There have been a lot of questions in the blogosphere lately about Microsoft ChoiceGuard. What it is, and why it’s being installed when you install Windows Live Betas… So, here are a few answers.
Microsoft ChoiceGuard is a lightweight software component that enables the choices you make—like what you want to set as your default home page and search provider—during the Windows Live Beta installation process.
If you choose to do so (and ONLY if you choose to do so), Microsoft ChoiceGuard will set your home page and search provider in both Firefox and Internet Explorer. Typically this is a simple task. However, several of our competitors install a "service" that is always running on your computer that prevents your Internet Explorer search defaults from being changed, even if you requested the change yourself. So Microsoft ChoiceGuard looks for the presence of those applications that might be preventing your choice from being carried out, and works around their block to set the default.
It turns out that if you use Firefox, you have to install an add-on to do this. Since there is no point in having the ChoiceGuard add-on on your computer after setting your defaults, ChoiceGuard immediately sets itself to uninstall. That’s why you will see “Microsoft ChoiceGuard” in the Firefox add-on list, and that’s why it also says it will be uninstalled the next time Firefox restarts.
The good news is that Microsoft ChoiceGuard only sets the defaults once. If you choose to change these settings later, either programmatically or manually, Microsoft ChoiceGuard won’t get in the way.
I hope this clears things up a bit. Keep sending us your feedback—We’re listening!
– Hua Ai and Mikko Ollila, Live Search team
Windows Live team blog archive 
"…why it’s being installed when you install Windows Live Toolbar."
I was very careful to select nothing but Mail while installing the beta, yet ChoiceGuard was installed anyway. This \’back door\’ installation of an unknown program is what has caused there to be "…a lot of questions in the blogosphere lately about Microsoft ChoiceGuard." A search of microsoft.com gives zero hits, which is why alarm bells start ringing for careful users.
Frankly, I sort of resent EVERY toolbar that has ever tried to install itself (often successfully) without my approval, some of them AGAINST my approval. I DO appreciate the explanation. Most of these toolbars cause clutter in my opinion, and I don\’t want anyone setting up camp in my browser.
SNEAKY YOU\’RE NOT LISTENING I WANT MY CLASSIC BACK NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree with Cheryl…….bring back the Classic E-Mail format……I do not like this new one…..Small windows and I have trouble forwarding my mail.
I am pleading to have my old classic hotmail back. I don\’t like small window to read the message, and can not acces junk mail, since my filters are set to high, as I don\’t want to have it all come to my inbox, but I go thrugh junk, because people who are not in my adrs book send my emails, and then I save them as my contacts.
THIS WHOLE THING HAPPENED AUTOMATICALLY, and installed itself, SO CAN I PLEASE HAVE A CLASSIC BACK!
I want my classic hotmail back! This is causing stress. We agree with everyone else!!!!
please put the old hotmail back this one is crap cant read messages and cant send emails
Horrendous. I cannot get my email.
how do you froward an email when you haven\’t got your contacts on the same page?
please give me my old crap back i did ask for this and i do not want it what do i have to do short blowing what little brains i have left out
New hotmail does not work. Cannot get into my junk, deleted, sent or draft mail (only into new mail inbox). I am distressed.
Cannot read any new mail ! 155 in inbox and growing , bring back my old hotmail account
Can\’t use the regular hotmail because I use linux and thats crap. I\’m stuck with the classic looking unuseful version.
Bring back my old e-mail form!!!! Can\’t read a thing or forward
I want my old e-mail back, This sucks.
OK if you are using the MSN browser you are probably having problems accessing your hotmail. Try using either Internet Explorer 8 to open your hotmail account (I have had no problems there) or windows live mail (works just dandy)
Cass
How to forward an email—if you look to the bottom left of your email message you will see a menu that includes the word "contacts" (just below "today" and "mail" and above "calendar" click it and your contacts should come up.
Why do I all of a sudden get 50 junk emails per day. The old email was great and this new one sucks. Please tell me how I can keep from getting all this junk and how I can get my old email profile or whatever its called back. I dont want to change my email address and go to Yahoo but if I do not get this back the way it was I will be forced to leave msn because I\’m not smart enough to figure it out. I don\’t mind Yahoo and will use it as my home page if I do not get this changed soon. Please let me know if they are going to go back to the old soon as you can. Thanks S.H.
When I click on my email I get nothing. If this is not fixed soon I will be forced to go to another email provider as this is the accont that I use to recieve email orders for my job. Ridiculous
The new interface looks great. Haven\’t had a chance to use it myself. For those looking to remove the ads, you can upgrade to Hotmail Plus for a measly $20/yr. That also gives you POP access and twice the disk space.
I have been trying for about three hours, cannot access my folders. there are impt info that i need asap. please help!!!! Iprefer the old version.
I can\’t read my mail when I open it it is blank and I would like to be returned to the old version.
I can\’t read my mail when I open it it is blank and I would like to be returned to the old version.
I don\’t like the new e-mail page. I am having trouble with access to all my files. I would like to return to my old version.
totally agree with everyone else. HATE the new email and want old email back!!
the sooner the better!!!
I can\’t compose an email. What the hell?
Why has none of the people complianing about Wave 3 put up screenshots?? to justify the issue?
I am going to yahoo to set up a new email account. This shit does not make any since to me. I cant open my emails, I have been trying for about four days. I have important information sent to this account. But I will no longer deal with this. I didnt ask for it and I dont want it. Newer does not always mean better MSN.
Jesus christ, now I cant open emails either. What the hell
Cannot open up the stupid account summary …IT HAS BEEN MONTHS!!!!! Want to change my Efin password what is wrong with this stupid…………AAAAGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!
I do not like the new emails. I want to return to the old format. I cannot see my contacts on the side bar. I find this very annoying when trying to send or forward letters.
I have been trying for about three hours, cannot access my folders. there are impt info that i need asap. please help!!!! Iprefer the old version.
I too agree. The new format is different, not better. What was wrong with the old one?
Please admit your error and switch it back. What were you thinking?
It\’s called progress people! Spend 2 minutes and learn the new interface. Once you discover the new features and capabilities, you\’ll grow to like it. If they left it the same, there\’s be another bunch of r-tards on here complaining that F-mail or Yawho? has more features. I hope they don\’t listen to these negative comments lest progress be doomed for the sake of nitwits.
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
please switch your browser font settings to medium
Now I\’m getting all kindsa trashy spam ~~ viagra, weight loss, bigger whatevers, etc. When did I ever change my controls over this ?? I didn\’t !! Other than not being able to control what I let in my mailbox, it\’s not a bad format IMHO.
Have you tried the new Chrome? don\’t have to worry about this, with Chrome.
OK I don\’t feel so alone in this recent onslaught of spam-arrassment!! Yes….suddenly dozens of junk mails a day….infuriating….time consuming….didn\’t used to be like this. I too used to LOVE hotmail and have sold it\’s merits to many friends. I too will be gone if the \’new and improved\’ Hotmail can\’t remember how to filter junk mail. My biggest question remains – WHO AT MSN/HOTMAIL WILL RESPOND TO US IN AN ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE?? IS ANYONE LISTENING?? THIS IS OBVIOUSLY NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. And SoBe (South-of-behaviorally-acceptable) Pete, keep your shortsighted egotistical insults in check – some of us spent our two minutes, have no problem navigating the interface, and accept \’new,\’ it\’s just ALL THE F\’NG JUNK DESTROYING A PREVIOUSLY FUNCTIONAL AND ENJOYED RESOURCE THAT HAS US UP IN ARMS!! (Pay a little more attention Pete, and if you have any constructive comments by all means chime back in. And in the mean time, what the hell\’s Yawho?)
please bring the old version of hotmail because its much better
What does Hua or whatever it means
OMG it\’s making me LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
instead of complaining about the new \’live\’ and it\’s beta\’s, find a reason for it\’s failure on your system. for instance – do you keep your machine maintained? have you tried to tweak it too much? have you got illegal software on board? are you using non compliant software? there\’s lots of reasons for your system being unable to work properly with perfectly good microsoft programs.
i\’m using windows xp on my small network and find no problem with any of the betas. microsoft have done a really good job. and don\’t forget it all free.
regards david-makeweb and http://recycle-pc.43i.org/
I can\’t read my mail when I open it it is blank and I would like to be returned to the old version.
please bring the old version of hotmail because its much better
Nice explanation about Choice Guard. Thank you. Now, please make the follwoing changes in order to be completely ethical to your users and to the community at large:
1. Display the following text next to the checkbox that sets your home page to MSN and your search provider to Live Search: "Set My Default Search Provider to Live Search and Prevent Other Programs From Blocking This Action for this Time Only." This will make it cristal clear that when I check this checkbox, (I) the Choice Guard will be used only for making this change only for this time and (II) that I will be able to change my provider and home page to something else in the future if I desire.
2. Very important! DO NOT HAVE THESE TWO CHECKBOXES CHECKED BY DEFAULT. This will indicate to the community that you respect their choices as many users might not notice these boxes and might not uncheck them, although in reality this is what they would have done if they had noticed them. Or, have them in some intermediate state and the user has to make an explicit choice yes or no before continuing with set-up.
3. Very important! DO NOT HAVE FOR COLLECTING MY WEB URLS BY DEFAULT CHECKED. It is a violations of my privacy rights.
4. Unrelated to everything else but please tell me, why do you still like MSN.com? I thought that all innovation nowadays goes on at live.com. Why do you still like setting my homepage to MSN and why don\’t you instead advertise live.com more?
5. I seriously hope that you listen and that you read these comments.
I keep getting notices I need to update my browsers. NO I DON\’T. Progress or change. Progress is moving forward, improving, so what really has improved. Can\’t use the font I WANT, TONS of junk mail, blank emails, can\’t open emails, NEW AND IMPROVED. I don\’t need MSN changing my defaults in Firefox, Safari, Opera or anything else. I know how to change defaults. Then we are given \’workarounds\’ instead of solutions. CHANGE for changes sake is a waste of OUR time.In 15 years haven\’t had my yahoo account not be accessible to the person who asked – BV2312….davidmakeweb…"instead
of complaining about the new \’live\’ and it\’s beta\’s, find a reason for
it\’s failure on your system. for instance ""- do you keep your machine
maintained?" YES "have you tried to tweak it too much?"NO"have you got illegal
software on board?" NO"are you using non compliant software? "NO…oh wait, is anything NOT produced by Microsoft non-compliant like maybe OpenOffice?"there\’s lots
of reasons for your system being unable to work properly with perfectly
good microsoft programs." YES there are and it could be the program is neither perfect nor good. Of course a MSN junkie will automaticallly blame MY system. If the font size causes a problem, then I wouldn\’t say its my system. My system displays the size I want in everything else without a problem. I am visually challenged and need to use the font size I have selected. The solutions teams answer is use a magnifying lense or some other workaround.
You blew it,admit it and go back Classic.
Please go back to the classic version.I liked it much better.
I havent got this new update on my account…yet my old one has? How can i get it?!
I cant even open emails what is going on?????????????????????/
Since the change most of the time it won\’t let me put in a subject line. I click on the subject line and it won\’t allow anything to be typed. I\’m sure this change was necessary but it is a pain when you are using it everyday for business and you have to readjust constantly. Does anyone know why it won\’t let me put in a subject line title and how to fix that.?
Tommy Kirkenhazard here,
and I think that the new version of Hotmail has pros and cons.
PROS: It is faster and clearer. It is easier to send and receieve
CONS: With the old version you could change the direct colur of the toolbar; with the new version you cannot
Yeah you have really screwed up now, this is by far the lamest ass format that I\’ve seen in along time… First you force people to use Windows Live … Now this crap??! You couldn\’t leave things alone, have to mess a good thing up… Everything about this format is lame, it even slows down … Good Move! Once again you messed a good thing up, of course you won\’t care LOL! Because you think you\’re all SMARTER then anyone else …
well i guess my day of hotmail is over, can\’t do a thing with it, can\’t email can\’t open email, can\’t open junk folder to delete junk mail, can\’t do nothing with this window live
well, guess my days with hotmail are over too. can\’t even open attachments to emails. just a shame you didn\’t leave a good thing alone
This sucks! I cannot access my folders. I have set my browser text size to medium , as instructed, but lines are still superimposed over each other. Bring back Classic!!!!!!
Is the new format going to be fixed or is this the end of hotmail? I cannot write a message after I have attached a document, I cannot view my junk mail, sent emails or folders because everything is superimposed. It is slower as well, please let me know if this is going to be fixed or if I just am going to forced to switch away from hotmail? I cannot imagine how you all recieved any positive feedback on this new format.
I want to send or receive attachments of photos and etc. to family and friends. I was told I could not send attachments. I would need the incoming and outgoing mail servers when I send an e-mail message. Can you help me? I messed up, I should have made sure you provided this service before I gave everyone my e=mail address. Thank You
"Q: Why did you change? I liked the old version the way it was.
When we asked our users how we could make Hotmail better,"….
Asked what users?…any of you guys get asked anything??
"the majority of people said they wanted the experience to be cleaner and faster."
I\’m not seeing any "Majority" saying anything but "leave the system alone!"
You guys are acting like a bunch of politicians…it\’s what you want so you try to
convince us it\’s in our best interest!! Why don \’t you listen to what the customers
are really saying and stop insulting our intelligence. We\’re all saying the same thing.
This system blows chunks!! Multiple problems, no responses to request for help!
Why would you change something that worked for years, to the rubbish you are dishing up now?? It is hard to follow, you can\’t get all your friends up when your looking at sending a message, your screen smaller. Tell me, how this better? The colours you use makes it harder to follow!!! The sad thing is, we did have a say!!!!
My laptop has a smaller screen when I use the TO option when composing a new e-mail, there isn\’t a scroll bar at the bottom of my screen. I\’m unable to close the window. I found how to select favorites by putting them into a category, but when I look at a list of names in a category, I\’m unable to see any information other than name. I\’m not able to find a way to print a category list. Old hotmail had a way of printing a list. The calendar may be nice after I learn how to use it.
with all the complain i have read about this new version, look like you would listen and change it back
I am getting so fed up with Hotmail. I had a bad experience with it a while ago when setting up a second email address and they never resolved my problem and I am still unable to open this second email address to retrieve important information. How they have upgraded me this load of rubbish! They should remember the old saying \’if it ain broke dont fix it\’. I am having great difficulty with dealing with my emails now and everything is a chore. I am very busy and have no time to try and resolve all the problems I am experiencing and am therefore proposing to open an account with a new provider.
Am I alone?
Now you have changed the style I can\’t open any of them. Inow have 80 to read. What do iI do now go to another system or can you fix it
Terry.
how do I retrieve messages from my old hotmail account?
I can\’t get this new forward to work!!no one is recieving my e-mails…..FIX THIS PLEASE!!!!!
I recently installed the Windows Live Beta and now when my computer boots I start with an explorer box on my screen every time, the folder open is c:\\programfiles\\microdoft\\search enhancement\\choiceguard. How do I get rid of this?Dave Powell
With all the new changes you have already made. Is there anything with hotmail plus? I was told this was the only way I could send e-mail attachments to family and friends. I want to keep my e-mail address I have now since I have given it to everyone. Can you please help me? Thank YouSusan Bramlett
Something called seaport.exe sucked my Windows 7 beta memory dry. Have 3gb of ram on here and had near 120 mb left to run on. That\’s some serious bug there. That probably should be fixed. I was forced to shut it off. Acted like a virus.
I Just installed the Windows Live and now when my computer boots I start with an explorer box on my screen every time, the folder open is c:\\programfiles\\microdoft\\search enhancement\\choiceguard. How do I get rid of this?