How to remove unwanted pre-installed software from a new computer

 Removing pre-installed software from a computer is a really easy process.  It is something anyone can do, even the person who has never used a computer before.

A word of caution is necessary however, I would not reccommend removing any pre-installed software that contains diagnostic tools or drivers that are necessary for your computer.

An example of software that is usually safe to remove would be trial versions of programs.  These days there is alot of pre-installed software that can be safely removed with out them causing problems later down the line. 

An example of pre-installed software is an anti-virus program.  This can be removed in one of two ways.  The safest and usually most trouble free way is to follow the below steps and begin by starting the computer in safe mode.

To start a computer in safe mode simply turn the computer on and immediately began tapping the F8 key on your keyboard.  This will prompt the computer to bring up a menu that lists various ways to boot your computer.  Once this menu comes up, simply use the arrow keys on the keyboard to highlight the option of safe mode.  (Some menus may include various safemode options, however the one we want at this time is the one simply listed as safe mode).

Once safe mode is highlighted, hit the enter key on the keyboard. 

Booting a computer in safemode will cause a list of files to be displayed, this is normal so do not be alarmed, these are the necessary files that a computer uses to load windows.  Simply wait a few moments and the desktop you are used to seeing should appear.  You may get some sort of warning from windows stating that you are in safe mode and that some functions may not be available for use.  Simply click ok at this window.

Depending on what version of windows you are using, Vista or XP there are different steps to take.

For XP users:  Click on the start button, select settings, and then control panel, from the icons in the wondow, double click on add/remove programs.

For Vista users:  Click on the start button and then select control panel, then select the icon to add/remove programs.  A pop up window may appear asking are you sure you want to do this,  if so then click yes.

At this pointin both versions of windows the instructions are the same.

Once you have clicked on the icon for add/remove programs, it may take a few minutes for a list of files to generate.  Depending on how many programs you have installed, this could take a bit longer than one might initially expect, but dont be alarmed, this is normal.  Once the list has generated simply scroll down to the program you wish to remove, left click on it one time to highlight the program and then over to the right of the window select remove or for Vista users there is button at the top on the menu bar to click on.

After clicking on the remove button, simply follow the on screen prompts to remove the unwanted software.

After the software is removed, then close all open windows and restart the computer allowing it to boot normally and you will find that the program you removed is not longer on the computer.

I do caution anyone that intends on removing anti-virus software not to do so unless you have another program that you have purchased or downloaded before hand as you will most likely get a warning message that your computer is not protected.

A quick note about anti-virus programs:  I would not reccommed that any computer that will be connected to the internet, not have some type of anti-virus program installed, updated and running while on the net.  They prey on unprotected computers, these are the scammers, spammers, thiefs, and crooks that are just waiting on the opportunity to do harm.

If anyone has questions on this article, feel free to leave a comment and I will address them as soon as possible.  Again all comments are welcome!