Google Installer Wants to Access the Internet - Here's HELP!

Is ZoneAlarm pestering you constantly with a message saying "Google Installer is trying to access the Internet?" Is the "GoogleUpdate.exe" program trying to "call home" many times an hour?


When you install any Google software product, such as the Chrome browser or Google Earth, Google Installer will ask your firewall to let it access the Internet many times a day to check for software updates.

It's not that Google Installer is doing anything wrong ... but most people wonder why it has to check for updates constantly?! Why waste the bandwidth and system resources?

According to Google, the Google Installer "keeps your Google software up to date. If this task is disabled or stopped, your Google software will not be kept up to date, meaning security vulnerabilities that may arise cannot be fixed and features may not work. This task uninstalls itself when there is no Google software using it."

In July of 2009, Google announced that the Google Installer (Google Update) would no longer run continuously but would be managed by Windows Task Scheduler (https://opensource.googleblog.com/2009/07/google-update-regularly-scheduled.html).

This is GOOD NEWS. You can easily change how often Google Installer accesses the Internet to look for updates via Windows Task Scheduler (http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Chrome/thread?tid=7ab51d2e6b9da08a&hl=en). Then you can tell your Firewall to "Always Allow" and be done with it!

The following image shows four Google tasks in the Task Scheduler window. You may have more or less, but use this as a guide.


To change a task's schedule on your PC, follow the steps below:

1. Access the Windows Task Scheduler by clicking Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Scheduled Tasks (or Task Scheduler)
2. Make the window as wide as possible. Notice the current schedule shown in the second column
3. Right-click on the first Google Installer task and click Properties
4. Click the "Schedule" tab
5. If the task is scheduled to run at "user logon" - don't change it
6. If the task is scheduled to run Daily, change the frequency to Weekly, at User Logon, or other option. If Weekly, make sure only one day is checked in the "Schedule Task Weekly" box below. Change the time if you wish
7. Click the "Advanced" button if available. Remove the checkmark next to "Repeat task" and click OK

Repeat steps 3 through 7 for the remaining Google Update tasks. Then click Apply and click OK. Exit out of the "Scheduled Tasks" window.

Now the Google Update program should only request access to the Internet at the times you scheduled for the tasks. And once you feel confident that it is working correctly, you can tell your firewall to "Always Allow" and you won't be bothered again.

Cheers!

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How to Delete a Google Account

Sometimes we just change our minds. Or we create multiple accounts for testing purposes and then want to clean things up when we're done.

Deleting a Google account will, of course, delete all of the products and services that the account has been using. This includes Gmail, Picassa, Blogger, etc.

To delete a Google account, follow the directions below.

1. Log into Google.
2. Hover the cursor over your name and click Account Settings from the dropdown list.
3. On the Google Accounts Profile window, click Edit next to My Products.
4. Under Delete Account, click the link that says "Close account and delete all services and info associated with it."
5. On the next window, put checkmarks in all of the boxes next to the various Google products, and put checkmarks in the boxes stating that you want to delete your account and that you acknowledge that you are still responsible for any charges incurred. Then type your password and click Delete Google Account.
6. The next window will indicate that your account has been deleted.

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Google Bookmarks - Easy Instructions for Getting Started

Why Use Google Bookmarks?

If you don't use a social site like Twitter, you may still be using your browser to store bookmarks to favorite websites. With the ability now to store bookmarks online, the disadvantages of storing them in your browser loom large!

If you change PCs, you have to import your bookmarks to the new PC or you'll lose them. If you use multiple PCs, the bookmark you want may not be on that PC. And if you use other PCs, the bookmarks just aren't available.

If you store your bookmarks online using a service like Google Bookmarks, they are securely stored and accessible from any computer! Google Bookmarks isn't fancy, but it is very easy to use.

How Do I Use Google Bookmarks?

If you're already using the Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer or Firefox, just click on the blue star on the Google Toolbar, as shown above, to bookmark the current site.

If you do not use the Google Toolbar, go to www.google.com/bookmarks, and click and drag the Bookmarklet at the bottom of the page (image shown below) to the toolbar at the top of your browser window.


Once you do this, the icon shown below will be placed on your browser toolbar. When you want to bookmark a site, just click the Google Bookmark icon, enter a Label and a description for the site.



The easy way to view or edit your Google bookmarks is via the My Account page. If you use Google as your primary Search Engine, you should have a Google logon and userid, and set your homepage to igoogle.com instead of google.com. Then, after logging on each morning, click My Account in the upper right corner and a menu displays all of the Google services, including Bookmarks.

Click Bookmarks to edit your list, or to click on a bookmark. From My Account, you can also access other Google services, such as Gmail, Calendar, and Picasa. You can just leave the My Account window open and minimized so that it is quickly available when you need it.

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