Can Microsoft cure PC makers of the crapware habit?

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    Can Microsoft cure PC makers of the crapware habit?


    Posted: 21 Nov 2011
    Summary: It’s easy for an OEM to screw up a new Windows PC. Just add enough trialware and throw in a few unnecessary programs, and the customer gets a miserable out-of-box experience. Microsoft is trying to fix that with its Signature PC initiative. Does it work? And can it scale?

    Building a Windows PC is a cooperative process. PC makers design and build the hardware, Microsoft designs and builds the OS, and then third-party software developers join the party. If everything works together, the end result can be a joy to use. But if any part of the partnership breaks down, the poor PC buyer is the one who suffers.

    Making PCs is a tough business, with low profit margins and cutthroat competition. To squeeze a few extra bucks out of every PC they sell, some OEMs cut deals to make extra money by preinstalling trial versions of software. If they can convince you to pay for an upgrade to the full version, they make a commission. But those upsell offers (also known as crapware) are annoying, and in the worst case they can slow a PC noticeably.

    On top of that, some OEMs feel compelled to “add value” to their hardware by bundling software programs and utilities that duplicate functions already available in Windows. And they can get downright sloppy about the things that really do matter, like updates and drivers.

    More...
    Dave76's Avatar Posted By: Dave76
    21 Nov 2011



  1. Posts : 1,846
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64, & Mac OS X 10.9.2
       #1

    maybe thats the cut throat idea needed "pay £20 more and we cut out the crap!!"
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 293
    win 7 home premium 64 bit
       #2

    badger906 said:
    maybe thats the cut throat idea needed "pay £20 more and we cut out the crap!!"
    If I do buy an OEM I would gladly pay 50$ more for a crapless OS.

    Are you listening HP? Meg how about it?

    Your products are pretty good overall. The bloat sours the basic goodness of your PCs.
      My Computer


  3. JMH
    Posts : 7,952
    Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit. SP1.
       #3

    Nice article.
    Thanks Dave.

    Must admit it has driven me bonkers having to get rid of the unwanted bloatware / stuff from the {seven} new HP laptops purchased over the last ten years.
    Would be prepared to pay more for less anytime!

    Having to do a Clean install on a brand new Lappy really sucks!
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 21,004
    Desk1 7 Home Prem / Desk2 10 Pro / Main lap Asus ROG 10 Pro 2 laptop Toshiba 7 Pro Asus P2520 7 & 10
       #4

    legacy7955 said:
    badger906 said:
    maybe thats the cut throat idea needed "pay £20 more and we cut out the crap!!"
    If I do buy an OEM I would gladly pay 50$ more for a crapless OS.

    Are you listening HP? Meg how about it?

    Your products are pretty good overall. The bloat sours the basic goodness of your PCs.
    Well perhaps not $50 but something as the bloat on a friends new netbook I am setting up is driving me potty(er)

    I though I saw a bloat killing app in here somewhere though I can't remember just where.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 1,781
    Windows 7 Professional SP1 32-bit
       #5
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 21,004
    Desk1 7 Home Prem / Desk2 10 Pro / Main lap Asus ROG 10 Pro 2 laptop Toshiba 7 Pro Asus P2520 7 & 10
       #6

    Corazon said:
    Thanks Corazon will give it a burl
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 301
    7 Ultimate x64 SP1
       #7

    I just uninstall the bloatware... no big deal. If it means getting a bit of a discount on the system itself (as seems to be the case, especially with Acer systems - I got mine for a steal of $800, which anywhere else with the same or lesser hardware would have run into the $1,000+ range with inferior enclosure and the rest of it *CoughDellCough*), because installing that bloatware means the OEM getting a bit of kick-back profits from software companies out of it, therefore passing some savings onto the consumer, that's just fine by me. It's not like you can't ever get rid of it. It takes five minutes and a restart from within the Control Panel and really isn't such a PITA as with other things. I think sometimes we can be just a touch too picky and whiny about things like this.

    Bottom line, if someone wants a completely bloatware free PC, then they should build their own and leave the rest of us out of it, who are willing to deal with the bloatware to save some money on the system itself.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 21,004
    Desk1 7 Home Prem / Desk2 10 Pro / Main lap Asus ROG 10 Pro 2 laptop Toshiba 7 Pro Asus P2520 7 & 10
       #8

    Well yeah I did Evil but I still got the bloat with the OEM AND the Gigabyte board.

    Unfortunately I am not that savvy to pick out what is bloat except for the Norton and really obvious stuff
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 12,177
    Windows 7 Ult x64 - SP1/ Windows 8 Pro x64
    Thread Starter
       #9

    JMH said:
    Nice article.
    Thanks Dave.

    Must admit it has driven me bonkers having to get rid of the unwanted bloatware / stuff from the {seven} new HP laptops purchased over the last ten years.
    Would be prepared to pay more for less anytime!

    Having to do a Clean install on a brand new Lappy really sucks!
    You're welcome.

    I use to just delete it, but then at some point decided to just clean installed.
    All my OEMs are running clean installs now.
      My Computer


 
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