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.
Unwanted pre-installed software
Windows…
Never a good idea to use a computer with the preinstalled operating system.
So most people shouldn’t be using PCs anymore, or…??
No you should install your own OS.
Even if you’re using windows you should at least be using a cracked version of LTSC so you can stay away from win 11 while still catching sw updates.
Most people can’t.
*won’t
I very seriously doubt most people are physically or mentally incapable of taking an hour or two once to teach themselves how to preform a basic maintenance task on a machine they use daily.
Just as car owners should know how to put on a spare tire or replace a headlight, you should understand basic computer maintenance if you’re an adult who relies on one.
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.
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.
