If there is one thing I can’t stand when I buy a new PC, it is the bloatware that comes on it. In the past, you have had to spend a significant amount of time to get rid of this bloatware before your computer is usable. Now, thanks to changes made to the installation of Windows 10, you can easily wipe out all that bloatware in one swift stroke which is especially important if you are running a $200 budget laptop where you need to squeeze the most performance possible out of your machine.
Sure there are factory reset options that come with most laptops today. Unfortunately, if you use them, you will just end up reinstalling the bloatware. This will take you right back to square one. So what do you do? Thankfully, Microsoft has an answer to this problem, and installing Windows 10 without bloatware isn’t hard to do.
What Is Bloatware
Before we look at how to remove it, I want to make sure you all know what bloatware is. Bloatware is software that comes pre-installed on your computer. This software was loaded by the manufacturer once the machine was assembled. Computer manufacturers often get paid a significant amount of money from software makers to pre-install their software on their systems. This allows them to make even more money per machine sold. All they have to do is install software that you haven’t asked for and may not even want.
Now, bloatware isn’t necessarily harmful, but it can be annoying and it can slow down your computer. All this extra software can often run in the background on your machine taking up valuable resources that could be put to better use elsewhere when you are running the apps you really want or maybe even play a game. In order to stop these resource hogs, they must be removed from your computer.
Is There Any Good Bloatware
I’m often asked this question, and the answer is yes. Some bloatware could actually be useful to you. It will just depend on the software that is installed. In some cases, you could find antivirus software on there that you may want to use to protect your computer. A demo of Microsoft Office is also installed on many machines, making it easy for you activate your copy of Office and get to work. Bloatware isn’t necessarily bad software, but it is still considered bloatware if it has been installed by the manufacturer without you requesting it.
Unfortunately, not all bloatware is good. Sometimes, you will get badly programmed pieces of software that only slow down your system without adding any real value to your computer. These apps are what have given bloatware such as bad name and they really need to be removed from your computer. Trust me, you won’t like them and I highly doubt you will even use them in the first place.
Removal Issues
Unfortunately, removing some of this bloatware isn’t always easy. Yes, you can go to the Control Panel and remove the applications. But we all know that doesn’t always get rid of everything. Sometimes, these applications will leave pieces of themselves behind taking up space on your hard drive. Often they will leave junk in the registry that your computer must regularly scan through even though you don’t even have the program anymore. Worst of all, some of the software doesn’t like to be uninstalled at all forcing you to go through a complex and time consuming removal process.
Why Start Fresh?
There are many reasons why you should always consider starting with a fresh install of Windows 10. Let’s examine a few of the best and most popular reasons:
- You will have more room on your hard drive. More room means more space for you to be able to store the apps you want as well as all your files and data.
- No bloatware often means faster speeds. With no bloatware loaded and running in the background, your compute will be faster so it can process what you want much quicker.
- You will know exactly what is and is not installed on your PC. Controlling what is on your PC is the first step in keeping your machine running as fast as possible.
Installing Windows 10 Without Bloatware
Microsoft has made it very easy for you to install Windows 10 without all the bloatware that comes on many computers. All you will need is a little bit of extra time before you start using your new PC. Please note, that by doing this all your apps will be removed from your computer. The installer can’t tell bloatware from legit software apart, so it just removes everything giving you a clean operating system to use. But that does mean you will have to reinstall the apps you do use, even Microsoft Office. So, if you do have apps on there you need, make sure you have the installers handy so you can reinstall them once Windows 10 has completed its refresh.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s take a look at what you need to do to reinstall a fresh copy of Windows 10 on your computer without any bloatware.
- Go to Start > Settings > Recovery.
- Click the link that says “Learn how to start fresh with a clean installation of Windows” or click here.
- On the website that opens, click the Download Tool now
- Select what you want to save, but remember that all your apps will be removed no matter what setting you choose.
- The rest of the process will be automatic. You can stop the process at any time before the computer reboots as part of the installation process. Once it reboots, there is no going back.
- When the installation is complete, setup your user and then reinstall any apps that you actually need.
The entire process will take about an hour but it could be shorter or longer depending upon the speed of your computer and your Internet connection. Overall, the process itself is very easy to do so there is no reason why you shouldn’t clear off all that bloatware with just one simple install process.
Should Everyone Do This
Now that you know how to do this, should this be something you should do on your computer. The answer is…it depends! Some machines come with very little bloatware on them. In this case, you may be able to get away with removing the software and moving on. However, other machines come with tons of bloatware installed. When this happens, it can be very time consuming to get rid of everything that is junking up your machine.
Parting Thoughts
Bloatware is a real problem for many computer users. While some of it can be useful, often the software is just a waste a space and it will slow down your system. It’s software you didn’t ask for and never wanted in the first place. So do you really need it? My guess is no. Why bother keeping on your PC if it just going to take up valuable space and slow down your system?
Uninstalling it manually can be problematic. Thankfully, Microsoft has done something right for a change by creating an easy way than anyone can reinstall Windows 10 without all that junk. Just remember, make sure you have your drivers handy and any software that you do want to use as this will completely remove all the software from your system.
Have you tried this new tool for reinstalling Windows 10? If so, tell me about your experience. Were you easily able to get rid of all that bloatware or did the reinstall process give you problems. Tell me about your experiences with it in the comments below.
