Never ceases to amaze me...

[Vehtemas]

The amount of CRAP that manufacturers put on a new laptop...

I just got a new Asus from Amazon and I removed most of the gunk and it was still having multiple issues...

So, I installed a fresh copy of Windows 7 Ultimate and then installed all the drivers and it works perfectly...

Seriously, STOP putting crap on these machines that Windows handles perfectly fine!!! Freaking ridiculous.

 

[drdoom]

They get paid to put that crap on laptops; the more they put on there, the more they make. It sucks, but that is how they work.

 

[SUroot]

First thing I do is install a new OS.

From now on it will always be Ubuntu too.

 

[Haggistech]

yeah agreed first thing i do is wipe it and reinstall

makes sure only software u want on there is there too

 

[andruoid]

My Acer didn't come with too much 3rd party software, I was quite surprised. I'd be running Trisquel (a Linux distro) right now but I need MS SilverLight to run my labsims. Sad world atm, running an entire OS just to use a plugin.

 

[NightAngel79]

wipe and reload EVERY time for me too. lucky for me my school gave me win7 ultimate w/ unlimited license use

 

[JRich8389]

Besides that it usually turns out to be cheaper, that's another reason why I just buy all the parts and put the computer together myself I hate dealing with bloatware >.<

I just got an Asus monitor also, it had 10+ stickers across the bottom of the frame, good thing my wife is an arts and crafts nut and had some kind of glue remove that worked perfectly so it looks as if the stickers were never there.

I hate peeling those off and having the residue left behind...

 

[SUroot]

My Acer didn't come with too much 3rd party software, I was quite surprised. I'd be running Trisquel (a Linux distro) right now but I need MS SilverLight to run my labsims. Sad world atm, running an entire OS just to use a plugin.

VMware player, industry standard freebie

 

[starxpilot]

The amount of CRAP that manufacturers put on a new laptop...

I just got a new Asus from Amazon and I removed most of the gunk and it was still having multiple issues...

So, I installed a fresh copy of Windows 7 Ultimate and then installed all the drivers and it works perfectly...

Seriously, STOP putting crap on these machines that Windows handles perfectly fine!!! Freaking ridiculous.

The only way to get NOTHING of Third Party Bloatware and Trial Pot o Crap is to use a RTM/OEM Copy of Windows.

Heh, I wish they would but many people have said it and I can confirm it after talking to a tech from HP, its put on there due to several complicated contracts, promotions, payment, stuff...

However, only thing to watch out for when doing this, even with a Retail CD, is that Firmware and Drivers for lets say, Quick Keys, and other stuff, is a Royal Pain to find and reinstall...much less get it working. Had to find around 10-15 different drivers and apps for a Acer Aspire...so many different 'non-genetic' keys...

 

[mikedt]

They get paid to put that crap on laptops; the more they put on there, the more they make. It sucks, but that is how they work.

Maybe one reason why Macs are so expensive, Apple don't do this. Although just because a computer is expensive, dosen't necessarily mean it's not going to have lots of crapware... ahem Sony Vaio.

I was pleasantly surprised when I bought a Fujitsu PC in HK a few months ago, no crapware, adverts, demos and trials at all, just had the essentials to make it work.

 

[johnlgalt]

They get paid to put that crap on laptops; the more they put on there, the more they make. It sucks, but that is how they work.

Maybe one reason why Macs are so expensive, Apple don't do this. Although just because a computer is expensive, dosen't necessarily mean it's not going to have lots of crapware... ahem Sony Vaio.

I was pleasantly surprised when I bought a Fujitsu PC in HK a few months ago, no crapware, adverts, demos and trials at all, just had the essentials to make it work.

It's not just that the OEMs make money off of this. It's also a form of subsidizing the true value of the laptop / desktop.

I'm with everyone else - format and reinstall. Finding obscure drivers can be a PITA sometimes, and as I've never actually looked for drivers for ASUS machines I cannot say, but most things are out there.

Finally, as for building your own, it's rather easy with desktops, not nearly so with laptops.

 

[starxpilot]

It's not just that the OEMs make money off of this. It's also a form of subsidizing the true value of the laptop / desktop.

I'm with everyone else - format and reinstall. Finding obscure drivers can be a PITA sometimes, and as I've never actually looked for drivers for ASUS machines I cannot say, but most things are out there.

Finally, as for building your own, it's rather easy with desktops, not nearly so with laptops.

You sir, have essentially placed the Cr

 

[Vehtemas]

Maybe one reason why Macs are so expensive, Apple don't do this. Although just because a computer is expensive, dosen't necessarily mean it's not going to have lots of crapware... ahem Sony Vaio.

I was pleasantly surprised when I bought a Fujitsu PC in HK a few months ago, no crapware, adverts, demos and trials at all, just had the essentials to make it work.

Apple's are expensive because they make a crap ton of profit on them...

a $2,000 Apple laptop has around 500-1,000 in profit on it...

 

[Frisco]

The amount of CRAP that manufacturers put on a new laptop...

I just got a new Asus from Amazon and I removed most of the gunk and it was still having multiple issues...

So, I installed a fresh copy of Windows 7 Ultimate and then installed all the drivers and it works perfectly...

Seriously, STOP putting crap on these machines that Windows handles perfectly fine!!! Freaking ridiculous.

Since Linux distros have come so far in the past several years, I've been in the habit of purchasing a spare hard drive and installing Sabayon, Mint or PCLinuxOS on it, then swapping back to the loaded up Windows hard drive/OS and gradually removing the fat.

That way I can get work done on a fast machine with a fast, secure OS (Linux) and when in the mood, work with the other one. I've done that through "Millennium Edition" of Windows all the way through XP, Vista and now Windows 7.

 

[mikedt]

Apple's are expensive because they make a crap ton of profit on them...

a $2,000 Apple laptop has around 500-1,000 in profit on it...

Probably the same with a $2,000 Sony Vaio as well, and you still get a load of crapware and junk, as well as lousy after-sales support. That's why I mentioned them in my first post.

An almost $2,000 laptop...
http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/st...0151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644570897

Norton Internet Security&#8482; 2011 30-Day Trial...now here's a good way to cripple a new PC's performance.

Microsoft

 

[Vehtemas]

Since Linux distros have come so far in the past several years, I've been in the habit of purchasing a spare hard drive and installing Sabayon, Mint or PCLinuxOS on it, then swapping back to the loaded up Windows hard drive/OS and gradually removing the fat.

That way I can get work done on a fast machine with a fast, secure OS (Linux) and when in the mood, work with the other one. I've done that through "Millennium Edition" of Windows all the way through XP, Vista and now Windows 7.

This is a pretty damn good idea actually.

However, I have a couple copies of Windows 7 Ultimate, I first try to find a driver disk that I can make a copy of (granted most of them stopped doing this, but Samsung still allows this), if I can't make a copy of it, I will go to the website and download all of the drivers and necessary utilities (the function key utilities).

Then, I install Windows 7 Ultimate, perform the updates, install the drivers, and then proceed to encrypt the drive via true crypt.

In fact my drive is down to 80 minutes left to finishing its encryption.

Probably the same with a $2,000 Sony Vaio as well, and you still get a load of crapware and junk, as well as lousy after-sales support. That's why I mentioned them in my first post.

An almost $2,000 laptop...
VAIO Z Series Laptops | Sony Store USA

Norton Internet Security

 

[johnlgalt]

Apple's are expensive because they make a crap ton of profit on them...

a $2,000 Apple laptop has around 500-1,000 in profit on it...

Actually, they make the profit because of the price. Not the other way around.

OEMs are selling computers as cheaply as possible, as noted below in another post I'll reply to, and the only way they can do that is to get subsidized with crapware.

A good tool for decrapifying your PC if you cannot format nad reinstall is to use Crappy PC No More! | The PC Decrapifier

Since Linux distros have come so far in the past several years, I've been in the habit of purchasing a spare hard drive and installing Sabayon, Mint or PCLinuxOS on it, then swapping back to the loaded up Windows hard drive/OS and gradually removing the fat.

That way I can get work done on a fast machine with a fast, secure OS (Linux) and when in the mood, work with the other one. I've done that through "Millennium Edition" of Windows all the way through XP, Vista and now Windows 7.

Nice idea. I'd personally want a Malibal laptop with an eSATA port so that I could use an eSATA enabled / ready external so as to not have ot worry about slower USB performance.

Or, at the very least, a USB 3 drive. But, yeah, modern distros are great - and if you can get in there and compile your own kernel so it loads only what hardware you have installed (plus an additional driver module or two for things like USB Keys and external HDs) you're set with a super fast boot time to boot (pun intended).

Probably the same with a $2,000 Sony Vaio as well, and you still get a load of crapware and junk, as well as lousy after-sales support. That's why I mentioned them in my first post.

An almost $2,000 laptop...
VAIO Z Series Laptops | Sony Store USA

Norton Internet Security

 

[trackball]

I picked up a Vaio SA not too long ago, the bloat wasn't so bad. Takes just a few minutes to hunt down and delete the unnecessary things.

Also, Sony has an option to do a "fresh start" for nothing but the catch is you need Win 7 Pro which adds $50. I think it will also delete any good software that comes with the computer...like the Adobe bundle they have been giving, but you can get those back from Sony anyways so in that sense the only cost is your time.

 

[9to5cynic]

wipe and reload EVERY time for me too. lucky for me my school gave me win7 ultimate w/ unlimited license use

DAMN! Ultimate with unlimited licenses!?

We get Professional and get one key per semester and have to request any extras that we need. That's awesome though. 'Unlimited' is one of my favorite words.

 

[Vehtemas]

DAMN! Ultimate with unlimited licenses!?

We get Professional and get one key per semester and have to request any extras that we need. That's awesome though. 'Unlimited' is one of my favorite words.

I have 4 license keys for Ultimate myself.

One is currently in use on this laptop I am typing on and the other 3 are not in use, just waiting for me to build a PC or work on them...

 

[9to5cynic]

Wowza! That's quite nice. I have one xp key, and two 7 Pro keys. But, we're doing a lot of virtualization this semester, so I'll have to request some new keys.

 

[johnlgalt]

I have a Technet license - it includes 10 licenses of All the different flavors, (including differentiating the K/N flavors too) plus an unlimited activation of Windows 7 Enterprise.

Same thing with Vista, XP, Server 2008 r2, Server 2008, Server 2003,.....

office 2010, 2007, 2003, XP, ....

Publishers, Vision, Project and Project Server....

There's is so much on that thing for a single $250 payment every year - it pays for itself the first time you DL and install Win 7 on a machine. I originally bought it so that I got 10 new licenses instead of 5, and I claimed all of them before they changed their policy....

 

[9to5cynic]

Wow. That's a good deal. Especially considering the OS and office.

Technet license. Writing that down

 

[Vehtemas]

I have a Technet license - it includes 10 licenses of All the different flavors, (including differentiating the K/N flavors too) plus an unlimited activation of Windows 7 Enterprise.

Same thing with Vista, XP, Server 2008 r2, Server 2008, Server 2003,.....

office 2010, 2007, 2003, XP, ....

Publishers, Vision, Project and Project Server....

There's is so much on that thing for a single $250 payment every year - it pays for itself the first time you DL and install Win 7 on a machine. I originally bought it so that I got 10 new licenses instead of 5, and I claimed all of them before they changed their policy....

I miss technet access, but with one laptop there isn't really any benefit or reason to look into obtaining one...

The biggest thing I hate about having multiple licenses? Having to reinstall them... The online installation no longer works so you have to do the telephone one which is very picky on how you say stuff.

*Edit*

I have been thinking of trying to find a friend who wants to go in half/half or a couple who want to go in half/half/half and just share the licenses.

 

[johnlgalt]

With my Technet licenses, I've yet to call M$ for anything. Everything goes on through without a hitch. I recently installed the same copy of W7 using the same key 4 times in a week - when the system died, on a spare drive, then on one of the replacement 1TB drives, then on another spare drive and finally on the replacement SSD - every time I got my nice little

.

I forgot to mention WHS, too, which is a major plus since I'm in the process of setting on up at the home to help prevent future meltdowns that destroy 10 years worth of pictures, downloads, and data.

The last time I actually had to call M$ was when I was setting up a lab at school, using a VLK disc of Vista that was purchased specifically for the room. We had 12 iMacs running Tiger, and I went around and installed rEFIt and activated Boot Camp on the machines, then installed Vista on all 25. After the 4th install, I go declined - called them up and they were like "Well, it was a little suspicious since you were sending us back to back activations within minutes of each other - we'll authorize them now."