What is bloatware?

You may have just been out and bought yourself a brand new PC or laptop so therefore it should be running perfectly fast?

Not necessarily, many new machines come pre-installed with not just Windows, but with many other pieces of software often known as bloatware.

Bloatware can take the form of:

• Trialware – limited time free trials of certain programs such as Norton or Mcafee
• Manufacturer utilities and applications – Such as battery optimizers, cleanup software and hardware maintenance programs
• Adware – Software that can cause pop up adverts and in worst cases even spy on you
• Junkware – Programs that you do not need!

Very often many of these programs are installed with the intention of making the vendors money by getting the user to upgrade or take out a subscription once the free trial has ended.

What affect can they have and do I really need them?

Having these programs can slow down your system, especially on startup times and many features that these offer are very often not needed or already built into Windows itself. Furthermore, these programs are also taking up precious disk space.

Can bloatware be uninstalled?

In many cases, depending on the type of bloatware it can be uninstalled quite easily from within Windows, especially in the case of trials of software like anti-viruses.

However this may not always be the case, in which a more specialist application such as PC Decrapifier may be required.

A word of warning though, if you are unsure what is bloatware and what is legitimate and/or required software then we always suggest seeking professional help as this can cause problems with your operating system otherwise.