Should I accept preliminary offers bundled with the download?

If you are interested in the offers, accept; if not, decline. Generally, with any download, your choice will not affect the download unless you are told the download is contingent on your actions.

Community toolbar downloads generally require entering of information or acceptance of certain offers. The permission marketing standard is that you may later opt out of these offers and are not required to keep them. All reputable email marketing offers should contain an unsubscribe clause. If they do not, you may consider them spam.

Because a commission is paid to a website when someone downloads and then installs The Viral Tube Community Toolbar, the download banner incorporates a feature whereby it prevents a second download of the toolbar by presenting a “Health Quote” offer and then a dead-end offer. We agree, this design lacks clarity.

If you reach the “Health Quote” screen, do not fill it out, and exit the download. If you then cannot find Viral_Tube.exe in your downloads by following the instructions below, let us know and we will attempt to contact the vendor for a workaround.

There is no effect on the Viral Tube Community Toolbar download if you decline the two preliminary offers by unchecking them or clicking them off the screen.

Read more on this topic below, if you are interested in a further discussion.

Shall I save or run the download?

When you click on a download button, a screen normally appears asking whether you would like to save or run the toolbar install.

Select “run” if:

  • you trust the source.
  • you do not want the file saved on your computer.
  • you do not want the option to uninstall and reinstall.

If you select “run,” the toolbar install software may open a wizard with screens allowing you to choose certain options, and will install the download for you, without saving the file to your computer.

If you download from a trusted source, choosing “run” is efficient.

However, to avoid viruses which can be downloaded with a file, the best practice is to save the file and then run a virus scan on the file before running (installing) it.

Select “save” if:

  • you wish be able to uninstall and reinstall the downloaded file, should it become corrupted over time.
  • you don’t mind navigating to the .exe file:
    • to first scan for viruses (select file, right click, choose scan), and/or
    • to start installation (double-click).
  • you want to save the .exe file in a particular folder, such as in a Toolbars folder.

What is the process for saving and scanning a download?

If you select “save,” and save to the Desktop, you will then right click, scan for viruses, and then double-click to perform the toolbar install.

If you saved to the default download location, you will need to browse to the file.

  1. Before you save, write down the download path.
  2. If you lose the file, find the Downloads folder in the following manner.
    • For Internet Explorer: The download file is pre-set as C:\Users\Your Name\Downloads (or My Documents\Downloads). (For images, it is C:\Users\Your Name\My Pictures.)
    • From the Firefox browser: CLICK Tools > Options > General > Downloads > Browse; WRITE DOWN the path.
    • From the Google Chrome browser: CLICK Wrench (upper right) > Settings > Advanced > Downloads > Change; WRITE DOWN the path, CLICK Cancel.
  3. Browse to the file. If you have not saved to your desktop, here is how to browse to the download:
    • Open Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer): CLICK Start (lower right) > Programs > Accessories > Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer).
    • Navigate to the correct folder (for example, CLICK the My Documents folder, CLICK the Downloads folder).
    • RIGHT CLICK in white space; CLICK “Modified” to see files in chronological order. Then, CLICK “Name” bar to see most recent downloads at top (otherwise, you will need to scroll to bottom to see your most recent downloads at bottom).
  4. Perform a virus scan: RIGHT CLICK on the name-of-download.exe (viral_Tube.exe) file and select “Scan for a virus” (assuming you have AVG or other anti-virus software installed, so that the virus scan option is displayed).
  5. Install the downloaded software: DOUBLE-CLICK on the name-of-download.exe (Viral_Tube.exe) file, and follow screen instructions.

Here is a YouTube video which explains the anti-virus scan procedure.

At those times when you do not recall where you saved your downloaded file, try using the “Search” feature in your Windows Start menu.

Why does a toolbar download include offers?

Toolbar developers need to earn income from a toolbar. Monetizing the toolbar with offers helps to provide that income.

What happens if I do not accept toolbar offers at time of installation?

If you click off the offers without accepting them, you should expect to go straight to . . . the download button, if the toolbar developers are observing ethical permission marketing, as the Viral Tube toolbar developers are.

(Whew, no Monopoly board-game-type penalties. Remember drawing the card that sent your game-piece to jail, saying “. . . Do not pass Go, do not collect $200”?)

However, you will then not receive regular email about products which the offer advertisers feel may be of interest to you, and which actually may be of interest to you.

But don’t worry. You will still have the option of supporting the toolbar developers if you use toolbar buttons providing offers within the toolbar, such as the well-liked Coupon Buddy. If the toolbar is well-designed, like the Viral Tube toolbar, you should be able to activate and deactivate such buttons at will.

If you ever buy a product from such an offer, part of the price of that product will go to the toolbar developers, and part will go to the website from which you downloaded the toolbar. Income thus generated allows the developers to continue to update the toolbar, as internet technology and resources change, and helps a website owner maintain a website.

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Filed under: Viral Tube Toolbar