7

I just downloaded Fling from them (an automatic ftp uploader) having been looking for a good app to do this for a long time. It just seems to good to be true to finally stumble across what looks to be a good piece of software.

Here's their site: http://www.nchsoftware.com/

And more specifically: http://www.nchsoftware.com/fling/index.html

So it looked to good to be true so I googled it and found that a few people had had their anti-virus inform them that Fling is a trojan! I have since read that this was a false positive and it's been fixed. Anyway, I'm feeling a little paranoid about it now.

Identified as a trojan: http://forum.kaspersky.com/index.php?s=6508a10c18a04edc4d3a34d248eb8967&showtopic=95546

What do you think? Have you used NCH before? Are they okay? Is it legit?

2
  • NCH Software is taking steps in the right direction for its users (Updated Jan 2016): Is NCH Software Safe to Use? Jan 28, 2016 at 15:19
  • Posting this here for those searching about NCH being safe, since the answers on this question are several years out of date. NCH definitely seems to have a shady past, but they've been working on honestly improving their reputation. Their installers still recommend (and can install) other NCH products, but from what I've seen there is no more third-party bloatware, browser takeovers, or any other behavior typically associated with malware. They're in the business of selling software, and seem to have realized that screwing people in the free trials isn't good for business!
    – Doktor J
    Jan 10, 2019 at 16:24

8 Answers 8

10

NCH has some very useful software, but I'm never using them again. 18 months ago, I put their sound editor on my computer and it ruined Audacity so it wouldn't run unless I opened an existing Audacity project. They install all kinds of little hooks into other software. Beware NCH. As others have said, it's very difficult to impossible to remove NCH software. It's a shame.

1
  • 1
    It's a shame that you've had such a negative experience - but I believe NCH Software is taking steps in the right direction for its users (Updated Jan 2016): Is NCH Software Safe to Use? Jan 29, 2016 at 17:57
8

I have removed the NCH programs in the following manner, on Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit:

  • Using Windows Explorer (located on your task bar at the bottom of you screen) navigate to Program Files (86)/NCH SOFTWARE.

  • Right click on the subdirectory NCH SOFTWARE. When the window opens with the function list then left click on “rename” in the list. Rename the sub directory NCH SOFTWARE to ###.NCH SOFTWARE where ### is something that you can remember very easy or put it on note paper. Press “ENTER”.

  • Double click the new name and you will display a series of subdirectories. Explore each one and use the “UNISTALL” programs as you find them. There isn’t an uninstall program in every subdirectory but you must use all of them.

  • Close Windows Explorer.

In the next steps it is very important that you make no changes to the registry other than the one I am going to tell you about.

  • Click on the Windows emblem in the lower left corner of you task bar. In the “Search Programs and Files windows type cmd.

  • The top of the search windows will have a section labeled “PROGRAMS” click on the program titled “CMD”.

  • In the black window that opens type regedit.

  • In the Regedit window on the left side is the display of the registry. Highlight “computer”.

  • In the regeditor window in the upper command bar click on “edit” in the drop down window select “find”.

  • Enter “NCH” in the find window and click find next.

  • The regeditor will stop at the first instance of “NCH”. When regedit finds NCH there should be a yellow square just to the left of the NCH.

  • Right click on “NCH” in the drop down window select “RENAME” change the name to “###NCH###” where ### is something easy for you to remember or put it on note paper. Press Enter.

  • Use the “F3” to fined next and continue until the find box displays the massage “Finished searching through the registry”.

  • Now reboot.

After the reboot check your program list and it should be clear of all NCH software.

If you are sure all of the programs are disabled then you can delete the sub directory ###NCH SOFTWARE in Program Files (86).

PS: NCH is not “legit”.

Any company that causes a program to be installed on your computer without your permission is not “legit”.

Any company that designs their program so it is hidden from the Control Panel for removing programs and hides there “UNINSTALL” programs in the directory tree and then charges to tell you where it is, is defiantly not “legit”

5

I have used express invoice for a year now, and it was great until developed a bug. I was on the internet for days trying to figure out this bug, that I discovered other users also encountered. No solution was working including an upgraded download. I would have bought the paid version but was wary considering their support policy.

Try contacting this company for anything..they make it very very difficult. There is actually no way to contact the company unless you purchase support. First two levels of support cost 40 and 57 dollars US and only entitle you to a very limited amount of emails from support...and they will only spend 10 minutes on each email. I chose the platinum support, 9 -10 minute emails and two 15 minute phone calls only from 9 to five for 63 bucks US, I must use them all over a three month period or I lose what I have bought and the cheaper support pkgs. Are even shorter in terms of access.

So far, I have paid and they are already past the 24 hour turnaround time promised for a response. They also make you agree to no refund even if they do not fix your problem. Buy at your own risk, this company has blatantly decided to make support a frustrating endeavor for their users.

5

Malware. It installs itself everywhere, then prevents you from uninstalling it. Basically this is a trojan. It took me almost an hour of hard work to get rid of it and I am a senior Windows professional. Most of the virus scanners don't react because this actually has some sound editing properties. Anyway, this company should be sued by everyone fooled to install this invasive and abusive piece of software.

5

I installed their Prism Converter: it hijacked the file association to -ZIP which downloaded their own NCH unzipper. This is trojan practices.

3

I've used WavePad from NCH Software for a couple of weeks now. It's a fantastic audio file editor. It has a few minor bugs in the interface, but does a great job of carefully controlled improvement of .mp3 files. NCH is in business to make money - surprise, surprise!

So, they do their best to sell you other software. If you let it, it will install a thing called the NCH toolbar in your browsers. This has links to software that some paranoid utilties call a trojan. My wife installed it by accident and it took me all of 3 minutes to get rid of it completely. If you say yes to extras and demos, NCH will install things you may not want.

On the other hand, they may be useful to large numbers of people. And, it's very easy to get rid of them if you find you don't want them. I can't comment on NCH's support, I haven't needed it. But, for a company that is claimed to have poor support, they go to great lengths to get your feedback and to provide software updates and access to beta upgrades. I have tried a couple of their demos, a video convertor, for example. I found it a very good buy decided I didn't really need it.

The demo uninstalled quite well, but Revo Uninstaller found a few residual Registry entries and files that would have been deleted on reboot. That's fairly standard for Windows software and, if incomplete uninstalls worry you - get Revo! In short, NCH sells good software, so get rid of the trojan checkers and try using your brain instead. You'll find it's cheaper, quicker, less worrying, and much more reliable!

1
  • I've used WavePad sound editor for quite a while. Aside from some slightly aggressive marketing strategies in trying to sell you other programs, it's just fine. When you choose free software, it's only reasonable to expect to be solicited for paid upgrades - that's how it works. Mar 9, 2012 at 20:41
3

Some (many) years ago, their Prism converter was good. Now they use their website to hack your computer - or so it seems. I simply updated what I had installed from them (Prism) and then decided to browse through the options...And there was the "TOOLBOX" with very short descriptions of what it supposed to offer.

I clicked few links - nothing told me that I am installing applications. A bit later, while I was searching the web, a window comes up asking if I want to change my default searcg engine. I answered "NO" - and shortly after that I see a whole bunch of photoediting, sound-conversion, slide who and hell know what else installed on my computer.

To top it off – the home page of both browsers I use changed to NCH, the Google Toolbar was replaced with something from NCH – of course, without anyone asking my permission. And that is with antivirus running.

When I tried to uninstall the unwanted software using Windows Control Panel, the programs refused to uninstall, informing that I should finish the previuos "installation". (probably, another malicious code did not finish running by the time I switched off the internet connection just in case).

I removed the NCH add-on in Firefox, changed the home page back to what it was – but when I restart Firefox, everything is back – which means the NCH gadgets and their home page. I had better luck with Explorer – there it cleaned up the NCH from the first try.

Now back to uninstalling. I found the NCH folder and in the subfolders there (some 5 or 7 of them) were separate uninstallers for each one of their wonderful programs. Just one of them worked – the rest asked you for a feedback, tell you that all is uninstalled – and nothing changed. So I cleaned the registry with regedit – searching for "NCH Software" and other names in their folders and deleting each one of them. Still did not fix the Firefox.

Now I have to run a deep virus scan and perhaps, restore the system to some previous points.

2

Their products appear to do what they say they will do, and as far as I can tell do them well -- I've tried them so I know. That's the good news.

The bad news is when the installation runs it tries to install a load of things on your system that you didn't ask for and didn't want, such as IE toolbars. It tried to change my IE homepage (without asking!) but Spybot told me about it as it attempted this, so I stopped this. I didn't catch a few other things, such as hosing up Internet Explorer so that whenever I try to start a new tab, it doesn't come up blank, but it runs to Google Mail! Which is really odd, actually. Gmail was set as my home page, and apparently, preventing NCH from changing my home page caused it to mess IE's tab-generating process up. I am not sure how to fix this.

It also installed the Ask Toolbar without my permission. I don't know what else it installed (I'm still looking).

When I uninstalled their product (the screen capture program), it didn't totally clean up after itself, either. The NCH Software folder was still in Program Files. I suspect other remnants remain.

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