Clean Windows Laptops

[FapFilter]

Hi,
As my purchase of my next laptop is imminent, i'd like to ask if there are brands that also sell their laptops with clean Windows installations with just the dedicated drivers and nothing else regarding bloatware and virus scanners, etc.?

[chk071]

Difficult. Maybe someone else knows, but, all my laptops or desktops always came with some "bloatware" (that's of course always up to the user... my bloatware isn't your bloatware etc.).

Nothing prevents you from doing a clean Windows install yourself though.

[askoan]

Aren't all the installed "craps" uninstallable via "add or remove programs" ?

[RugerioDelStereo]

Mu advise would be to get the laptop you want, get a seperate copy of Windows and do a clean install. It's cumbersome but probably the only way to get a relatively barebones Windows experience.

[chk071]

Mu advise would be to get the laptop you want, get a seperate copy of Windows and do a clean install.

It's easy peasy these days. Just create a USB installer with this tool.

I would still run the setup routine of the pre-installed Windows though, and setup your Microsoft account there, so that the pre-installed Windows' license gets tied to your account. You can then install Windows again, and it will be authorized with the "digital" license in your Microsoft account.

Maybe there's another way to do it, like, reading out the key, but, I think the easiest solution is to tie the license to your account.

[Passing Bye]

Clean install is 10 minute job tops…

[FapFilter]

Aren't all the installed "craps" uninstallable via "add or remove programs" ?

Yes, they are uninstalable, but the bloat already began and can be pretty tedious to manually find and erase everything related from the registry, dead paths, etc. because the uninstall routines in Windows are and have always been crap.

[FapFilter]

Clean install is 10 minute job tops…

Never had to reinstall Windows since 7, so you are saying i can make a “clean install“ myself with any bloated state of Windows?

[donkey tugger]

Aren't all the installed "craps" uninstallable via "add or remove programs" ?

Yes, they are uninstalable, but the bloat already began and can be pretty tedious to manually find and erase everything related from the registry, dead paths, etc. because the uninstall routines in Windows are and have always been crap.

https://geekuninstaller.com

I've found to be pretty good for this, and free.

[FapFilter]

Thanks, but i have an (maybe unfounded) aversion to such tools in general, especially if they are bloating the registry themself and usually trust myself more. Not saying this one does it too of course.
Doing it manually costs much more time though.

[The Noodlist]

Clean install is 10 minute job tops…

Drivers could also be backed up with "Double Driver Portable"
https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/detail ... river.html
https://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Sy ... iver.shtml
https://www.techspot.com/downloads/6179 ... river.html

[The Noodlist]

Mu advise would be to get the laptop you want, get a seperate copy of Windows and do a clean install.

It's easy peasy these days. Just create a USB installer with this tool.

I would still run the setup routine of the pre-installed Windows though, and setup your Microsoft account there, so that the pre-installed Windows' license gets tied to your account. You can then install Windows again, and it will be authorized with the "digital" license in your Microsoft account.

Maybe there's another way to do it, like, reading out the key, but, I think the easiest solution is to tie the license to your account.

Would it be an OEM license rather than retail?
And would OEM software be require to activate it?
https://theunitysoft.com/ offer cheap licenses from £6.99, I've had no issues.

[chk071]

I'm not even sure now if the license isn't written in the UEFI (in that case, activation will be automatic, when you install Windows again). Don't want to state anything untrue, maybe someone else knows better than me.

[chk071]

Clean install is 10 minute job tops…

Never had to reinstall Windows since 7, so you are saying i can make a “clean install“ myself with any bloated state of Windows?

Yes, that's the point.

As mentioned, I'm not sure about the license/authorization now though, you should clear that up before attempting a new install. I always did with the licenses that are digitally tied to my Microsoft account.

[FapFilter]

True, but the only solution i knew was to make a backup installation from the current state of Windows, so all the manufacturer's bloatware would be present again. But if everything is 100% wiped i'm perfectly fine with that and this topic can be considered answered