Remember the time where I write about Format Factory that is popular but being so malicious about? Apparently, I found some forum posts on Avast and (most clearly explained) Bleeping Computer for this kind of issue.
Windows Defender Dilemma
I mentioned before in the post where I wrote about Format Factory, and it seems to be connected with what I'm thinking: a new replacement. Apparently, this popular app, or should I say in its short term, FF, defined this app on some AV companies, including Windows Defender (on Windows 8 and above) as "potentially unwanted software/program" (PUP) because of... like what Enderman said, OpenCandy installer, adware bundled in the installation software, making you have to download software that you don't necessarily need if you're not aware (or at least a tech savvy). I can imagine; the installer itself is kinda sus, judging from the posts they made there, but what I don't understand is that Windows Defender detects FF's main executable, along with its uninstaller, as PUP back when I got that, in 2020. Defender removes it without even blinking. No user consent, just... gone.
The guys there have tried the solution to exclude it from the Defender but no luck. I guess that was the same thing I did back then when I first got the notification about Format Factory being malicious. The guy who started that thread even wrote a letter of complaint to the Format Factory developers about this issue. To this day, none of the new posts have been made. No one knows what's next for this problem.
For the TL;DR about my last post concerning this, 19 security vendors flagged the installer of FF as malicious, citing "potentially unwanted software/program" (PUP), on VirusTotal, with one being the most infamous one, the Windows Defender. Interestingly, AVG Antivirus that I have doesn't ring any bells about it being so malicious about.
Goes South?
A user named JohnC_21 linked a thread that the guys have been discussing, which is redirected to a thread saying that "Format factory, the popular file conversion utility download, has gone bad."
The open poster (OP), ranchhand_, stated that he opted out of any offers or extra software that will be installed alongside FF but then he got a Bytefence app installed out of nowhere after installation. He then removed the app, cleaning it from the entire system. But then he got himself a broken DVD connection, system restore not working, and guess what? He has a backup but he needs to use an external DVD drive for that. He asked for the alternatives.
People there have suggested to get the older version of the Format Factory which passed the antivirus check, even by VT. He also heard about an alternative version of FF called "Handbrake." Okay, this looks kinda new and pleasing. Don't confuse it with the parking brake, which is also called "handbrake" as well.
The fact that I have used File Converter as an alternative and virus/malware-free choice of FF is indeed versatile, but the minus is that it lacks a lot of choices and options for file conversions, plus, the app is so old and never get an update for who knows what. Damn, I miss the old Format Factory.
It is worth noting that you won't find the free converter software other than Format Factory or any other free-to-use converter software. Xilisoft is already paid, but has a lot more features than FF (though I'm not sure that the wide variety of conversions will help). And free/unlicensed version will only convert video or sound in a maximum time of 3 minutes. So if you want to convert one with more than 3 minutes, final conversion will only get 3 minutes of the original one, which sucks in multiple ways.
File conversions help immensely, especially if you're into video making or editing. Some programs allow specific encoding for the file to be used. For example, Corel VideoStudio accepts MPG, MP3, MP4, AVI, 3GP, and WAV files. MKV file needs conversion to either MP4 or AVI, depending on what you want to achieve.
The only way to solve this
The thread doesn't seem to update about the situation and November's about to end. I'd say, if you're running on OSes later than Windows 7, either get an alternative software that is free of virus or malware (passed the AV-check on VirusTotal or any other services), buy a license of a paid software (or maybe just crack it, who cares?), or download the older version of Format Factory that passed the AV-check and cross your fingers. There's no other option for it anyway. System and defense mechanisms are revolving fast. It's better to be safe than sorry at this point.
You can check out the old version of programs you want at OldVersion.com.
Conclusion
I and Format Factory have gone through the wild ride since the GTA IV days, back in 2010s or so. 12 years have passed and I never thought things have gone south. 😑
Still, media file conversions never set me apart since video editing is about encoding. It needs something to encode a media on other application, and it's mandatory.
With that in mind, I hope you can find what media file conversion software that suits you well. Thanks for reading and I'll see you again in the next post.
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