Browser redirect to mc.yandec.com
Hello,
I had the experience of completely uninstalling and then re-installing MuseScore 3.5.2 under Windows 10. On the second installation I found that when MuseScore opened, my system browser (Chromium Edge) would open to a URL at mc.yandex.com, which would never actually load. I determined this was related to the Start Center. Modifying my preferences so the Start Center didn't run at startup fixed it, and manually selecting the Start Center from the menu opened the browser.
Now the interesting part. I went ahead and did a complete uninstallation (including the folders under AppData in my user directory). Then I did another installation, but as I had in my very first installation, I opted to run the tours. Now no opening the system browser to mc.yandex.com. Then, after opting to stop seeing the tours, they were gone and the Start Center still didn't do the redirect.
So it appears the problem only occurs if I do an install and opt out of the tours during the initial program setup. Leaving the tours option on at this point, and then removing it later, works fine.
It's a minor issue, but I would assume it would be easy to fix as well.
Dave
Comments
I've never heard of this happening, can you provide more info? Like what URl, exactly? The start center normally opens a page http://connect2.musescore.com/, but this happens within the start center itself, not using your system browser. I guess if a firewall or some other setting gets in the way of this loading in the start center, maybe on some systems the system browser might somehow be invoked, but again, I've never heard of this happening, and there are literally millions of MuseScore on Windows. Anything unusual about your browser configuration?
mc.yandex.ru, btw, is an analytics site, it's referenced during the load of any page on this site (check this page's HTML source for example).
In reply to I've never heard of this… by Marc Sabatella
Ok, you will think I'm nuts, and perhaps I am, but I did the uninstall/reinstall dance again and I can't get the browser redirect to occur at all. The precise URL was:
https://mc.yandex.com/metrika/watch_match.html
Maybe some kind of spam attached to my system and has now been cleared by my antivirus. I swear this was happening every time the Start Center opened, either automatically when starting MuseScore or when invoking it from the File menu.
I knew from other posts in the forum about the "sub rosa" call to mc.yandex.ru for analytics, and that wasn't what was bothering me at all. The watch_match.html URL was opening either in a new browser window if there was no browser running, or a new tab if there was. Reboots or clearing out my task list didn't help, and I don't have a firewall or proxy, or odd network settings.
I'm going to chalk it up to some weird malware that got on my system, unrelated to MuseScore, and hijacked or piggy backed on the legitimate web calls made by the Start Center. Now it is gone.
Sorry to have bothered you. Great software, by the way.
Dave
In reply to Ok, you will think I'm nuts,… by smalleythedav
No worries! I certainly believe you that it happened. That is a site referenced by the site loaded into the start center, so it can't be coincidence. But that shouldn't normally have resulted in your browser getting involved. Would be interesting to discover what that was in case it ever happens to anyone else so we can advise them better. Meanwhile, though, I'm glad it seems to have fixed itself for you!
In reply to Ok, you will think I'm nuts,… by smalleythedav
I just experienced the same thing.
Opened my MuseScore and it launched Firefox to that same website.
In reply to I just experienced the same… by MrBeverage
Not sure what Firefox is doing wrong to make that happen - worth reporting to them - but as noted, it's normal that on startup, MuseScore displays a web page in its own internal browser window, and that this involves a connection to that site. That's normal. It's not normal for Firefox to somehow intercept this and try to open the page itself.
In reply to I've never heard of this… by Marc Sabatella
This has just started happening to me. Same website https://mc.yandex.ru/metrika/metrika_match.html when I open Musescore 3. There is something very strange going on. Given that all of us see the same page surely that means something has infiltrated the Musescore 3 system?
In reply to This has just started… by HughL60
Not at all. As explained numerous times already, it's just a metrics system used for the web view within the Start center. It's similar to Google Analytics; most websites use something like this. It shouldn't be triggering your browser to open a new window, but different browsers and different security settings might be involved to make the browser itself get involved occasionally on some systems. It's nothing to be concerned with, but you could check your browser settings to see if there is a way to prevent it from opening itself every time another program attempts to open a given website.
In reply to Not at all. As explained… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks Marc. I have removed the start center to prevent it. What I found alarming about it was (a) I have been using Musescore for more than 2 years on Windows 10, with Chrome as my default browser, and never had it occur until yesterday evening - in the middle of a session using Musescore, (b) no other app has ever displayed similar symptoms, and (c) an unexpected web page loading from a .ru domain name with the text "match" in the URL genuinely gave me the impression that my Musescore file or the app had been hijacked by a virus or spammy dating website. It really did alarm me to the extent that I ran a quick virus scan, a scan of the Musescore folder, and rebooted my PC. Why am I telling you all this? As a great fan of Musescore it alarmed me, but I had a level of trust that made me check it out further. However, if I had recently downloaded Musescore for the first time and saw this, I would have run a mile and not touched it again. So while it may have been caused outside Musescore, is there nothing that can be done within it to prevent it happening to others? As I said, I have never seen it from any other application. Many thanks for everything that you and the Musescore team do.
In reply to Thanks Marc. I have removed… by HughL60
I don't have a lot of insight into how browsers work or how other programs can workaround their bugs or undesired behaviors, but perhaps someone else might have some insight. As far as I know this only happens with MuseScore 3, which of course is now obsolete and won't receive further updates, and new users won't be downloading it so that concern is kind of moot. But if this is ever found to occur with MuseScore 4, then I'm sure workarounds will be investigated.
For the record, Chrome auto-updates every few weeks, and your OS probably auto-updates as well. Plus the "wiring" of internet itself changes over time - the specific path by which you reach any given website via DNS servers etc. So any of those things could have changed.
This happened to me twice now, the same URL. I also have MuseScore 3.5.2 installed.
In reply to This happened to me twice… by [DELETED] 40456429
Why, 8 months after the release of 3.6.2, still running 3.5.2?
Hello,
The same thing happened to me for the fist time.
I use Musescore 3.6.2 on MacOS since years and this has never ocurred before.
After starting, the standad browser tries to open is https://mc.yandex.com/metrika/metrika_match.html.
In reply to Hello, The same thing… by Michael Böhmig
Disable the startcenter then, via Preferences > General. Or the web part of it, via the -w commandline switch
In reply to Hello, The same thing… by Michael Böhmig
Probably then some setting on your browser or on your system has changed more recently, because MuseScore hasn't. Your browser shouldn't automatically try to take over all links opened by other programs, but if yours now is, presumably the browser or systems has changed its behavior (either via a recent update or via a setting you made) to do so. You might search the support forums for your browser or OS to learn is there is a way to disable that.
In reply to Probably then some setting… by Marc Sabatella
Possibly Yandex has though. Part of them went out of business, other parts have been sold (to the Russian government) as far as I have read recently.
In reply to Possibly Yandex has though… by Jojo-Schmitz
Could be, but still, it should be impossible for any website to force a browser to open unless the system is set to do this automatically somehow. And since this doesn't happen for anyone else, it seems unlikely to be anything in the default settings for any common operating systems or browsers.
In reply to Could be, but still, it… by Marc Sabatella
Happened to me as well. I think it's related to recent changes for Yandex too.
In reply to Happened to me as well. I… by xenoriole
Could be that somehow triggered a bug in your browser, or caused a setting made in your browser to take effect, but again, browsers should not do this by default, and they don't seem to for anyone else, so one way or another, there is probably a way to disable that on your browser.
In reply to Could be that somehow… by Marc Sabatella
It doesn't really sound like a browser bug, it sounds more like something changed on either the page MS is trying to display or on yandex that causes the URL to open in a new window.
In reply to Happened to me as well. I… by xenoriole
It happened to me too, I'm using Safari as my main browser. I disabled the Start Center all together.
I have started experiencing this problem just a moment ago and found a solution (for Windows).
Open Explorer
Navigate to 'This PC', and from 'Search This PC', search 'musescore'.
Delete everything that is musescore, or under musescore-related directory. *I have found, though, that deleting scores folder/soundfonts folder are not necessary, so you'd like to move scores folder & Soundfonts folder outside musescore folder before you start deleting.
Reinstall musescore. Repairing through musescore installer, or normally reinstalling musescore clearly does not help.
Have fun with Musescore!
In reply to I have started experiencing… by phlnxciws5
I am glad this seemed to work for you, but I suspect it's just coincidence. MuseScore does contact that analytics site as part of its normal access of musescore.com for the Start Center. Occasionally some web browsers apparently happen to intercept that access, not sure why. I've seen it happen myself maybe twice in the past 1000 times or so I've started MsueScore. But if it happens once or twice, it can probably happen again, even if you delete files.
This has just started happening for me for no apparent reason.
I have recently installed Musescore 4, but I don't think it's related to that.
When I open Musescore 3.6.2 it opens the website https://mc.yandex.ru/metrika/metrika_match.html.
Seems very strange.
However, it's fixed by Edit, Preferences, then unticking "Show start centre".
In reply to This has just started… by iandickinson
Not strange at all, the start centre opens a web page and that uses metrics, like many others too
This now happening to me as well. Started just this morning - Jan. 21, 2023. I am using MuseScore 3.6.2 and Chrome on Windows 10. Is there a simple way to block this, either in Chrome or MuseScore? Thanks.
Qehn
In reply to This now happening to me as… by kenjennings23
Disable the startcenter or use the -w commandline optiuon