Fresh Start
November 2nd, 2009
Sony gives you the option to remove crapware from certain new Windows 7 PCs. They call it their “Fresh Start” option, as shown here:
Problems:
- A crapware-free PC should be the DEFAULT selection, not an easily missed opt-out selection
- Fresh Start is only available for Win 7 Professional
This leaves me with a very uneasy feeling about Sony. If I were to buy a laptop from them, it would be Win 7 Home Premium. But since Fresh Start is not available with Home Premium, what kind of crap is pre-loaded?
There is another problem: they probably won’t consider their *own* software crapware even if you select “fresh start”.
Vista regularly started complaining that it was running low on memory on my Vaio SZ, until I discovered that there was a big memory leak in the useless custom wireless wizard (or manager or toolkit or whatever it was called). I understand that errors happen, but why on earth shovel useless bloated crap on top of a product that works just fine without it? Not what I expected from a pricey laptop.
This is kind of why I buy Apple laptops and build my own desktops (I’m really enjoying Windows 7 over Vista!). When I install from discs provided by Apple (recently I upgraded the drive from the stock 160 GB 5200 RPM drive to a 320 GB 7200 RPM drive, nice performance and space bump), it’s nice to not have to worry about spending the next few hours removing bloatware. The saved time is worth the price premium (to me).
Windows 7 is good to go. I’m glad I upgraded from Vista.
I have a tendency to reformat new machines and install a clean copy of windows and just the software I want. I ordered a Dell for my dad probably a year ago, and we specifically chose a machine that had an option like Sony’s “fresh start.” When the machine arrived, it still had stuff on it that I didn’t want. I don’t remember the specifics, but I wasn’t pleased.
Seriously?! Is it time to go out and buy a Mac? Need a more phased approach, do what I did, convert those PCs to Linux machines and THEN buy a Mac a few years later.
PeeCee’s and crapware have the same relationship as legislation and earmarks. To be fair, Mac’s sometimes do this as well. It’s just easier to whack the app and move on.