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by Commander Tansin A. Darcos 01/02/2021, 10:41am PST |
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I downloaded an icon pack that instead of putting the icons in a standard Zip file, he put them in an Icon Package (file extension .ip) this requires a program called Iconmanager, from Stardock Software. It's a commercial program, but does offer a 30-day free trial. I decide to go ahead, but, in the past I've had problems whenever I got Icons, cursors, or bitmaps ("Icons, cursors, and bitmaps, oh my!") in a package, it's always a proprietary format, not an open standard, and I eventually have trouble because inevitably I find there's something I want to do with the collection that I could do with an ordinary archive like a .zip, .xz, .7z or .tar.gz file but that their program does not perform or does not allow me to do.
But I never really found out if the package of icons would have been useful. Here's why:
- Excessive registration requirement - download, program refuses to run unless you provide an e-mail address, must then respond to link in e-mail.
- This program - Stardock Iconmanager - goes full screen, without my permission.
- The full-screen covers everything, including the taskbar, with a tranlucent blurry image. I'd have to pray - an option denied to me as an atheist - that the program does not fail here, leaving me unable to access anything except by shutting off the machine. In my case that would mean calling for an aide to do it for me (as the off button is too far away) and waiting as much as 45 minutes.
- The program wants my e-mail address. For security reasons I used an e-mail address where I dump mail i don't really careabout; if they spam it, I'll never see it..
- The program then connects to a server and sends an e-mail verification request.
- When you click on the link, Stardock's website tells you it has accepted your request for a 30-day trial.
- The full-screen blocker, which apparently is internet connected, knows you authenticated, saysso and allows me to proceed.
- When Stardock Iconmanager came back, all my icons were gone from the taskbar.
- Then somehow the view switched to "Task view" then a small window for each running app showed up. I eventually cleared this.
- Stardock Icon,anager proceeds to lockup the first time I try to use it.
- Then this Zombie Application aggressively fights being euthanized by Task Manager.
- I finally get Stardock IconManager killed and go to uninstall it. The uninstaller does not work.
- Uninstaller also locks up, but at least it was easy to kill.
- Stardock IconManager thinks my request to uninstall it is a command to restart the program, bringing up the full-screen blur and a new request to either provide registration key, buy registration key, or try 30-day free trial.
- Looks like I will have to rip the program out and hope it didn't leave shell hooks or registry entries behind that will bite me in the ass if I remove this piece of garbage.
Stardock IconManager presented the kind of behavior I'd expect from a piece of Malware, not an actual legitimate application.
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