Windows and bloatware: my personal experience

I have recently acquired a small laptop for the few trips I make. I'll only use it a few days a year, and then it'll sit in a tucked-away drawer, just in case my main computer crashes and I have to use the laptop as a replacement for a few days. But my personal experience with Windows and bloatware makes me doubt the meaning of some configurations.

My wish was to buy one of the best Windows laptops, which we already presented to you, but… spend more than 1,000 euros on something that I'm hardly going to use? So I decided to a mini-portable for around 300 eurosI knew that today's processors, even low-end ones, are good for basic tasks. And Windows 10 is a really lightweight system.

But everything was spoiled by bloatware, those programs that brands install by default on new Windows computers, and They can become a real nuisance. We won't mention the manufacturer, because many sell similar models, and bloatware is a widespread problem in the industry. But we are going to delve into a very controversial topic.

Windows, with bloatware, is unusable

Windows and bloatware: my personal experience

Because I'm curious, I only removed some of the most annoying programs included after opening my laptop. Then I updated Windows 10 and installed some basic utilities: browsers, messaging, photo editor… That is, what a non-tech-savvy consumer would do.

I find the result devastating: as the computer comes, the experience it offers is disastrous Entering a web page takes a long time, opening three or four applications blocks the operating system, the fluidity of the system leaves a lot to be desired… They sell us computers full of garbage that it is impossible to leave us satisfied.

So I set out to uninstall all the bloatware from Windows. The process was long, but when I got it clean I thought my nightmare was over. I was very wrong.

Even without bloatware, the computer was bad, really slow. I knew I had spent little on the laptop, but I was surprised by that result Not what I expected with that combination of hardware and Windows 10, which is common in the market. So I set out to find out what was going on with that bloatware-filled Windows.

Windows clean, a pleasure

My theory is that Windows not only had the bloatware that was seen, but that it came from the factory with some hidden "problem". Resolving it could become too complicated, so I set out to install a clean copy of Windows It was what I should have done from the beginning, I know, but as a Windows enthusiast I like to experiment with technology and find out what users face on a day-to-day basis.

The new installation was not easy. Even though Microsoft makes it very easy to create Windows image thumb drives, at the end of the process I didn't have Wi-Fi So I couldn't download the other drivers from Windows Update. I had to put them on the flash drive, and install them using the keyboard, since the trackpad didn't work.

The result? Obviously the laptop is simple and runs slow in general, but with the clean install of Windows it could be used for simple tasksThe difference compared to the version with bloatware was abysmal. Actually, if I was a novice user who didn't know how to install Windows, I would have had to return the PC.

Microsoft must act against bloatware

When we buy a Mac or Chromebook, it's ready to go right out of the box. When acquiring a Windows computer, we can find a disaster. I know that bloatware represents an extra income for manufacturers that makes equipment cheaper, but… is it worth compromising the experience to such an extent for a few euros ?

I find it extremely serious to have to install a clean Windows for the computer to function acceptably well. Microsoft, as the company that runs the ecosystem, needs to act. Today it dominates the market, but with Chromebooks and Macs things get complicated. If you don't do something about bloatware, one day you may find that Windows has become synonymous with "slowness" among consumers.

What do you think of my experience? Have you had such serious problems with bloatware, or was it enough to uninstall it to enjoy your new PC?