Bloatware on my XPS

G

gunnm74

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jun 13, 2000
Messages
1,749
Hey, gang-

I just received my new XPS and I was shocked by the sheer volume of crap installed on it. I already went through and uninstalled all of the ISP software and some of the worthless media players (like Real player -- didn't they go out of business?) but I'm not sure about the rest of it.

Can anyone else who owns a new Dell tell me what they uninstalled and why?
 
The amount of crap installed on these systems is almost unbelievable, not to mention registry tweaks and the like.

As the previous poster suggested a fresh installation of windows is really your best bet. To make your life easier you might want to make sure you have a source for drivers prior to doing this. They are all available on the Dell website, but it's just easier if you have a CD (or hidden partition) to pull them from.
 
Look on the bright side, Dell actually uses the bloatware to keep costs down...

...unlike some companies we know *cough* EA *cough*.

And at least you can just reformat and get a clean install. :D
 
Thanks for all the input, guys. Does anyone know if the Windows XP restore CD puts all of this crap back or can I skip it just by not using the other CDs?

Also, the De-Crapifier looks very handy. I'll download it and run it when I get home from work.
 
gunnm74 said:
Thanks for all the input, guys. Does anyone know if the Windows XP restore CD puts all of this crap back or can I skip it just by not using the other CDs?

Also, the De-Crapifier looks very handy. I'll download it and run it when I get home from work.
Click to expand...

If it's the Dell restore you have a 99.9999% chance that it will have all the crap on it. All the HP's, Emachines and Dell's that I've worked with over the last 5 years have had it, and I've worked on a lot.. more than I can count on my fingers and toes.
 
I just reinstalled my xps m1210 and the restore disc for windows had only 3 or 4 items other than windows that it installed and they were easily removed. a world of difference after the reinstall though! ran much better Also if your xps has media direct and you care to use it, read up on how to keep it before you go clearing all your partitions
 
I thought their XPS line was suppose to be better than their usual junk, they certainly charge more for it, so why all the crapware?
 
I guess the affiliate program obligation is the same, no matter what product they're shipping.

I've gotten rid of most of the crap, but it's still not running as fast as I'd like. I'm going to buy another SATA hard drive from Newegg and use it to test a new install, before wiping this one. Then I can use the other one to test Vista.

Another problem I've discovered is that web site images are all jaggy. Text is perfectly clear and readable, but it's like the images on the sites aren't resizing correctly. Anyone else experience this? I'm running the optimal resolution on this display (1920 x 1200) and I've tried several of the other ones in between (1280 x 800, 1440 x 900, etc.) and it doesn't seem to make a difference.
 
None of Dells business line comes with any bloatware, clean installs with drivers and dvd and burning software if you choose it. Have any of you bought a lenovo lately and seen what it ships with or do you just like complaining about dell?

Edit: to fix the jaggies, go into your display properties, advanced, and on the general tab, change your DPI back to normal (96 dpi). Sometimes they ship with it set to large (120 dpi).
 
Dell's OS CD that you *should* have purchased with the laptop for $10 does not have bloat.

Those CDs come in handy.
 
Or after you buy a laptop, you could just call them up and tell them you need it. It didn't cost me anything.
 
If you buy an XPS system there is an option (or atleast when I bought mine there was) to have NO software loaded on the machine. I think it costs like $10 extra or something, but well f'n worth every penny. I did not have to reinstall anything when I got my XPS. :cool:
 
ND40oz said:
Edit: to fix the jaggies, go into your display properties, advanced, and on the general tab, change your DPI back to normal (96 dpi). Sometimes they ship with it set to large (120 dpi).
Click to expand...


Perfect! That did the job!
 
I was suprised too, I have removed most of the bloat but things just don't work the way they should. After reading this I 'm just gonna wipe and reload xp. The OS came with and wasn't a special option.
 
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