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)”.
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