Manufacturers frequently include their own software on PCs they sell. Another advantage is that this type of add-on is usually easily uninstalled. In fact, It's not uncommon for PC makers to publicize the trialware that comes with their computers, assuming that many people will consider that a benefit. Among the most common kind of trialware is security software made by companies such as McAfee and Norton.Īn advantage to this type of software is that it's up-front - in fact, it has to be, because the software company wants you to use it and then, hopefully, buy it. Trialware is software that you get to use for free for a certain amount of time, but that you have to pay for if you want to use it after that - for, say, 30 days or six months. Within those two categories, there are a number of different types. Desktop applications that have been preinstalled can be a lot harder to find, especially for less techie users, who may not even realize they have unwanted software until it activates and pops up on their screen. I find the latter to be less intrusive because they're visible as tiles - so it doesn't take a lot of deep digging to find and uninstall them.

Generally, on Windows machines, you encounter two kinds of preinstalled software: The applications that run on the more old-fashioned desktop interface and apps that run on the touch-oriented tablet mode.

But most often, it's because including third-party applications are an additional source of revenue. Why do PC vendors put additional software on new machines in the first place? Sometimes it's simply in order to offer tools that will add functionality to their systems. (Note that this article covers only Windows computers, and not Macs or other systems.) New PC = add-ons In this article I'll discuss the most common types of bloatware you'll encounter, how to uninstall it and how to buy bloatware-free PCs. IT folks: We hope you'll pass this guide on to your users to help them learn how to prevent and/or remove bloatware.

The pc decrapifier