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DADDY BOB'S COMPUTER Q & A
July 19, 2009
Q.
I recently bought a new computer and it came
with all kinds of trial and other software I
don't want. Why is this "junk" there and how
can I remove all this stuff including the
icons on the desktop that I don't want
there?
A.
The trialware or junk as you call it,
others have a different word for it as you
will see later herein, is there because the
publishers or creators of it have paid the
computer manufacturer to put it there. This
allows the computer manufacturer to offer
the computer at a lower price making it more
desirable pricewise to the consumer.
Some
manufacturers are worse than others, and
some even offer to remove it for a fee. Many
computer manufacturers offer to set the
computer up for you at a price usually
around $100. First they get paid to put the
trialware there, and then offer to remove it
for a fee. Looks like double dipping to me.
Few manufacturers install full versions of
production software unless you request and
pay for it. At one time in the past, they
did, but no more.
It surely
is irritating and confusing to turn on a new
computer only to have a multiple of programs
start to install themselves and then
immediately try to connect to the Internet
to update before you have even set up your
ISP or Internet connection. Some are so
insistent that to get past them you almost
have to commit to things that you don't want
or understand. Fortunately with persistence
on your part, most can be bypassed initially
and can be uninstalled before they start to
bug you again about using them.
Dell for
one company offers a business line of
computers called Vostros that come with a
much reduced amount of this trialware. One
exception is a lot of unnecessary stuff from
Google that seems to come with everything.
If you are not careful, Google stuff is
installed automatically with things like
Adobe Reader, Flash, Java and other so
called "free" downloads.
Don't get
me wrong, I am not a Google hater, but I
dislike any software that tries to install
itself without my explicit permission or by
default unless I hunt for and uncheck a
nearly hidden checkbox while installing
something else. Google seems very proficient
at this.
Most
computers come with a trial version of an
anti-virus program that will work for three
months or less. The version pre-installed on
new computers used to be good for a year,
but no more. This anti-virus package is
always the Cadillac version of the software
called a "suite" that does far more than the
average user wants, needs or is willing to
pay for. After the short trial period
expires, the user is required to pay the fee
to keep the software active. Unfortunately,
far too many don't and they lose protection.
Personally, I remove the trial anti-virus
program with the rest of the trialware and
install
AVAST,
a very good free anti-virus program that I
have found to be very adequate especially
when combined with Windows Defender, a free
anti-malware program from Microsoft, that is
installed automatically with Vista or
Windows 7.
OK, so
how do you get rid of all this trialware
stuff? Fortunately, there are others
that have been irritated with buying a new
computer only to find that it is loaded with
trialware. I can recommend a very good
program with a rather crude name that was
specifically designed for the sole purpose
of removing all this unwanted stuff. It is
called "PC Decrapifier" and can be
downloaded from their website by clicking
HERE.
The PC
Decrapifier will detect and offer to
uninstall most of the common trialware and
annoyances found on many of the PCs from big
name Original Equipment Manufacturers. Here
is the current
list of
software and items that the PC Decrapifier
can detect and remove. Any of the items from
this list that are found on your computer
can be selected and they will automatically
be removed.
This PC
Decrapifier program can be run on an older
computer as well as a new one although care
needs to be exercised in this case so as to
not remove something that you have paid for
and use.
To get
past all the initial attempts to install the
trialware and install the PC Decrapifier may
take some persistence, but once done, the
computer should be lean and trim and ready
for you to install the software that you
really want. |
