# Sony Vaio bloatware removal?



## David 1150 (Jun 6, 2009)

I've recently got a Sony VAIO VPC EC3SOE laptop, it has an i5 processor and 6 Gb RAM, and ATI graphics card. Whilst it is certainly quicker than the old desktop it's replacing, I can't help feeling that something with this spec should be a real flying machine. For example, when scrolling through a photo album, maybe the first dozen pics open instantly, but then I get the Windows 7 spinning disc thingy. Launching programmes, e.g. iTunes, isn't as quick as I'd thought it would be.

Am I expecting too much, or is the infamous Sony bloatware to blame? If so, is there an easy way to get rid of it without losing my pics / music? I can reinstall them from the desktop & CDs but would Control Panel / Remove Programme or The PC Decrapifier do the job?

TIA


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

First thing I do with a new laptop is re-install it.


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## richardi734 (Sep 4, 2007)

What anti virus do you use and is it a new PC?

Get rid of any unsed programs. Clear out User profile temp files and Windows Temp files etc. Do a spyware / virus scan. Do a defrag of the hard drive. Get rid of unwanted startup programs. When all is done and it's running OK remove all of the old Restore Points.

TBH as Andy said, wipe it and start again might be easier.


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## JohnZ3MC (Mar 9, 2008)

A couple of programs can help speed things up a bit.

-pcdecrapifier, available at www.pcdecrapifier.com.
It'll remove bloatware from new laptops.

-ccleaner. Now up to 2.0. I'll let you investigate it's history to see how the old name evolved into 'ccleaner'. It does a great job of cleaning out temp files from places you don't even know exist, and it cleans null entries in the registry. Good for XP, Vista, and 7, both 32 and 64 bit versions.

Also, have a look at task manager when you're experiencing a slowdown. You may get a hint of what program is using system resources (google the offending process).
Eg. I had to diagnose a problem similar to yours on a client's laptop. The offending process was the downloader for Windows Security Essentials. It seemed to be in an endless loop for a few weeks, using 35 - 58% of the CPU usage.
I know there's a fix for this WSE problem on some computers but the easier solution was to remove it competely and replace it with Avast, the free version.

Anyway, pcdecrapifier and ccleaner. 
I build my own computers, currently an I7, huge ram, twin 160 X25 SSDs in a striped Raid array (OS, and primary software), WD 1Tb Blacks in Raid 1 (data and secondary software) and use ccleaner once a month. 
Most tasks are done by the time I take my finger off the mouse. It's a zippy unit and stays that way thanks to ccleaner. Try it.
-John C.


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## David 1150 (Jun 6, 2009)

Thanks for the replies. AV is McAfee (one of the pre-installed programmes, 3-month trial version). From what I've read, maybe I should remove it in favour of Avast (I was considering MS Security Essentials 'til I read John C's reply)? I'm carfeul re. avoiding virus, trojans etc, it hasn't been to any "dubious" websites or downloaded anything questionable 

I've used CCleaner on my old desktop, I'll try it on the lappy, too. I'll try pcdecrapifier, too, following the recommendation. :thumb:

It's only 1 month old, I haven't put much on it other than ripping a few CDs and starting to copy photos from my desktop, but I'll bet it's set a few Restore points already, I'll get shot of them.

Thanks again for the advice, much appreciated.

David


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

Get rid of MacAfee!!! I use AVG Free and always have malwarebytes at the ready too.

Also unless you're using 64 bit Win7 then you're only using 3.5-4.0GB of RAM. 

If you can get a Win7 64 bit disc then I'd recommend wiping and starting from scratch. Very easy to do.

Your Win7 licence will be valid with the standard Win7 64 bit disc.


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## JohnZ3MC (Mar 9, 2008)

David 1150,
There's nothing wrong with Window Security Essentials and you can give it a try first.
I use it on my home computer and it's fine. It's just a semi-rare circumstance that for some computers it slows things way way down because of the looped download issue. 
So, by all means, try it first, and if your laptop isn't affected by huge slowdowns, stay with it. Otherwise, give the Avast free version a try. Register it for a full year of coverage.
Grantwils advice about dumping MacAfee is good advice. 
-John C.


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## David 1150 (Jun 6, 2009)

Cheers, I'm using Windows 7 64-bit - I'll try to get hold of a disk, as a fresh install at this early stage would be straightforward. McAfee is definitely going! I'll try MS SE as I've heard it doesn't use much resources, I'm not suffering big slow-downs, just not getting quite the speed I'd expected. Thanks again.


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

I use mse and have done with dozens of laptops with no issues.


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