Free PC Decrapifier – Bloatware Begone!

You might think that a reader comment that goes something like this, is unusual – “I don’t know how this program ended up on my computer. One day, it just showed up.” Surprisingly, this is not an unusual comment.

In almost every case, the reader is referring to the trial ware (crapware, bloatware), commonly preinstalled on major manufacturers computers. This is the type of thing that drives users buggy, since trying to figure out how to get rid of trial ware is not as easy as it should be.

Luckily, there is a free application designed to specifically uninstall these annoyances – and that’s PC Decrapifier. It’s been a couple of years since I last posted on this terrific application, so today, I’ve taken another look.

The program does not need to be installed; simply run the executable. Or, if you prefer, you can run this application from a USB drive. You choose the items to be removed from a preconfigured list, and you can create a restore point (highly recommended), to undo any changes.

Note: Since PC Decrapifier is written in a scripting language, you may get an security application warning. This warning (if you receive it), can safely be ignored.

The application, while designed to uninstall crapware, has additional functionality – as the following screen capture suggests. More on this in a moment.

Anytime changes are being considered, creating a restore point is always good practice.

In the following screen shot, you’ll notice the application has detected an application it considers crapware on my machine.

The following screen shot illustrates a relatively unknown aspect of PC Decrapifier – its ability to act as a bulk uninstaller. The user simply checks off those applications which are no longer needed; clicks “Next”, and the application will launch the appropriate uninstallers. A slightly better solution than the Add/Remove Program applet when uninstalling more than one application, I think.

Working with PC Decrapifier requires no particular skill. The application is “follow the bouncing ball” straightforward.

The following is the current list of software and items that PC Decrapifier can detect and remove. The list is generated from the items the program detects on your computer, and you then choose the items to be removed by the program automatically. What could be simpler than that?

Targeted applications:

AOL Install

AOL UK AOL 9.0, UK Version

AOL US AOL 9.0, US Version

BigFix

Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo XI

Corel Photo Album 6

Corel Snapfire Plus SE

Corel WordPerfect

Dell Search Assistant

Dell URL Assistant

Digital Content Portal

Earthlink Setup Files

Earthlink Setup Files

ESPN Motion

Get High Speed Internet!

Google Desktop

Google Desktop

Google Toolbar

Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer

HP Rhapsody

Internet Service Offers Launcher

Internet Service Offers Launcher

McAfee

Microsoft Office Activation Assistant 2007

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007

Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003

Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003

MS Plus Digital Media Installer

MS Plus Photo Story 2LE

MusicMatch Jukebox

MusicMatch Music Services

muvee autoProducer 5.0

My HP Games

MyWinLocker

Norton AntiSpam

Norton AntiSpam

Norton AntiSpam

Norton AntiVirus 2005

Norton Ghost 10.0

Norton Internet Security

Norton Internet Security

Norton Protection Center

Norton Security Center

Norton Symantec Live Update A common component of Norton Symantec products

Office 2003 Trial Assistant

Orange Internet

PC-cillin Internet Security 12 Trend Micro

QuickBooks Trial

Quicken 2006 Possible Trial Version

Remove Empty Program Folders Looks for and removes empty ‘Program Files’ folders

Reset IE Home and Search Pages

Roxio Express Labeler

Roxio MyDVD LE

Roxio RecordNow

Sonic DLA

Sonic RecordNow Audio

Sonic RecordNow Copy

Sonic Update Manager

Tiscali Internet

Travelocity Gadget

Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 14

Vongo

Vongo

Wanadoo Europe Installer

Wild Tangent Games

Yahoo! Music Jukebox

Yahoo! Toolbar for Internet Explorer

System requirements: Windows XP, Vista, and Win 7.

Download at: Download.com

Note: PC Decrapifier is free for personal use only. If the application is used in a commercial environment “you will require a commercial license. The cost is $20 per “technician” (not per PC)”.

If you found this article useful, why not subscribe to this Blog via RSS, or email? It’s easy; just click on this link and you’ll never miss another Tech Thoughts article.

Free PC Decrapifier – Use It As A Bulk Uninstaller

You might think that a reader comment that goes something like this, is unusual – “I don’t know how this program ended up on my computer. One day, it just showed up.” Surprisingly, this is not an unusual comment.

In almost every case, the reader is referring to the trialware (crapware, bloatware), commonly preinstalled on major manufacturers computers. This is the type of thing that drives users buggy, since trying to figure out how to get rid of trialware is not as easy as it should be.

Luckily, there is a free application designed to specifically uninstall these annoyances – and that’s PC Decrapifier. It’s been a couple of years since I last posted on this terrific application, so today, I’ve taken another look.

The program does not need to be installed; simply run the executable. Or, if you prefer, you can run this application from a USB drive. You choose the items to be removed from a preconfigured list, and optionally, you can also create a restore point (highly recommended), to undo any changes.

Note: Since PC Decrapifier is written in a scripting language, you may get an security application warning. This warning (if you receive it), can safely be ignored.

The application, while designed to uninstall crapware, has additional functionality – as the following screen capture suggests. More on this in a moment.

Anytime changes are being considered, creating a restore point is always good practice.

In the following screen shot, you’ll notice the application has detected an application it considers crapware on my machine.

The following screen shot illustrates a relatively unknown aspect of PC Decrapifier – its ability to act as a bulk uninstaller. The user simply checks off those applications which are no longer needed; clicks “Next”, and the application will launch the appropriate uninstallers. A slightly better solution than the Add/Remove Program applet when uninstalling more than one application, I think.

Working with PC Decrapifier requires no particular skill. The application is “follow the bouncing ball” straightforward.

The following is the current list of software and items that PC Decrapifier can detect and remove. The list is generated from the items the program detects on your computer, and you then choose the items to be removed by the program automatically. What could be simpler than that?

Targeted applications:

AOL Install

AOL UK AOL 9.0, UK Version

AOL US AOL 9.0, US Version

BigFix

Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo XI

Corel Photo Album 6

Corel Snapfire Plus SE

Corel WordPerfect

Dell Search Assistant

Dell URL Assistant

Digital Content Portal

Earthlink Setup Files

Earthlink Setup Files

ESPN Motion

Get High Speed Internet!

Google Desktop

Google Desktop

Google Toolbar

Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer

HP Rhapsody

Internet Service Offers Launcher

Internet Service Offers Launcher

McAfee

Microsoft Office Activation Assistant 2007

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007

Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003

Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003

MS Plus Digital Media Installer

MS Plus Photo Story 2LE

MusicMatch Jukebox

MusicMatch Music Services

muvee autoProducer 5.0

My HP Games

MyWinLocker

Norton AntiSpam

Norton AntiSpam

Norton AntiSpam

Norton AntiVirus 2005

Norton Ghost 10.0

Norton Internet Security

Norton Internet Security

Norton Protection Center

Norton Security Center

Norton Symantec Live Update A common component of Norton Symantec products

Office 2003 Trial Assistant

Orange Internet

PC-cillin Internet Security 12 Trend Micro

QuickBooks Trial

Quicken 2006 Possible Trial Version

Remove Empty Program Folders Looks for and removes empty ‘Program Files’ folders

Reset IE Home and Search Pages

Roxio Express Labeler

Roxio MyDVD LE

Roxio RecordNow

Sonic DLA

Sonic RecordNow Audio

Sonic RecordNow Copy

Sonic Update Manager

Tiscali Internet

Travelocity Gadget

Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 14

Vongo

Vongo

Wanadoo Europe Installer

Wild Tangent Games

Yahoo! Music Jukebox

Yahoo! Toolbar for Internet Explorer

System requirements: Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

Download at: Download.com

Note: PC Decrapifier is free for personal use only.

If you found this article useful, why not subscribe to this Blog via RSS, or email? It’s easy; just click on this link and you’ll never miss another Tech Thoughts article.

New Symantec Cloud Based Security Solution for Small and Medium Sized Groups Announced

On the whole, businesses, at every level, have virtually the identical need to protect computer systems as you and I. It’s just a matter of degree.

Both businesses, and individuals, need protection against viruses, spyware, rootkits, spam, phishing, and other types of malware.

One major difference does exist however. You and I, at a personal level, uncomfortable as it may be, are likely to survive a malware infection with either limited, or no cost.

Not so a business. Computers, and automated business systems, have become crucial to the effective operation, and stability, of most businesses. Downtime, caused by cybercrime, can have lasting impact on a business’s long term viability and reputation.

Given the current threat conditions on the Internet, small and medium sized business, now, more than ever, need an effective cyber security plan. A plan that is relatively simple – but comprehensive, and in keeping with the realities of the present business environment – cost effective.

Based on these recognized needs, Symantec Hosted Services today announced a new cloud-based service, designed specifically with the SMB market in mind.

According to Symantec “Customers will now be able to protect their Windows-based laptops, desktops, and file servers from the proliferation and growing sophistication of threats with the simplicity and convenience of a cloud-based service.”

By taking advantage of this cloud based service, Symantec clients will realize considerable savings; since there is no need for additional hardware, or management software.

At the moment, Symantec Hosted Endpoint Protection is available only to customers in North America.

Fast facts:

Comprehensive Protection for Customer Systems: Advanced technologies for antivirus, antispyware, firewall and host intrusion prevention.

Always-on Protection for Endpoints: Automated updates occur transparently over an Internet connection to keep employee systems current and consistent with client policies when employees are in the office or on the road – even when they’re not logged into their corporate VPN.

Web-based Management Console: Administrators can access the administration portal over a supported Web-browser and corporate VPN access is not required to monitor and manage each computer. Administrators receive real-time alerts via SMS or email and can easily perform functions such as initiate a Live Update to refresh system protection levels, view history on systems and change local policy settings.

Ease of Management: Adds and manages new computers without requiring on-site management servers. Updates occur automatically and new features are introduced as they become available during the subscription period for no additional fee.

Scalable: Flexibility provided through a hosted model allows the solution to scale to incorporate new endpoints quickly and efficiently without requiring additional hardware or management software.

Fast to Deploy: Can be quickly deployed to users via standard download, an email invitation or silently pushed to the customer’s network.

To sign up for a Hosted Endpoint Free Trial visit Symantec’s MessageLabs.

About Symantec:

Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world.  Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. More information is available here.

If you found this article useful, why not subscribe to this Blog via RSS, or email? It’s easy; just click on this link and you’ll never miss another Tech Thoughts article.

Backup and Reinstall Drivers – Free Uniblue Scan

Still running your computer with outdated system and peripheral drivers? Well now you can do something about that.

The fact is, computer products/peripherals are often distributed with under tested device and system drivers, which can cause real mayhem including intermittent system crashes (one of the hardest problems to diagnose), poor system performance, or buggy peripheral performance.

Manufacturers of course, are not slackers when it comes to improving previously released drivers in order to fix bugs, errors and conflicts with other programs, (more common than you may think), or to increase peripheral functionality. For example, my HP home printer has had three improved drivers released in the past two years that have increased stability and functionality somewhat.

If you want to take a trip on the “Frustration Express” then you can try to update your drivers manually. Believe me; you’ll be in for a long and frustrating ride.

You’ll start by Googling the driver name, then investigation available drivers, many of which will have a disclaimer stating that it was not written specifically for your system/device, you’ll try it – then delete it and then your back to Googling again. Repeat the previous frustrating experience as many times as necessary and you might get lucky.

Uniblue Systems, a Microsoft Gold Certified provider and one of my favorite socially conscious software developers, who are noted in the computer tech community for freely providing, as a public service, the invaluable system tools ProcessLibrary, ProcessQuickLink, and ProcessScanner, has just released a terrific utility that takes care of all these problems for you.

(Click pic for larger)

DriverScanner will quickly scan your system, determine the drivers that have updates available, and will download and install the updated drivers which can provide you with increased system stability and more reliable system and peripheral performance. On my test bed system, DriverScanner found, in seconds, seven drivers that needed updating. Considering what I do for a living, and how fastidious I am in system maintenance, I was very impressed.

(Click pic for larger)

DriverScanner doesn’t stop there though.

Consider the last time you had to do a full re-install of Windows, (if you haven’t yet you will), and you discovered that the most frustrating part of the process was the installation of all those device drivers. The hassle you had searching high and low for the original install CD’s or worse, spending hours on the Internet tracking down those hard to pin down drivers.

DriverScanner makes it easy to backup and reinstall all your Windows drivers. Using DriverScanner, you simply backup and restore to and from external devices.

This is a great little application that should be part of your system and recovery toolbox.

Quick facts:

Driver scanner engine works via a single click

Identification of drivers requiring an update

Download of updated drivers specific to the hardware and OS

Comprehensive driver download history

Driver backup and restore to and from external devices

Triggering installations of the upgrades

Backup of current drivers and restore feature

Use of restore points as a backup plan in case of faulty drivers

Reporting of defective drivers directly from the interface

Clear and simple to use interface

This is a great little application that should be part of your recovery toolbox.

Requirements: Windows XP, Vista

Download the free scan at: Uniblue

Update Your Outdated Drivers – Free Uniblue Scan

Still running your computer with outdated system and peripheral drivers? Well now you can do something about that.

The fact is, computer products/peripherals are often distributed with under tested device and system drivers, which can cause real mayhem including intermittent system crashes (one of the hardest problems to diagnose), poor system performance, or buggy peripheral performance.

Manufacturers of course, are not slackers when it comes to improving previously released drivers in order to fix bugs, errors and conflicts with other programs, (more common than you may think), or to increase peripheral functionality. For example, my HP home printer has had three improved drivers released in the past two years that have increased stability and functionality somewhat.

If you want to take a trip on the “Frustration Express” then you can try to update your drivers manually. Believe me; you’ll be in for a long and frustrating ride.

You’ll start by Googling the driver name, then investigation available drivers, many of which will have a disclaimer stating that it was not written specifically for your system/device, you’ll try it – then delete it and then your back to Googling again. Repeat the previous frustrating experience as many times as necessary and you might get lucky.

Uniblue Systems, a Microsoft Gold Certified provider and one of my favorite socially conscious software developers, who are noted in the computer tech community for freely providing, as a public service, the invaluable system tools ProcessLibrary, ProcessQuickLink, and ProcessScanner, has just released a terrific utility that takes care of all these problems for you.

DriverScanner will quickly scan your system, determine the drivers that have updates available, and will download and install the updated drivers which can provide you with increased system stability and more reliable system and peripheral performance. On my test bed system, DriverScanner found, in seconds, seven drivers that needed updating. Considering what I do for a living, and how fastidious I am in system maintenance, I was very impressed.

DriverScanner doesn’t stop there though.

Consider the last time you had to do a full re-install of Windows, (if you haven’t yet you will), and you discovered that the most frustrating part of the process was the installation of all those device drivers. The hassle you had searching high and low for the original install CD’s or worse, spending hours on the Internet tracking down those hard to pin down drivers.

DriverScanner makes it easy to backup and reinstall all your Windows drivers. Using DriverScanner, you simply backup and restore to and from external devices.

This is a great little application that should be part of your system and recovery toolbox.

Quick facts:

Driver scanner engine works via a single click

Identification of drivers requiring an update

Download of updated drivers specific to the hardware and OS

Comprehensive driver download history

Driver backup and restore to and from external devices

Triggering installations of the upgrades

Backup of current drivers and restore feature

Use of restore points as a backup plan in case of faulty drivers

Reporting of defective drivers directly from the interface

Clear and simple to use interface.

This is a great little application that should be part of your recovery toolbox.

Requirements: Windows XP, Vista

Download the scan at: Uniblue

DriverScanner from Uniblue – Update Your Outdated Drivers

Incredibly, computer products/peripherals are often distributed with under tested device and system drivers, which can cause real mayhem including intermittent system crashes (one of the hardest problems to diagnose), poor system performance, or buggy peripheral performance.

Manufacturers of course, are not slackers when it comes to improving previously released drivers in order to fix bugs, errors and conflicts with other programs, (more common than you may think), or to increase peripheral functionality. For example, my HP home printer has had three improved drivers released in the past two years that have increased stability and functionality somewhat.

If you want to take a trip on the “Frustration Express” then you can try to update your drivers manually. Believe me; you’ll be in for one hell of a ride.

You’ll start by Googling the driver name, then investigation available drivers, many of which will have a disclaimer stating that it was not written specifically for your system/device, you’ll try it – then delete it and then your back to Googling again. Repeat the previous frustrating experience as many times as necessary and you might get lucky.

Uniblue Systems, a Microsoft Gold Certified provider and one of my favorite socially conscious software developers, who are noted in the computer tech community for freely providing, as a public service, the invaluable system tools ProcessLibrary, ProcessQuickLink, and ProcessScanner, has just released a terrific utility that takes care of all these problems for you.

DriverScanner will quickly scan your system, determine the drivers that have updates available, and will download and install the updated drivers which can provide you with increased system stability and more reliable system and peripheral performance. On my test bed system, DriverScanner found, in seconds, seven drivers that needed updating. Considering what I do for a living, and how fastidious I am in system maintenance, I was very impressed.

DriverScanner doesn’t stop there though.

Consider the last time you had to do a full re-install of Windows, (if you haven’t yet you will), and you discovered that the most frustrating part of the process was the installation of all those device drivers. The hassle you had searching high and low for the original install CD’s or worse, spending hours on the Internet tracking down those hard to pin down drivers.

DriverScanner makes it easy to backup and reinstall all your Windows drivers. Using DriverScanner, you simply backup and restore to and from external devices.

This is a great little application that should be part of your system and recovery toolbox.

Quick facts:

Driver scanner engine works via a single click

Identification of drivers requiring an update

Download of updated drivers specific to the hardware and OS

Comprehensive driver download history

Driver backup and restore to and from external devices

Triggering installations of the upgrades

Backup of current drivers and restore feature

Use of restore points as a backup plan in case of faulty drivers

Reporting of defective drivers directly from the interface

Clear and simple to use interface.

This is a great little application that should be part of your recovery toolbox.

Requirements: Windows XP, Vista

Download the trial version at Uniblue

Kick the Crap out of PC Crap with Free PC Decrapifier!

Is your Windows XP or Vista machine loaded with preinstalled crap? Tired of trying to figure out how to get rid of it? Then you’re in luck. Read on.

PC Decrapifier is a free uninstall utility that is specifically designed to remove nearly all of that trial and promotional software that’s been driving you buggy.

The program does not need to be installed, simply unzip and run, or if you prefer you can run this application from a USB drive. You choose the items to be removed from a list, and you can also create a restore point (highly recommended), to undo any changes.

The following is the current list of software and items that PC Decrapifier can detect and remove. The list is generated from the items the program detects on your computer, and you then choose the items to be removed by the program automatically. What could be simpler than that?

Targeted Applications:

• AOL Install
• AOL UK
• AOL US
• Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo XI
• Corel Photo Album 6
• Corel Snapfire Plus SE
• Corel WordPerfect
• Dell Search Assistant
• Dell URL Assistant
• OpenDNS Blog
• Desktop Icons Removes Unnecessary Desktop Icons
• Digital Content Portal
• Earthlink Setup Files
• ESPN Motion
• Get High Speed Internet!
• Google Desktop
• Google Toolbar
• HP Rhapsody
• Internet Service Offers Launcher
• McAfee
• Microsoft Office Activation Assistant 2007
• Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007
• Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003
• MS Plus Digital Media Installer
• MS Plus Photo Story 2LEMusicMatch Jukebox
• MusicMatch Music Services
• muvee autoProducer 5.0
• NetZero Installers
• Norton AntiSpam
• Norton AntiVirus 2005
• Norton Ghost 10.0
• Norton Internet Security
• Norton Internet Security
• Norton Protection Center
• Norton Security Center
• Norton Symantec Live Update
• Office 2003 Trial Assistant
• Orange Internet
• PC-cillin Internet Security 12 Trend Micro
• QuickBooks Trial
• Reset IE Home and Search Pages
• Roxio Express LabelerRoxio Easy Media Creator
• Roxio MyDVD LE
• Roxio RecordNow
• Sonic DLA
• Sonic RecordNow Audio
• Sonic RecordNow Copy
• Sonic Update Manager
• Tiscali Internet
• Travelocity Gadget
• Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 14
• Unnecessary Startup Items
• Vongo
• Wanadoo Europe Installer
• Wild Tangent Games
• Yahoo! Music Jukebox
• Yahoo! Toolbar for Internet Explorer

Download at: Download.com

Monitor Computer Usage with KeyProwler – PC Monitoring Application and Key Logger

One of my friends has three teenaged boys so it’s no coincidence that I’m called on every few months to clean his home system of spyware, adware, and occasionally, other forms of malware. Despite his setting up clear rules for use for the computer, covering such issues as pornographic web sites, peer to peer downloading, and to some extent social engineering concerns on such sites as FaceBook, teenaged boys will be teenaged boys.

One of the problems of course in assigning blame for the misuse of a PC where there is more than one user involved, is the “I didn’t do it” issue. In the past, he has been faced with the impossible task of trying to assign the responsibility for breaking the rules to the suspected guilty party. Now there may be a solution.

Enter the PC monitoring/Key logger application. I know that there are those who will consider this an overreaction; not many are comfortable with the idea of spying on others. On the other hand, there are those who will find this solution to be appropriate; particularly where system security, and potentially personal security are involved.

KeyProwler is a monitoring application for Windows that is easy to setup and easy to use which allows the user to remotely monitor any PC, secretly or not. It runs completely hidden and does not appear in the start menu, add/remove applet, or in the task manager.

The knowledge that such an application will be running on my friend’s computer, may act as the deterrent it is intended to be, and perhaps convince the boys to follow the rules and act more responsibly (my friend’s definition), while using the family computer.

For those who are more seriously concerned with remotely monitoring a PC, then this application may well be the right tool for you. Following a simply installation, the program records all activity on the computer and will transmit log files directly to the user’s email inbox. No complex email setup is required, simply enter the email address and KeyProwler does the rest. Start/Stop buttons make logging easy.

As well, KeyProwler lets you read messages sent on MySpace, FaceBook or any other internet site, and snaps a screenshot of pages viewed.

Quick facts:

• Employee monitoring
• Child monitoring
• Educational monitoring
• Recover MySpace passwords
• Recover forgotten usernames, passwords
• Recover typed documents
• Get your child’s password and username
• Get MySpace and FaceBook passwords
• View Emails
• View hidden password boxes
• View Instant Message conversations
• View MySpace messages
• Web Browsers and Search Engines
• View all applications
• Copies Clipboard
• Pictures and profiles viewed
• Captures keyboard input

 

Requirements: Windows 98| NT| 2000| XP| Vista

Download 30 day trial version at: KeyProwler