First Superfish, now this: Some Lenovo users have discovered a secret "feature" in which Lenovo will ask you to re-install its bloatware, even if you do a clean install of Windows.
Tagged With crapware
I love free apps. Who doesn't love getting something for nothing? There's just one problem: on the other side of that download link, every developer has to choose whether to charge money for their app, or offer it for free and find some other way to make money. And when we refuse to pay, we make that decision for them. We've created a demand for bundled crapware.
Another handy addition to the security features in Google's Chrome browser: it will pop up a warning if a site encourages the downloading of toolbars, search enhancers and other unwanted junk that messes up your system.
Last week, the internet erupted in anger after discovering Lenovo has been bundling Superfish, a horribly insecure piece of adware, on new machines. Superfish isn't the only program of its type out there, though. Here are a few others you should check your PC for.
Whether you're talking about pre-built PCs, Android phones, or other gadgets, pre-installed software often gets a bad rap . But just because it's pre-installed doesn't mean it's bloat -- every once in a while, you get a gem you might not otherwise have seen.
Macs come bundled with a lot of software out of the box. While most of it is at least passable, much of it lacks the feature set power users need. We've compiled a list of our favourite replacements for the usually-workable-but-sometimes-lacking OS X default software.
Windows only: It's no secret that the iTunes installer loads up your system with extra components you probably don't need, and there's no way to opt out — unless you crack open the install file, that is.
One of the most persistent myths about Windows is that you need to reinstall the operating system regularly to keep it running at top performance. Let's take a look at the real problem and how to fix it.
It's been a month since we showed you how Digsby was using your PC to make money, and today they've responded with a new version that actually bothers to ask your permission before using your PC.
The previously mentioned PC Decrapifier utility, which cleans pre-installed bloatware that ships with new Windows laptops, sees an update today and detects more applications than ever, like Norton 360, the Microsoft Office 2007 Trial and Activation Assistant, and Symantic LiveUpdate.
Windows only: One of our favourite PC cleansers CCleaner (which stands for "Crap Cleaner") saw an upgrade this week. Since the last time we mentioned CCleaner several new versions have come out; this week's added support for the Firefox 3 beta plus performance improvements and bug fixes. CCleaner scans your PC for unnecessary temporary and log files, cookies, memory dumps, and more and wipes them out at the press of the "Run Cleaner" button. You might be surprised at how much disk space it can recover—in fact, it managed to clear out 1.6GB of crap from my PC. See screenshot evidence after the jump.
It may be the year 2008, but a whole lot of sucktacular software still rears its ugly head on PCs everywhere, even when better-behaved options are freely available. Whether it's molasses-slow bloatware, shameless adware, anemic default apps, or "Your trial period has expired!" nagware, it's time to replace stinky Windows software with its superior (but lesser-known) alternative. Last week we asked what software you should never install on your PC, and over 200 comments later, you compiled quite a list. Today we're going to take a walk down the Crapware Hall of Shame, point and laugh at the worst offenders, and highlight some better choices. Photo by chelseagirl.
