What should I uninstall from my laptop?

you can remove very little. A couple older Java installations can go away, and maybe some of the crapware that Toshiba installed in that, like the "service station" or the "value added package" or "reeltime", check what they are and if you like them.

I mean ok you can nuke more or less everything, but it's either irrelevant (has no impact whatsoever and could be still needed) or something game-related.

I'd personally ditch Norton and use a free antivirus like say Avira (the one I use and install on all PCs I sell), it's pretty light and works well, while I had all kinds of issues and slowdowns with Norton in the past.

Instead of uninstalling anything, use msconfig Startup and Services tabs to stop programs from loading at boot. That will leave them there if you still need them but they won't take up any resources every time you boot.

Something like this:

Advanced startup options - Windows 7
How to use msconfig in Windows 7

Click on Start then Run, type msconfig and press Enter.
Click on the Startup tab, record what is currently starting then click the Disable All button. Go back and enable your anti-virus and firewall.

Click on the Services tab.
Check the Hide All Microsoft Services box, record what is currently starting then click the Disable All button. Again, go back and enable your anti-virus and firewall.

Reboot and see how your computer runs. Make sure everything you need is there. If not, you can use msconfig to enable the ones that are absolutely needed.

None of this is permanent so if things seem wonky simply use msconfig to put things back as they were.

I always uninstall Works because I have the MS Office package.

I also uninstall the Adobe PDF reader because it is a pain in the neck. I use Foxit instead. That is a nice reader.

I definitely would not have any of those games - but I don't game - a waste of time.

Norton I use. It is the best AV program on the market.

I also have one Toshiba with all those Toshiba programs. I kept them because they may be useful at times. Some are needed to manage special features on yout PC.

Thanks for all your suggestions guys. It was really helpful.
This might not be related but when I've been uninstalling stuff, I've actually been losing space on my computer. I started off with 306/435 GB, but when I began uninstalling stuff it dropped to 301/435 GB. Shouldn't I be gaining more space since I removed a bunch of content from my laptop?

whs said:

I definitely would not have any of those games - but I don't game - a waste of time.

That is merely a non constructive comment.

It's clear that the OP enjoys them and hence, are not a waste of time.

LiliumSnow said:

Thanks for you all your suggestions guys. It was really helpful.
This might not be related but when I've been uninstalling stuff, I've actually been losing space on my computer. I started off with 306/435 GB, but when I began uninstalling stuff it dropped to 301/435 GB. Shouldn't I be gaining more space since I removed a bunch of content from my laptop?

Reason is because every time you install or uninstall a program, the system makes a restore point. And those restore points are 500MB to 1GB each. You can check your shadowstorage (that's where the restore points reside) with this command in elevated Command Prompt:

vssadmin list shadowstorage

The Allocated number is what the system currently has grabbed and the Maximum number is what will ultimately be used.

smarteyeball said:

whs said:

I definitely would not have any of those games - but I don't game - a waste of time.

That is merely a non constructive comment.

It's clear that the OP enjoys them and hence, are not a waste of time.

I mix constructive with non-constructive comments as I like. Comments on my postings are only welcome when they are constructive.

That's because you did not run it in elevated mode - as I said in my posting. Go to All Programs > Accessories > Right click on Command Prompt > Click on 'Run as Admin'. Then the vssadmin command will be accepted.