LG McAfee pop-up disabled after Microsoft Windows chief intervenes
LG will stop showing a McAfee ad through its Monitor App Installer after Microsoft’s Windows chief responded to complaints.
By Dominic Okoye · Staff Writer
· 3 min read
LG has agreed to disable the LG McAfee pop-up in its Monitor App Installer after Microsoft’s Windows chief Pavan Davuluri got involved, following public criticism of the ad appearing during Windows device setup. The episode matters beyond one monitor utility because it shows how hardware makers can use Windows’ device-installation process to place software on a user’s PC without a separate user-initiated download.
Davuluri said on social media that Microsoft had contacted LG and that, as an immediate step, LG agreed to turn off the McAfee pop-up from the app. He said Microsoft appreciated LG working with it toward a better experience for shared customers and that the company would continue improving with ecosystem partners.
The response came after Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called attention to the behavior. At the time of writing, McAfee references had been removed from the LG Monitor App Installer listing in the Microsoft Store.
Why did LG's McAfee pop-up appear in Windows?
The pop-up came from LG’s Monitor App Installer, a utility that can be installed automatically when certain LG devices are connected to a Windows PC for the first time. The example highlighted involved an LG UltraGear monitor.
Windows supports a documented mechanism that lets hardware manufacturers add software during external device installation. That software can be a legitimate control or configuration tool for the device, but the same path can also be used to show advertising or bundle promotions with utility software.
LG was not described as exploiting a Windows security flaw. The issue is instead that a permitted installation path, intended to support hardware setup, created a channel for a consumer-facing ad to appear on a PC because a monitor was connected.
What Microsoft has not addressed
Microsoft’s intervention appears to have ended the immediate McAfee prompt, at least according to Davuluri’s statement and the updated Microsoft Store listing. The company has not said whether it will change how these hardware-linked apps are reviewed before they can be distributed or triggered during device setup.
That is the part of the episode with broader significance for Windows partners and users. If the main consequence for an irritating app is a poor store rating, vendors may still have room to test the limits of what Windows allows during hardware installation. Microsoft’s public response framed the fix as partner coordination, rather than a policy change.
The incident also lands in a larger debate over advertising and bundled prompts inside Windows. The facts here are narrower: LG added a McAfee promotion to a monitor-related installer, Microsoft’s Windows lead intervened after Sweeney highlighted it, and LG agreed to disable the pop-up. What remains unresolved is whether Microsoft will tighten the process that allowed the ad to reach users in the first place.
This story draws on original reporting from The Register.
