I suppose the moderator would not want me to mention it. Suffice to say I have had no problems with spurious messages with this other browser etc and as Opera is built on Chromium the problem is clearly with them.

If I were in your situation and the laptop was new I would revert it back to how it was when you got it . Did you make any backups over the period that you could go back too ?
I personally only instal programs that are essential to my use of the computer. I also only instal full installers after running them through Virustotal first.
I don't know how many programs you have installed but the more you have the more likely possibility of malware, which is why you should have done a backup before you added Any programs etc.
You may want to consider a standalone installation of Opera at some point. Use add/remove to remove opera and then delete your Opera profile directory in its entirety. Then do a search on your system for Opera and hopefully you won't find it showing. Then reinstal Opera from an offline installer and select the stand alone option. Then change path to C/program Files/Test leaving out the word Opera. All operas files including your new profile will then end up in that or its sub directorys. Then place a shortcut to the .exe file on desktop. Should anything strange then happen with Opera you can delete the above folder. I don't know what other programs you installed but are they well known and did you run the installers through Virustotal ? IMO as you havn't had the laptop very long I would go back to the beginning and start reinstalling programs one by one always remembering to backup,backup etc. Also nearly forgot to add you may need to check any USB sticks you have used for infection. This is only my point of view but go to the malware forums like "bleeping computer" etc and get instructions from them.

@martinamery
As the original poster of this topic two years ago it is very disappointing that after all this time the same issues remain.
If Opera developers don't think there is a problem how come other chrome browsers in my experience don't have the same issue, for example Edge and Vivaldi ?
Every few months I instal Opera to see if anything has changed but its getting depressing. My other gripe with Opera is manually instigating an update when I am greeted by the message "an error has occurred" until after several attempts I finally get the browser to update. This is not a problem with other Chromium browsers, so why Opera ?
You would think that the developers would do everything possible to make the browser a pleasure to use rather than make users consider moving elsewhere ,even if it is only a temporary move.

I can sympathize with you regarding updates.

For several years I have tried to get Opera to update automatically which usually fails. I have tried updating manually which wors in about 3 times out of 10. In the past when I have mentioned this the moderator doesn't seem very concerned.

We all know Opera is built on Chromium components , its a pity they cannot use the update methods of other Chromium browsers.

I have had 100% success in updating Microsoft Edge and with Vivaldi. In yet in the past I have been told the problem is not with Opera .....

I did all I could to get opera to update but in the end I just gave up, not worth the stress and hassle when other browsers are OK.

I would return to Opera instantly if they fixed the updater !

I write here on an occasional basis to see if certain basic things have been corrected or still present. I see that the profile error message is still appearing that I originally wrote about 18 months ago.
The other point was updating Opera where I used to get the message "an error has occurred" about 7 out of ten attempts, is this still the same ?
The two current browsers that I use have never had issues with manual updates. The moderator often gives the impression these are not major issues but if other browsers manage to work properly why can't Opera ?

My topic was / is "Is Opera Worth Another Chance ?" and the moderator locked the topic so no one else could comment. His reason for this was "There are already topics about those subjects. Also, let's avoid generic topics" The whole point of the subject matter was to clarify what I consider to be problems with Opera and wanted to know if they had been sorted. My own personal thoughts are that probably its still the same old Opera. In response to the person who mentioned doing checks on an installation, all the problems happened even on a "standalone" installation where ALL the files are together.. I would like the moderator to appreciate my views which to the best of my knowledge are truefull. Are we not entitled to free speech ?

I have been away from Opera for a few months because of a few perceived problems with the browser. I am a person who if they see an error message gets overly concerned.
I see from my original post about "profile error occurred" this is still happening. Does it happen to most people and if not what are they doing that others aren't ? Also theres the problem of updates which for me resulted in downloading the full offline installer on each update. Trying to update from the browsers interface results in "an error occurred" message. Assuming this is still the case does it occur with most people or just me and a few others ? Also theres the Opera browsing assistant saga, is that still going on ? Opera on my Windows 7 machines used to take about 10-15 seconds to open from clicking on the desktop but "another" browser takes about 5 seconds. Opera wasn't always like this, why can't we have a version that works as its supposed too ?

As the original poster of this thread way back in July 2019 I am surprised Opera has not taken on board any of these comments. Do the Opera developers ever read these forums which is the only way most of us are able to voice our concerns. I suppose if I lived in Norway I would actually go into their offices to complain. All I can assume is Opera employees must work with glazed eyes thinking how good their browser is and gladly pick up their salary check each month. Well Opera is not perfect, no browser is perfect but there are alternatives like Vivaldi that I get on well with.

In my view Opera is not worth bothering with now , I uninstalled it on my computers a few months ago and havn't looked back. No more updating problems, no more opera assistant, no more links (allegedly) to China. I now use Vivaldi full time..I also occasionally use Firefox as it has a couple of extensions that work better in that browser.

With all Operas alleged problems during the past few years it makes me wonder what else is wrong with it that we don't know about. Personally I would remove it, Can you trust a browser with your financial details when it behaves erratically and has I believe far east foreign owners.( I stand to be corrected on that point). It all boils down to is Opera worth bothering with when their are more sturdy alternatives available.