Unwanted pre-installed software, known as bloatware, is the bane of new computer buyers. We give the lowdown on the worst offenders and how to get rid of ones you don’t need.
The most annoying bloatware I found on a laptop is HP Analytics. Its only purpose is to get data from you and sell it. It works in the background and you only notice it because the laptop is slow for unknown reasons. To “delete it”, you must disable its service. If you want, you can change its folders permissions so you can delete them as admin. But it will install itself again in a few weeks and you will have to remove it once more, unless you never update Windows and drivers. HP Analytics works like a malware, but antivirus won’t detect it. And you can find this on every HP modern laptop, so it’s very common.
Unwanted pre-installed software
Windows…
Exactly, thank you. It’s interesting how the great culprit was omitted from the title.
wipe and install any flavor Linux.
There I fixed the entire article for this guy.
Step 1: I just wiped entire laptop and did linux.
Just Seemed easier.
Most common bloatware is windows as it comes with bloatware for its bloatware
Install Linux bad he done with it
Never a good idea to use a computer with the preinstalled operating system.
So most people shouldn’t be using PCs anymore, or…??
No, they should be installing Linux on them after reformatting the provided SSD.
Why would you say that. It’s true that most users take a blase attitude to security these days, and it’s normalised by articles like this. It’s just basic good practice, whether buying a new or used PC, to do a clean install because even if you think you’ve removed the bloatware, you can’t really trust there’s no secret malware. Especially these days when so many companies want to spy on users it really isn’t just paranoia.
Although there were also pre-installed bootkits already (sits in the bootloader, installs itself on the new OS). Lenovo, Dell, i think HP too? Always laptops. And some Galaxy phones with Computrace.
All true, but most users don’t have the know-how or resources to change anything about their OS so they’re stuck with that, bad idea or not. Their alternative would be using no PC at all.
This is often the pushback I get when making this point but I would argue that especially non tech-savvy users are vulnerable. The alternative is asking a trusted friend to do a clean install, which should be the advice of this article, that or a guide on how to do it. It’s irresponsible to publish an article aimed at a naive user who has received a computer full of bloatware and tell them to “just remove all the bloatware”.
Ok I’m with you that only removing the bloatware is bad advice, but my point stands that many people don’t have any of these options. And I’d argue that getting spied on by ad agencies is better than being left behind at the digital divide.
The article could have literally been a beginner’s guide to installing an operating system instead. But for some reason in the last 20 years or so there’s been a complete allergy to teaching anyone even the most elementary computer skills and it’s holding society back. I’m not sure it is worth being spied on by ad agencies for what it’s worth, especially if you’re not going to learn to become any more than a passive consumer.
Most everyone buying a laptop has the resources. Know-how is incredibly easy to fix. Installing a fresh OS isn’t difficult at all. If you can’t figure that much out then no, you probably shouldn’t be using a PC Stop giving people a pass to be willfully ignorant.
no thank, I’m good
Then enjoy your spyware.
I wasn’t talking about myself. Empathy is not a techie’s forte.
This website is bloat
