A brand-new Windows computer should be in pristine condition right out of the box. After all, you haven’t glued it with the software yet, have you?
Leave it to the computer manufacturers. They’ll sugar you with “free” software that you don’t want. It’s got names like crapware, bloatware, or shovelware because computer makers shovel bloated digital garbage onto new PCs. There’s a reason for that — crapware cancels out the price of a super-cheap PC on retail shelves, even if it’s just pennies.
I’ve never had a major problem with crapware when buying PCs by mail order. But in retail, it’s a whole different world of bullshit. For example, a few years ago my then 75-year-old technophobic father bought a new computer to replace his moribund Windows Vista system, which he mainly used to print pictures. I really don’t recommend spending a lot of money to fix it. “Just go find an off-the-shelf computer that’s under $400 and it’ll be fine compared to what he has,” I told my mom (aka Dad’s resident IT guy).
Hardware-wise, the Acer Aspire X (model AXC-605G-UW20) they bought at Walmart was sufficient. All specs are eligible for upgrades.
However, Acer sold out my parents and wasted my family’s lives just to get the $399 price tag.
Using the TeamViewer remote control software, I saw the system was a mess, but all Mom did was install software for Dad’s beloved (but dying) Kodak printer. The desktop is filled with at least 15 icons that are unnecessary, worthless crap. Open the Uninstall a program control panel to reveal more. Mom tried to unload the obvious, but they stuck.
For many uninstall routines, the dialog has giant buttons that say “Uninstall and gets PC XXXXXX” or something like that. If we’d just frantically clicked where the button was, uninstall might have worked – but something else was installed in its place. We’d have to look carefully for the fine print in dialogs that say “delete only” or something like that. Tricks and pitfalls abound.
At that time, I turned to Slim Computer from Slimware Utilities. It’s been discontinued, but at the time it kept a database of junkware and helped identify it on new Windows PCs. gone, the alternative is should I delete it? (The excellent name Polycarbonate Decomposer is another favorite, but the original site used to download it appears to be completely offline as I write this, which is a shame. You can find it on some other sites Find it, but read on to learn why it’s not always a good idea.
These utilities point out some bloatware, but may not automatically remove it. You may still have to go through the usual uninstall process, which can be full of tricks and gotchas to fill your new PC with crap. So, in a way, you may still be alone, but there are ways to deal with it.
“Possibly unwanted” crap
Dad’s new Acer PC also has actual malware in the guise of “potentially unwanted programs,” or PUPs.
These programs don’t call themselves that; it’s a term used by anti-malware companies, such as Malwarebytes. It describes programs that you might not have installed on purpose, programs you didn’t want, and programs you might find unusable. But they have to say “maybe” because, of course, you might want to install a toolbar for your browser called Search Protection from a browser search engine called Pipeline, or Binkiland.
In fact, it’s like wanting to be lit. Both “programs” are on my father’s computer. They exist only to take over his browsing experience; each is featured on the browser hijacker wiki. Check the list and delete anything you see. The list can and will go on as hijackers make new threats. Obviously, searching for “Search Protection” or “Binkiland” absolutely does not bring up links for people to get these programs, it just deletes the hijacker’s files.
The hijacker made a number on my dad’s computer. I can’t get my installed browsers (IE and Firefox) to go to a web page to download new tools to deal with these threats. I had to download the cleanup software to my workstation, then use TeamViewer to remote the EXE installer to Dad’s desktop.
Note also that at this point, we uninstalled McAfee Security Suite, which also comes free with Acer. You might not think of antivirus software as shovelware , but it sure is. Acer didn’t wear it altruistically; McAfee paid for the placement. Also, McAfee will likely be slower than other AV products we install later and will end up costing $79 after the trial ends. no thanks.
Here is a summary of the tools we use to clean up hijacking PUPs:
Malwarebytes
The free version of MalwareBytes comes with a trial version of the premium version, so it’s worth running on every fresh installation of Windows. Also, scans take much less time on new Windows installations. After 14 days, you lose features like real-time protection and anti-ransomware features, but it’s worth running ahead of time. Remember, after two weeks, get some real-time anti-malware protection .
Steven Gould’s Cleanup
This donation software does the trick for Windows XP.
CCleaner：
This Windows cleaning tool not only scrapes temporary files and other debris but also uninstalls apps built into Windows. I’m not talking shovelware crap, but actual applications that Microsoft created to work with Windows. Think of them as OS-approved junkware. Click on Tools, then Uninstall and you will get a list of removal possibilities. (This suggestion might be controversial: CCleaner was hit with data-harvesting malware in 2017, but it seems to have cleaned up its act now.
I ran each tool multiple times, especially MalwareBytes. It kept looking for instances of PUPs, so we turned to the Internet (where we could finally surf again) to find instructions for manually removing individual PUP files. We happily did. After running cleanup… well, the system is not completely bug free. But it’s certainly better than it was a few hours ago.
don’t do what we did
Let me be clear: I do not recommend going through the above steps.
If we bought that computer today, it would come with Windows 10. Windows 10 is your friend.
Start by completely resetting the operating system using the Windows 10 Refresh tool. It’s the first thing anyone who buys a new PC at a retail store should do right out of the box. It sets the PC back to pristine condition – free of crapware (except for things from Microsoft that you probably don’t want, like the Edge browser ).
Better yet, vote against junkware with your wallet. Buy a PC from a manufacturer that guarantees a clean Windows install, or at least offers it as an option. Of course, Microsoft has a clean version of Windows on its Surface devices — again, a clean version by Microsoft’s definition. But getting rid of Windows add-ons is much easier than other crapware.
Custom builders that promise to give you crapware-free Windows installations include Master Gear , Falcon Northwest , and Velocity Micro . Another option: Work with a local reseller. Or, buy a Mac or Chromebook and avoid Windows altogether. If you want to save money, install Linux on an old PC. (This wasn’t really an option for my dad.
If you’re stuck with an older version of Windows, the only reliable way to get the same result is to do a complete reinstall of Windows, using a completely fresh, clean configuration. This is not possible with most retail PCs with Windows 7, 8 or 8.1. Whether the OS installer is an image on a hard drive partition or on a DVD disc, it’s likely to install Windows, with all the crapware, and fresh outhouses.
There is an option to download ISO files for Windows 7 and 8.1 or even 10 from the Microsoft Software Recovery site . You’ll need to verify the 25-character product key from a retail version of Windows to download and fully activate the operating system. Keys from the computer manufacturer (called the OEM or original equipment manufacturer) will not work.
why?
You might be wondering, why do big-name PC manufacturers and software developers allow all this crap with extra “internet wrapper” PUPs to happen? Money of course. As PC sales dwindle, so do software purchases, with manufacturers scrambling to make up any losses.
For proof, check out this article by How-To Geek. They examined programs from every major download site, including CNET’s Downloads.com, Tucows, FileHippo, Softpedia, Snapfiles, and more. Everyone bundles crap into the software. Some of these sites have multiple download “buttons” (actually ads) on each page in order to confuse and confuse users into downloading the wrong content.
Always download software from the original developer’s website if you can find it. Unfortunately, even Google search results tend to default to downloading the sites listed above.
Years ago, pundit Ed Botter called for a PC “Truth in Labeling Act” that would force PC makers to tell users what came preinstalled. This is a great idea that will never happen. It would be nice if the download sites, some of which claim they don’t allow malware of any kind, will do the same.
