Sadly, on Windows even Oracle's Java has the ASK toolbar.
Almost nobody has any pride left on the Windows-platform, user-abuse is rampant, almost expected. It's killing the platform and there's nothing Microsoft can do about it.
I then sat for a minute, couldn't think of anything I'd done in the last several months that needed Java, and uninstalled it. I haven't missed it.
They should simply ban any adware on Windows that is opt-out rather than opt-in. If anyone breaks that rule, they should put it in the anti-virus signature database for Microsoft Security Essentials, so it cannot be installed without the user going through hoops.
They should then go to the DOJ or the EU, say, "We want to clean up the user experience," back it up with articles from Mac-lovers like Walt Mossberg talking about how bad the crapware experience is on Windows, printouts of forums like this one showing nearly-universal hatred of these practices, etc.
And if the DOJ or EU say "No, we'll slap antitrust fines on you if you do that," then they should publish all of the correspondence publicly, and harness the waves of Internet fury to compel the regulators to back down. Even if the regulators don't back down, they'll get good publicity from actually taking responsibility for their platform and trying to clean it up.
P.S. The Bing toolbar doesn't help Microsoft's case. They should "take one for the user" and voluntarily eliminate the Bing toolbar. If they succeed in getting rid of all toolbars, then maybe they'll actually get more traffic to Bing, because users won't have their search engines hijacked.
Especially given how the "Metro" platform so far seemingly have caused more negative user-feedback than positive-feedback, I'm not sure this counts as Microsoft "being able to do something about it".
Maybe they were going for the "I love inner city public transport and its positive, upbeat experience" demographic. I must be one of those outliers who finds the act of being crammed like sardines into the sweaty, infectious mess of sheep to be just like Microsoft's attitude towards its customers, especially with Metro.
They could have made a real Windows Store instead of a WinRT-only store.
And they didn't have to wait for Windows 8 to do it, either. Roll it out with Windows 7 SP2.
Microsoft is way too wedded to their multi-year release cycles.