Just bought HP Laptop - what to uninstall?

[tovig]

Just got a new HP laptop, and there's ton of programs that are probably useless. Any hints on what to remove. In paticular, is any of the MediaSmat stuff required, or should I purge it all?

[Mumbodog]

I would not suggest removing everything, here is a program that targets the crapware

http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/features

[HaggisCat]

Depending on what versions of Media Smart you have and the Media Smart Smart Menu, if you uninstall to many things or all of it your volume OSD will stop working. You will still be able to adjust the volume, but the OSD will not appear on the screen.

 The OSD volume control software is in the Media Smart Smart Menu and not in the Quick Launch button software.

Also if you have a Blu-ray player DO NOT remove Media Smart DVD.

 Upload a screen shot of "Programs and Features" in the control panel and I can tell you what you don't really need or at least what it's all for. Use you snipping tool to copy a picture of it in "Pictures" and then simply upload it to the site.

 Like this :

 Click on the attachment, you will notice that on my dv8 the complete lack of HP software that is gone.

[tovig]

[HaggisCat]

Red 

These are necessary to run you computer with the exception of “HP Tone Control” and HP Wireless Assistant. You may uninstall these and you would loose the function and the OSD of your bass & treble, although you can go into “Sound” in the control panel and adjust the bass & treble from there.

HP Wireless Assistant is not necessary, but it does help to keep the Bluetooth radio on in the BIOS. I have uninstalled from my dv8 and every now and then the radio simply switches itself off and I have to reboot to turn it on again. I believe that if the Wireless Assistant was installed, that this would not happen.

 Blue

All of these applications are primarily used when you are on the Web. Microsoft Silverlight can be uninstalled, but some applications do run better with it. I don’t have it installed and I don’t really miss it. It’s a bit of a resource hog, so if you have a slow processor, then you may want to uninstall it.

Adobe Reader is necessary for reading PDF files and should be left alone.

Green

The Windows live applications are just that. They enable you to communicate with others using these windows tools. I do not use them and I find then annoying as they are constantly prompting you to sign up and register.

Google “Drop Box” and “Skype” and you may decide for yourself if you want to use these applications. They are certainly not necessary and if you uninstall them and find you want them later, you can always reinstall them from their web page.

Pink

All of these are self explanatory and again you may decide for yourself if you want to uninstall them if you want. Go into your recovery manager in “All Programs” and find “Software Program Reinstallation” Before uninstalling them make sure they are listed there. Some of them are only loaded at the factory and are not available from the recovery manager or you support page. Ounce uninstalled they are gone for good and you may have to pay for the software to get them back.

Black

I strongly recommend that these be left alone. They interact and provide the correct registry files so that the non-Windows programs will run in the Windows environment.

Purple

If you plan on paying for Microsoft Office then these trials should be left alone. You may uninstall them if you wish as they may be downloaded as a trial again from Microsoft.

Grey

You may leave these on the hard drive if you find that their use does not give any problems. They can be troublesome in the fact that they stop working suddenly or give out incorrect information. There have been a number of people here that have allowed HP Update to install a new BIOS and it turned out to be the wrong one. There laptops are essentially corrupted beyond use. There is a way to repair this, but it generally requires that the computer be sent back to HP.

The HP Quick Launch software is a bit of an enigma. There are some applications on a HP laptop where the software is necessary, but I found that when I uninstalled it from my dv8, all my hot-keys still functioned normally. If you uninstall it and something stops working it can always be reinstalled from the recovery manager or your support page.

I have left Mozilla Firefox and McAfee as they need no explanation.

I have Googled the meaning of “Microsoft SQL 2005 Compatible Edition” and found the explanation confusing and useless. I do not know what that is for.

I am sure someone here will tell you. If you want to uninstall it can be installed later from Microsoft.

Many of these applications can be disabled in msconfig if you do not feel comfortable uninstalling them. This may be preferable to do that first as some times reinstallation does not go well.

Type in msconfig in the search box and look for “Start Up” in the heading bar. There you can disable what you want.

[Comptronic]

@HaggisCat

I'm going to give you kudos and I didn't even ask this question.

I know this has nothing to do with the original question but I must say that I am impressed by your answer.  You took the time to give GREAT information. 

[HaggisCat]

Thanks Comptronic !

 I was accused, literally just a few minutes ago of OCD ( Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) and I guess my answer supports that accusation. 

[Mumbodog]

I think your OCD is going to pay off on your PhD studies!

[ro13jimmy]

my battery  is not charging even thought the charger is working well

[Demongod]

is there any way you can check my list?