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NEWS
“While Microsoft does not endorse the use of these
tools with Windows, we do not view them as unwanted
or malicious,” the company said in 2016.
At the time, Microsoft began blocking optimizer or
cleaner apps that didn’t spell out what they did, in part
to prevent customers from paying for something that
they didn’t understand. (Typically ‘cleaner’ apps will
scan your PC, uncover what they consider to be errors,
and offer a paid version to rectify the situation. But
‘innocent’ temporary Windows files were sometimes
swept up in the scan, to Microsoft’s annoyance.)
Now, Microsoft is cracking down even further.
Cleaner or optimization apps are fine, as long as
they explain what they are doing. But if those apps
use “alarming or coercive messages or misleading
content to pressure you into paying for additional
services or performing superfluous actions,” they’ll
be blocked, Microsoft says. Remember, you can run
Windows Defender and a third-party antivirus app
simultaneously, so each can be on duty.
Additional criteria that will trigger the removal
include notices that the paid offer will expire in
a limited time, or that no other errors (such as an
antivirus program) will clean up the problems.
This will mean fewer tech-support ‘calls’ to family
members. Scareware that preys upon the fears of less
technically savvy is disgusting. Yes, Windows isn’t
perfect, and there are utility developers who genuinely
improve Windows’ functionality and feature sets. But
those apps that vaguely warn of problems with your
PC, then offer to fix them for a price, can cause more
trouble than simply refreshing your PC.
18 TECH ADVISOR • MAY 2018
Worldmags.net