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Microsoft PC Manager App 'Repairs' Your System by Making Bing the Search Default (uk.pcmag.com)

submitted 5 months ago by ForgottenFlux@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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Microsoft is trying to restore Bing as the default search engine on users' browsers by spinning it as a "repair" through a utility app called PC Manager.

PC Manager is designed to boost a Windows PC's performance by freeing up memory and eliminating unused apps and files. It offers "Health check" and "Repair tips" buttons, which users can click on to see the recommended actions.

However, Windows Latest noticed the app pushing a curious recommendation: Both Repair tips and Health check nudge you to restore Bing as the default search engine on the Edge browser.

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[–] buttconjuror@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 5 months ago (2 children)

forcing the web browser to change the default search engine helps a lot

How does changing your browser's default search engine (from another legitimate search engine) help get rid of malware?

[–] Meron35@lemmy.world 9 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Been a while since I experienced malware, but they typically forcibly change your browser's default search engine to a shady one with more malware, even after you try to change it to something else. Even for somewhat tech savvy users, this can be somewhat difficult to overcome.

Sounds like Microsoft is somehow overriding this with Bing.

[–] Entropywins@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

I highly doubt that personally. I'd bet money it wouldn't do this with malware just with people who have a clean system and use a different search engine.

[–] Grimm665@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago

It doesn't. If a PC is so infected you can't change simple settings like search engine, it's time to reformat.