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Microsoft Windows Network Operating Systems Software The Internet Build News Hardware Technology

Microsoft Tests New Tool To Remove OEM Crapware (arstechnica.com) 117

Posted by BeauHD from the start-with-a-clean-slate dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Windows 10 already includes ways to clear out applications and data to repair misbehaving systems or prepare them to be sold, courtesy of the Refresh and Reset features added in Windows 8. Microsoft is now adding a third option: a new refresh tool. Currently available only for Windows Insiders, the new tool fetches a copy of Windows online and performs a clean installation. The only option is whether or not you want to preserve your personal data. Any other software that's installed will be blown away, including the various applications and utilities that OEMs continue to bundle with their systems. Ars Technica points out that the tool isn't perfect. For example, "it installs a preview build from the fast track, but Microsoft notes that the new tool can sometimes install a version older than the one currently installed. When this kind of version mismatch occurs, the option to preserve your files is removed."
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Microsoft Tests New Tool To Remove OEM Crapware More

Microsoft Tests New Tool To Remove OEM Crapware

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  • If it installs windows... (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward

    ... it's not doing its job very well, now is it?

    • Of course Microsoft would want to remove competing crapware, they hate competition.

  • Welcome to the future... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by merky1 ( 83978 ) on Saturday June 18, 2016 @08:40AM (#52342777) Journal

    So, basically giving users the original OS disk? Like they did in the early days? I guess this is a good sign, moving away from the current model of "media free" on the HDD images, with no recourse to removing all of the crapware.

    • For added nostalgia value, it also takes over an hour to install.

      About the same as installing Solaris 2.5.1 from a single speed CD-ROM drive on my SPARCstationLX in 1996.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Excuse my ignorance but something definitely looks wrong with the summary. It makes it sound like Windows doesn't have a signed package manager/repo structure? From the summary (!):

      "but Microsoft notes that the new tool can sometimes install a version older than the one currently installed."

      How is this possible if all the packages are versioned and keyed? For all this "crapware" stuff they're talking about isn't it simply executing the Microsoft equivalent to apt-get purge?

    • This is why I buy any new desktop of mine through a small boutique computer shop that specializes in custom computer builds. They're rather pricey, but essentially you get a computer that looks exactly like as though you'd put together a custom machine yourself. Actually, probably even better, to be honest, since these guys really know what they're doing, and they'll recommend the components that they've deemed to be the most reliable. And yes, you get the original OEM install disk, as well as a disc wit

    • It is actually a little better than that. HAving the original disk always meant having to do a shit ton of patches. At least this way you get a relatively upto date build. Certainly would be something I would happily try on family member computers when they purchase crap ladden imaged computers. Still prefer my own custom builds for myself though.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      So, basically giving users the original OS disk? Like they did in the early days? I guess this is a good sign, moving away from the current model of "media free" on the HDD images, with no recourse to removing all of the crapware.

      No, it's still media-free. Basically it downloads and installs a new copy of Windows in-place, so you don't have a chance to make a USB stick or anything first. It just downloads Windows and unpacks it.

  • Somebody has to ask (Score:4, Insightful)

    by fustakrakich ( 1673220 ) on Saturday June 18, 2016 @08:49AM (#52342805) Journal

    What about drivers?

  • The "Anniversary update" will expand the tile "suggestions" from five to ten. Microsoft doesn't want the OEM's to compete with their own bloatware and "suggestions". So, you can make their life better. Just be prepared to constantly remove their freemium apps that you uninstalled, but that they keep reinstalling. Windows 10 is horrible in this respect.

  • Bios embedded bloatware? (Score:3)

    by Dwedit ( 232252 ) on Saturday June 18, 2016 @09:21AM (#52342885) Homepage

    I have heard that Lenovo has embedded bloatware into the BIOS of systems, and it uses official protocols so that Windows 8+ will automatically install that software. Will this step do anything against such software?

    • No.

      If you reinstall a fresh copy of windows, the extension in the bios will just look for it and reinsert it on the next boot.

      If you really want to get rid of the Lenovo embedded BIOS bloatware, then just go to the Lenovo site and update your BIOS. Their method of installing the bloatware via bios breaks the Microsoft OEM agreement, and Microsoft called them on it.

  • The best kind of kill, overkill! (Score:3)

    by pla ( 258480 ) on Saturday June 18, 2016 @09:29AM (#52342909) Journal
    Reinstalling Windows doesn't really count as a "tool" for removing crap/ad/malware - More like burning the house down to get rid of mice.

    Perhaps more importantly, Windows comes with quite a bit of stock crapware; I have to suspect that Microsoft would reinstall all of that, meaning that after using this "tool", you'd need to spend a couple hours disabling all the various telemetry hooks (not to mention the time it takes to install all your non-MS apps again).

    Instead, people would do far better to just run something like Deep Freeze, where every time you boot you revert to a known good state of your own choosing.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Whibla ( 210729 )

      As a slightly off-topic query / warning in relation to your suggestion:

      While of no importance to businesses, anyone who plays multiplayer online games might have problems when using Deep Freeze. If your machine is actively frozen when you start a game protected by PunkBuster you will be kicked off the game after about 3 seconds for 'cheating' ... or, at least, this used to be the case.

      Does anyone know if this is still true, and / or if it applies to other anti-cheat mechanisms?

  • Of course to users this sounds superficially like a great idea. Dump the dozen bits of crap installed on a new PC and put it back to a clean OS install.

    In reality, MS wants to eliminate the data harvesting competition. OEMs add crapware because they get paid to add it. Crapware installers pay for this because they want you to buy their crapware, but even if you don't it's worth the cost to gather data on you and your computer, sometimes for years when naive users don't ever uninstall it.

    Microsoft's move

    • So one parasite killing off the other parasites? Sounds good. It's easier to remove the remaining bug than to deal with a dozen.

  • OEM's spend money to put the crapware on the machine. Client buys said brand because of recognition and this tool removes that. That will probably piss someone off. The reason you got that subsidized PC for cheap was BECAUSE of the OEM crapware Lawyer time.

    • Re:Class Action Lawsuit Coming? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Saturday June 18, 2016 @10:18AM (#52343037)

      Stop subsidizing my PC, charge me what it costs and leave that bloat out.

      Thanks.

    • When you buy a machine nowwhere does it say this is a subsidised machine that runs about 50% slower because we installed a fuck ton of shit you don't need or want on it that will annoy, nag and interfere with your operation of this machine. I would love to see some consumers suing the OEM's for the degradation of the performance of their machines. The crapware (which in many cases borders on malware) is an atrocious hit to most users, especially those that don't understand how to remove it and think it is n

  • There's a ton of preinstalled crapware in Windows 10 that I'd like to get rid of.

    • Re:Really? How does this work? (Score:4, Informative)

      by Col. Bloodnok ( 825749 ) on Saturday June 18, 2016 @11:19AM (#52343281)

      Let's see if this makes it past the lameness filter:

      I run this remove_crapps.ps1 script after every new Windows Insider build, to remove the stuff I don't want (including OneDrive).

      Get-AppxPackage *XboxApp* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *Zune* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *Sport* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *BingNews* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *Phone* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *Skype* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *Office* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *Photos* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *BingFinance* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *People* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *Messaging* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *WindowsAlarms* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *WindowsSoundRecorder* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *Solitaire* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *Getstarted* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *3D* | Remove-AppxPackage
      Get-AppxPackage *Connectivity* | Remove-AppxPackage
       
      c:/windows/syswow64/onedrivesetup.exe /uninstall

      • Re: Really? How does this work? (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        God even their commands are ass ugly. Wtf is all that for, so verbose.

        What's so hard about app-rm appname or some shit.

  • Dear Microsoft.... (Score:3)

    by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Saturday June 18, 2016 @10:49AM (#52343167) Homepage

    Want to solve the problem? Yank the "windows certification" of every single PC seller and maker that adds crap to the install and make them pay full retail proce for every copy of windows they sell on their machines.

    Suddenly the problem of added garbage goes away overnight. And I mean it, it will stop by 8am the next business day you announce that.

    • Re:Dear Microsoft.... (Score:5, Informative)

      by Will_Malverson ( 105796 ) on Saturday June 18, 2016 @11:21AM (#52343299) Journal

      They tried that. Up until around 1999, Microsoft wouldn't allow a new PC to be shipped with anything but stock Windows (and before that, DOS). Pre-installed software was forbidden by the licensing agreement.

      An antitrust lawsuit in the late 90s claimed that this practice was anticompetitive because OEMs couldn't put alternative web browsers on PCs. So Microsoft was forced by the courts to allow OEMs to install whatever they wanted on prebuilt PCs.

  • ...and coercive. And backwards. Unnecessarily complex, too.

    The simplest solution is best: Allow a second form of the Control Panel | Program and Features, with a check mark box in front of every entry. Now, let the Administrator use that view to click on all items that should be removed, and do it all in one session (with as many automatic reboots as necessary). The code can figure out the dependencies and adjust the order to do the independent stuff first, and so-on down the tree.

    An example is at http [techattend.com]

  • Good, but.. (Score:2, Troll)

    by MpVpRb ( 1423381 )

    They should also let users easily remove all of the Microsoft crapware

  • Microsoft is doing this because they want more visibility for their crapware. I have to occasionally use MS Windows at work. My fresh from MS install has all kinds of very non office crap. Candy crush, groove, xbox, etc. Then they do a relentless push for things like edge. I opened edge and typed chrome, what comes up, not a download for chrome but some crap about edge.

    Over the years I have worked with fairly cutting edge companies. It boils down to a simple fact: if the company is using windows, they a

  • Microsoft clearly understands users don't want it (Score:4, Interesting)

    by QuietLagoon ( 813062 ) on Saturday June 18, 2016 @11:16AM (#52343263)
    So why does Microsoft allow crapware to be installed in the first place?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by bazorg ( 911295 )

      How would MS deal with this if the OEM has physical access to the hardware and does need to provide drivers and supporting software for many combinations of components?

      All they can do is make life complicated to all their sales channels and have more machines sold without a "MS approved" sticker. Not a winning proposition. It is best to sell Surfaces without crapware, and Xboxes with Windows 10 compatibility. Essentially, to be more like Apple and Google and sell vertically integrated product/services.

      • How would MS deal with this

        Simple, Microsoft sez: If you license Windows, no crapware. If you do install crapware, you are breaking the legal agreement and you lose your right to license Windows.

        • I think than MS likes to sell loads of licenses and the make a software fix rather than having the extra costs from policing every OEM under the sun. :)

          • I think than MS likes to sell loads of licenses and the make a software fix rather than having the extra costs from policing every OEM under the sun.

            Microsoft should care about the Windows brand not being associated with crapware. Although with the recent events showing that Microsoft is making Windows 10 look like malware, I would have a difficult time convincing anyone that Microsoft does indeed care about the Windows brand.

            .
            Never mind. :)

    • Apparently anti trust lawsuits from the OEMs.

    • Because Microsoft is a software company.

      Let's face it, if the story here were that Microsoft is forbidding the installation of any software by vendor even if value added or wanted by the end user, even in cases of specific requirements (think education software, think automated delivery of the OS and apps) then we'd all be asking for their heads for abuse of their monopoly.

      The cure is worse than the disease. Also where do you draw the line? No pre-shipment of software? What about drivers? What about softwar

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by antdude ( 79039 )

      $$$?

  • This sounds like something that would be very useful immediately after you get your new computer plugged in.

  • They used to say that the best gamekeepers were former poachers.

    Of course with Nutella's tribe of buggerbastards there's no "former" about it. They're no doubt trying to play both ends against the middle.

  • To remove Windows 10?

  • ...it would need to upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 7.

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