help clear up new VISTA ( newbie needs help )

[fun4now]

this is my first laptop and my first computer in 5 years .

fist thing i noticed is its got all kinds of trial versions installed. add to that its got about a billion things running when I'm not doing anything ???? whats up with that ?? can i fix it, or reduce the amount of stuff ruining in the background ??

i get the idea of going into the start menu and telling stuff not to start, bu as a newbie or maybe just a non-programmer i have no clue what all this stuff is ?? its not like they tell you in plain English what the stuff is. so how do i know what i can turn off without causing a shutdown or freeze up ?? seems like every thing gives the "warning this may effect the programs or performance of your computer"

so whats a newbie to do ????

is there a program that spells it all out for you ?? making it possible to know if its really needed or just taking up space and memory ??

or is it even possible to lose the excess baggage of Vista ??

thanks for the help.

James

[Sl@y3D for my n@me]

That's the problem with OEMs, they pack their computers full of junk half of the time. I got a Toshiba laptop a while back with Norton Antivirus 2003, and more unknown software than you could shake a stick at. What does the Toshiba Zooming Utility do? Please tell me.

I'd recommend that you start with Programs and Features (type that in the search box in the start menu). That's the new name for Add/Remove Programs. Have a poke around and see what you do and don't need. Also, use msconfig (again, type it in the search box in the start menu) to remove unnecessary startup applications. Perhaps you could post a list of what msconfig has in the startup tab, and I can see what can and can't be removed.

Removing Windows Vista features? Might want to try "Turn Windows features on or off" in Programs and Features, but I can't promise much there.

[fun4now]

this should be fun, looks like 71 things going on ??

i'll make a list of all the stuff and we can take it from there.

im a slow typer, so ill make the list in word and then copy it to here when done.

be back in a wile,,,,,,,,,,,a long wile .LOL

thanks james

[Keris]

Did your laptop come with an actual Vista OS DVD? If so, it would just be easier to do a clean install from it. Just use ABR to backup the OEM activation before you format. This is a far easier way to remove the huge pile of crap that OEMs slather on.

If the laptop didn't come with a Vista DVD, then this would be one of the only times I would suggest searching the internet for a Vista SP1 disc.

[Glenn9999]

If the laptop didn't come with a Vista DVD, then this would be one of the only times I would suggest searching the internet for a Vista SP1 disc.

Or it came with a "recovery disc". That is as worse or worser than no disk at all. Run that and you get all the garbage back again. Or the worst thing would be those "recovery files" preloaded onto the hard disk where they can be corrupted or infected with viruses or lost entirely due to a number of factors.

Or the best thing of all, and what I recommend to anyone buying any computer: You better provide the ORIGINAL OS install disk, or no sale.

Edited March 21, 2009 by Glenn9999

[fun4now]

no one provides an OS disk any more i don't think. in the process of getting to this laptop i went threw 3 brands and 4 laptops, none provided an OS disk. ASUS provides a recovery disk, or rather 2. but Toshiba and acer gave you nothing and it just told you on startup to make one.

i guess I'll just let the stuff run. the new computer is set up to put max. resources to games, so Vista is not hurting anything. it gets second shot at ram after my games that get dedicated ram.

thanks for the help and idea's.

i don't think sp1 is out for vista yet is it ? seems like i read some where its not out to the general public yet ??

thanks

James

[cluberti]

no one provides an OS disk any more i don't think. in the process of getting to this laptop i went threw 3 brands and 4 laptops, none provided an OS disk. ASUS provides a recovery disk, or rather 2. but Toshiba and acer gave you nothing and it just told you on startup to make one.

i guess I'll just let the stuff run. the new computer is set up to put max. resources to games, so Vista is not hurting anything. it gets second shot at ram after my games that get dedicated ram.

thanks for the help and idea's.

i don't think sp1 is out for vista yet is it ? seems like i read some where its not out to the general public yet ??

thanks

James

Vista SP1 has been out for over a year, so upgrading is always a good idea. If you plan on ever reinstalling again, assuming you aren't going to buy Windows 7 when it RTMs later this year or early next, consider picking up a Vista OEM copy online to do your reinstalls.

[jaclaz]

FYI:

http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/features

Features

The PC Decrapifier will uninstall many of the common trialware and annoyances found on many of the PCs from big name OEMs. Here is the current list of software and items that the PC Decrapifier can detect and remove. You get to see the list of items it detects and then choose what will be removed automatically.

jaclaz

[Guest sudioy]

Studying . . . . . .

[fun4now]

cool, i must have been reading a very old post. if its been out that long i probably downloaded it with windows updater, yep. just looked at the properties screen, i have sp1 installed.

at one point i could not wait to get rid of vista, but now every thing is finally falling into place and working fine. this new laptop is well setup to handle games and every thing else has finally fallen into place. i have my wireless dial up working ( i owe thanks to Vista among others for that) if PC Decrapifier takes the extra junk out i should be fine. after all i don't use the OS much any way. LOL

i will look into a clean copy of Vista for future needs. windows 7 would have been nice before i finally got every thing working, but now it would require a complete rework after install i don't think i could go threw that again. to be honest, i suck at this computer stuff.

i think some courses are in order.I'm going to look into that at my local VO-Tec school.

thanks to all for the help

James

[cluberti]

cool, i must have been reading a very old post. if its been out that long i probably downloaded it with windows updater, yep. just looked at the properties screen, i have sp1 installed.

at one point i could not wait to get rid of vista, but now every thing is finally falling into place and working fine. this new laptop is well setup to handle games and every thing else has finally fallen into place. i have my wireless dial up working ( i owe thanks to Vista among others for that) if PC Decrapifier takes the extra junk out i should be fine. after all i don't use the OS much any way. LOL

i will look into a clean copy of Vista for future needs. windows 7 would have been nice before i finally got every thing working, but now it would require a complete rework after install i don't think i could go threw that again. to be honest, i suck at this computer stuff.

i think some courses are in order.I'm going to look into that at my local VO-Tec school.

thanks to all for the help

James

No worries, and good luck .

[hydroplant]

Revo uninstaller has a handy feature for disabling stuff that runs on startup it's a pretty good app for uninstalling trouble programs as well.

[fun4now]

thanks hydroplant.

James

[hydroplant]

not a problem

[spacesurfer]

Vista SP1 has been out for over a year, so upgrading is always a good idea. If you plan on ever reinstalling again, assuming you aren't going to buy Windows 7 when it RTMs later this year or early next, consider picking up a Vista OEM copy online to do your reinstalls.

So, an OEM does not require you to reactivate each time you reinstall? I've never dealt with an OEM before.