ARRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!! Break Something NOW!

Ysarex · Oct 27, 2014

I had to buy a new computer for my wife. She only uses it to browse the internet, chat with the kids and light stuff. Got a really good price on a 15 inch Dell Inspirion laptop. It'll suit her needs just fine.

It came with Windows 8.1 pre-installed.

And the biggest pile of Crapware I have ever seen. It's been quite a few years since I've dealt with a new computer and software pre-installed. My desktop came that way but I inserted an OS boot disk the first time I turned it on and began by formatting the drive.

This laptop didn't come with any media so I had to use the pre-installed copy of Windows. OMG!! If any time in the next week I come near a McAfee anything I'm going to break it. WTF!! it came with an Amazon one button shopping APP pre-installed on the Start page! And another one for Ebay!! WTF!!

Even DELL got in on the act. I went looking for a backup option and there was DELL backup software pre-installed so I started to look at it. 15 minutes later when I was ready to create a system image a bleep bleep dialog pops up and tells me that function is available in the Premium edition and with just $39.95 it'll install right away. I need to break something.

It took me half the night to shovel that crap off the computer. And I swear I uninstalled the McAfee crap and during a reboot and update session it got back on.

I need new shoes and I was going to order them from Amazon. Hey Jeff! Are you listening? I'm driving to the shoe store this weekend and buying brick and mortar -- just for you.

Joe

limr · Oct 27, 2014

GRRRRRRR!

JOE SMASH!!

Designer · Oct 27, 2014

I'm afraid we're in for more of the same as time goes on.

At least you have the skills to do that.

We bought the Win7 overlay, which probably doesn't solve any problems, just defers them.

photoguy99 · Oct 27, 2014

Shoulda got a Chromebook.

Derrel · Oct 27, 2014

Wow...what a saga!! That sounds just awful, Joe. Really a sucky experience.

MOREGONE · Oct 27, 2014

Sounds like you may have wished to check out the latest Chromebooks. Cheap and perfect for the basics.

Cheap windows computers are subsidized with the bloatware. You should be able to just uninstall most of it and install the common alternatives like Chrome or Firefox to stay clear of already installed toolbars, scanners etc.

limr · Oct 27, 2014

McAfee is the devil's work. I believe hell also had a big part in creating Norton. We hates them forever.

Scatterbrained · Oct 27, 2014

Bloatware sucks. I feel your pain. Nowadays whenever I buy a laptop I just roll the cost of a retail OS into my budget.

Ysarex · Oct 27, 2014

photoguy99 said:
Shoulda got a Chromebook.

I considered it -- picked up a couple and looked them over (Micro Center), but none of them had large enough screens. If I had known what I was in for I'd think harder.

Joe

Ysarex · Oct 27, 2014

Designer said:
I'm afraid we're in for more of the same as time goes on.

At least you have the skills to do that.

We bought the Win7 overlay, which probably doesn't solve any problems, just defers them.

Yeah I got the crap ripped out but it literally took hours -- like surgery to remove a parasite.

Joe

KenC · Oct 27, 2014

As my brother-in-law said back when Microsoft was fighting anti-trust charges: "if you didn't have a monopoly, could you sell this crap?"

480sparky · Oct 27, 2014

Thank God I still use my Morse Code key.

snerd · Oct 27, 2014

Didn't some big company acquire McAfee? Intel maybe?

snowbear · Oct 27, 2014

Yes, Intel owns it now. At one time, McAfee was a very good and compact program. That was when it was shareware, during the days of . . . MS DOS. It went downhill sometime after being owned by NAI and others.