Microsoft offers service to remove crapware, only $99

18 May 12 16:43 by in category Uncategorized

If you ever bought a brand new computer from a large manufacturer, then as a techie, you probably first removed all the trial, demo and shareware that was pre-installed. While this ‘free’ software might seem a service to many customers, there is also a large share of people that simply don’t like all the pre-installed software. And the software isn’t actually even there for your convenience, it’s there because the large manufacturers make money from it. It’s not known how much they make, but it is estimated that it’s a couple of dollars per system.

Now Microsoft offers the ability to remove this ‘crapware’ from your computer, for  $99. And according to Microsoft it’s worth it, a computer without the crapware goes to sleep 23% faster, boots up 40% faster and  resumes 50% faster. So, if we read that differently, these are the numbers of the slowdowns caused by keeping all those pre-installed applications on your system.

If you want this ’service’ from Microsoft, then head over to a Microsoft store, pay $99 and you will receive a cleaned up system. While before only available to new systems, Microsoft now also made it available to existing systems. And with it, you get 90 days free phone support and support at a service desk in the Microsoft store.

And no, it’s not a joke…

4 Comments on Microsoft offers service to remove crapware, only $99

jshippy
Posts: 28
Posted on: 18 May 12 17:26
pcdecraptifier.com has been doing this for years, for FREE!
LoboBrother
Posts: 54
Posted on: 21 May 12 03:06
So let me get this straight... Microsoft is in bed with the PC manufacturers that put this shit on your computer in the first place and now they are going to charge you $100 to take the shit off???? GEEEEEZZZ! How about you just charge me an extra $50 when I buy the computer in the first place and don't put the shit on the computer to begin with (or let the PC manufacturers do it either)...
BradWright
Posts: 225
Posted on: 22 May 12 23:17
Quote:
Originally Posted by LoboBrother View Post
So let me get this straight... Microsoft is in bed with the PC manufacturers that put this shit on your computer in the first place and now they are going to charge you $100 to take the shit off???? GEEEEEZZZ! How about you just charge me an extra $50 when I buy the computer in the first place and don't put the shit on the computer to begin with (or let the PC manufacturers do it either)...
Or you can just open Add/Remove Programs (Windows XP and earlier) or Programs and Features (Windows Vista and later) in the Control Panel, and uninstall the crap yourself. Plus there's a bunch of free uninstallers out there that work pretty well. I like to use IOBit Uninstaller because it does a Power Scan to find any leftover crud in the registry, which you can then delete. By the way, I believe it's the software manufacturers who pay the OEMs to install all the crap, hoping people will buy full versions of their pre-installed trial versions. I don't think Microsoft has anything to do with it.
DukeNukem
Posts: 1606
Posted on: 23 May 12 18:20
As a former IT manager, I can't begin to tell you how much of a hassle it is to remove all the freeware, bloatware, malware, and crapware from a new computer. This problem gets worse when you order 5 or 10 computers. It can take a good 30 minutes per computer to remove all the junk the manufacturer puts on.

DELL does it, and I'm sure most others do it, too. It's not right, but what's a consumer to do? You can't even vote with your wallet because all the big guys do it. Answer: buy from the little guy and instruct him not to put junkware on the drive.
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Microsoft offers service to remove crapware, only $99

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