Is This The End For Crapware?

I really liked the article as I have had to help many a user or friend clean up their new computer. Hopefully this will be the start of some changes.

I tried to download the ShouldIRemoveIt software and it was interesting that our firewall classified it as harmful. Oh well, guess I will go back to the manual method.

Oh Bob... great article as usual but please.... the use of "vow" and "pledge" has been way overdone recently in the media - especially as Lenovo did not use either term as far as I can see.
So.. if spelling, punctuation, grammar etc. are important so is the avoidance of tabloid words like "vow" and "pledge"!!!!!

I wonder how much the computer manufacturers make off the crapware. They sell a lot of computers and a few dollars per machine would add quite a bit to their bottom lines for no labor or parts expense. Too bad it's not a line number on their yearly reports.

The new Dell laptop I received as a gift a little over a year ago had very limited "crapware" installed unlike our old desktop, what a surprise. Think I only removed 2 or 3 items that were useless.

I found it hilarious several years ago when Sony was offering a crapware-free PC – for an extra $50!
Even if all the third-party software isn’t included with Levono’s PCs, that doesn’t mean they be clean. All PC makers include their own branded utilities and other "Value-added Software;" otherwise it’s very hard to distinguish one Windows PC from another. And horrors, they can’t have users buy generic PCs that do just as much as theirs for a lower price. Or worse, build their own!
There is a place to buy 'clean' PCs – Microsoft. The Microsoft "Signature Edition" PCs claim to have no extra junkware or trialware. But you’ll not find any inexpensive PCs in the store – the least expensive desktop is $800 and go way up from there.

hi bob...i was wondering if you ever looked at the hp all in one computer..is it a good idea or should i stay with a tower...wondering what your opinion is

No large company changes behavior like this until they get caught. Much like politicians...

ShouldIRemoveIt wants to install an unzipper program powered by ASK.COM. Anti crapware wants to install crapware? I don't think that's going to happen.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Didn't happen to me. Be careful not to click an ad on the download page. Here's the direct link: http://www.shouldiremoveit.com/download-thankyou.aspx?download=1

This customer abuse won't stop until we as consumers sue the manufacturers for damages done by this adware that leads to spyware. Computer Law anyone?
Peace, E

I have "should i remove it" and i am so glad. for each program there is graph showing how often people removed it and a good indication of whether it nets a positive or negative for your PC!
Thanks!

I could live with it if it was separate from the O.S. like a folder "Trial versions of other software you might like" on the desktop. A "readme" file could give further details, but the whole folder and contents could be deleted with no ill effects on the PC.

I suppose, at this point we can only hope that the
trend against crapware removal continues.To say the least, it's long overdue.

Not only is crapware installed but hidden partition(s) on the hard drive contain restore images so you can restore your computer back to the crapware state it was when you bought it.

If at all possible and you know someone computer savvy, I advise removing the recovery partitions and then doing a clean install from an original OS disk.

I use a local business, Soho Computers in Dillsburg, PA for all my computer purchases (note, not toner cartridges). Over the past 12 years I have gotten 2 laptops and 4 desktop computers from him and he builds the desktops in house. Laptops come from a local source without any software, he installs Windows and any other software I have already (such as a disc-based Office 2007, 2003 and now the online version). He also stands behind his computers and offers registry cleanups when the normal process won't get rid of the problem (such as conduit). My money stays in the community and I get no crapware.

I also don't have to buy a new monitor each time and presuming I already have the keyboards (in triplicate!!) and the thumbwheel mice he ordered for me a few years' back which I cannot find anywhere else, he charges just for what I need - - the appliance, utility software, and the service when needed. I don't have to buy an entire computer "package" (ie, monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc) when all I need is a more powerful computer that will do what I need. I try to keep them going until the OS is obsolete/not updated by the publisher. And my cost is not any more than you'd pay buying a package from a big-box store such as BestBuy, Staples, even Amazon!

This is a WIN WIN WIN. Y'all should check your community and support your local computer store -- they're often more knowledgeable and care more about your issues than the GeekSquad or similar services from the big box stores.

Hopefully computer manufacturers/suppliers/builders/whatever will now realize that they, like Lenovo, are risking their reputations when they place crapware on machines they sell. They have no way to ensure such software is free of flaws, much less malicious features. A case might also be made that acceptance of money for crapware instalation could make those computer suppliers accessories to whatever results.

Once again timely and informative article. Always reading your articles I learn something.

Can anyone enlighten me about the country of origin of "Superfish"?

@Heather
I just can't let this pass.
Thank You.
Support your local shops.

When considering a desktop or mobile computer, crapware should be part of that decision, so have a look at the huge differences between home/mass-market computers and those for business and institutional use.

The home and mass market models are easily found in stores, brick and web; it’s the good stuff - OptiPlexes and Precisions, ThinkCentre M's and ThinkPad T's, HP/Compaq Elite and Advanced, Acer Veritons, et al - that flies mostly below the radar.

Better designs, better parts, more stable platforms, more durable in every way, often with 3 year warranties with 2nd business day onsite service, and rarely is there any crapware, except perhaps for proprietary utilities that need to reined in or turned off.

The reason is simple. If a company loses individual home/mass-market customers, that's a problem; but unless a mass of customers goes public, or launches a class action suit, the company can usually ride it out. Consider Dell and the leaking capacitors on old Dimensions, or Apple’s ongoing MacBook Pro scandal.

But if a company sells problems to a college, university, think tank, research center, hospital, corporation, city, state, branch of the federal government, or a branch of the military, it can be a catastrophe.

During the XP to 7 transition prompted by the end of support for XP, my three biggest institutional clients collectively purchased over 30,000 PCs, mostly Dell OptiPlexes and Precisions and Lenovo ThinkCentre M’s.

Imagine losing those clients, or what it would cost to repair the relationship, or even worse, if word got around and it became a sector trend and a company lost a big piece of that entire market.

Given that the prices are usually close, often identical, and sometimes even less than home and mass market computers, why not have a look at the good stuff?

When you look at the histories of those product lines, it’s clear that those 3 year warranties with 2nd business day onsite service are what some institutional techs call “werewolf insurance”: i.e., of course they’ll give that sort of warranty, support, and service, because the odds are that you’ll never use it.

For Ari, who asked about the national origin of Superfish...

It came from an Israeli company in America that bought malware from a company in Israel. But it bears mention that in both America and Israel, you can get away with having a business that sells a product or service that would get you a bankrupting fine and/or a federal prison term in France, Germany, the Czech Republic, and elsewhere.

One need only consider the national differences in laws regarding privacy, the legal definitions of various forms of malware (especially spyware), and your right to control what's on your computer, how it gets there, product disclosure, etc.

Does this program work on tablets and smartphones? Would love to get rid of the bloatware on those devices.

EDITOR'S NOTE: No, only on PCs.