Kitz Forum
Computer Software => General software => Topic started by: dave.m on March 21, 2008, 10:37:42 PM
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Sony charges $50 to remove laptop bloatware >:(
Unbelievable but they want people to pay to have the cr4p removed that they did not want in the first place.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/03/21/Sony-charges-to-remove-laptop-bloatware_1.html
dave
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The "Fresh Start" option, billed as a software optimization, costs $49.99, and is only available to customers choosing to pay an additional $100 to upgrade the operating system to Windows Vista Business from the Windows Vista Home Premium edition offered as standard.
Oooooooooooh nasty! :thumbdown:
What a rotten mean dirty low down trick -
They get paid a cut to put the bloatware on in the first place by who-evers bloatware they install - then charge $50 to take it off and only if you then pay and additional $100 for Vista Business (which they no doubt will get a cut of the profits too) and no doubt the bit they got from Vista home edition aswell.
Actually on 2nd thoughts - its more like a scam to con consumers.
I seriously hope this has a big impact on Sony sales. I hope to god this isnt going to be the next area where all the computing manufacturing companies enter.
I can imagine many people moving over to linux if this was the case - I damn well would. :angry: :angry:
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A further way to fleece customers. I don't mind them making a profit but this is greed.
As Kitz has mentioned, I hope this decision impacts on their sales and they realise the error of their ways.
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It's probably a ploy aimed at novices to I.T. trying to make them think they've got a deal a bit like an extended warranty. The older I get, the more cynical I get about this sort of thing.
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Nothing surprising here, Sony have a reputation for screwing over their customers that goes back to the walkman days.....
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Indeed it is a new low for the company that got into trouble for installing malware on computers from copy-protected CD discs.
But then again if people are silly enough to buy into it then its easy money.
If your a potential sony customer reading this - all you need to do for a bloatware free Windows is insert the Windows DVD and follow the on screen instructions...
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>> all you need to do for a bloatware free Windows is insert the Windows DVD and follow the on screen instructions...
I did wonder about that soms - but then I thought - you know how some "ready built" systems have their own cd/dvd versions of the o/s as an install ?
... or even worse - no cd and the backup which is actually a ghost image on a partitioned drive.
surely not???
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My Acer PC came with 90 days Office 2007 and about six months of Norton, along with a load of other cr4p. I spent most of the first day using removal tools to get rid of them before I opened any of them. Then a couple of runs with Ccleaner and a good defrag with DKlite.
Last month I had to revert to factory settings because of a stupid thing I did, so, has I had no disc I followed Acer's instructions and guess what I had to do, AGAIN, after reverting to factory settings. >:(
I am now going to get Acronis and, to hell with trial software that works out very expensive and is no better than the freeware stuff that is readily available on the web.
dave
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Dave, after the 90 days, would you have to buy a license for it, or buy the whole package on disk?
(just curious)
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Floydoid,
I am not certain but I know it would have expired if I had not paid up and I would have had docs that would need a different extension to be opened in MS Works.
As all my 'stuff' on my older PC were done using MS Works, which, by the way, had emough features for what i have always wanted to do, and I have the disk for Works, I just installed it on the Acer when I had removed the Office 2007.
I think that if I needed a full Office Suite I would get Open Office rather than pay M$ 40 quid or more.
dave
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I've just spent a couple of days removing pre-installed trial versions from a new laptop that we bought last Friday (a Sony actually!! - but I had much the same job a few years ago when I got my Dell desktop PC). I've then re-loaded with freeware - Open Office, Avast!, Real Alternative, Cookie Monster, AdAware, Spybot, Spyblaster etc. ??? though i expect that there are remnants of the trialware still left and I'll have to hunt for them later!
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along with a load of other cr4p. I spent most of the first day using removal tools to get rid of them....
Last month I had to revert to factory settings
I am now going to get Acronis
I know the feeling, as you may have noticed in another thread of mine.
But you also forgot to mention the "HUGE" amount of space that you indubitably also recovered, GB of the d**m stuff.
Only as a last resort would I ever resort to the factory settings.
Like yourself hopefully, the first task after the clean-up is to create my own Ghost Image file.
(and still using Norton Ghost 2003 from a floppy, even for Vista backups)
Floydoid
>> would you have to buy a license for it, or buy the whole package on disk?
No package because you already have it on the manufactures disk or from the install.
All they would then supply is the serial number for activation.
Not forgetting that with some software, sometimes, no package may sometimes also mean no recovery if a problem occurs.
I think it always best to pay that extra couple of quid and have it on a supplied disc.
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