Why pcs are crap

Don't think that you can use that nifty Windows 10 feature to refresh or reset your PC. It doesn't work, because most hardware makers have baked the crapware into the version of Windows that they give you to refresh the PC. To do this successfully you'll have to get a clean copy of Windows, either from Microsoft or from the company that sold you the PC good luck with that. When it comes to Android devices then the problem is even more dire, with some crapware so deeply embedded as to be impossible to remove unless you root the system and load a third-party version of Android over the top.

I understand the economics of the tech industry and sympathize with hardware makers who have to operate in such a cutthroat business.

Crapware can make the difference between almost no profit and a little profit, especially on budget systems.

I also accept that there isn't much Microsoft or Google can do to about it other than sell devices that don't have any crapware installed. Microsoft offers the Signature range of PCs while Google sells Pixel devices , which are free from crapware.

If you're looking for a pure Windows or Android experience, then this might be a direction worth investigating. You could also build your own PC I guess.

One of the reasons I started building my own PCs was the hassle I was having removing crapware. Alternatively, switch to Apple. In no way does this put you in a world where things no longer give you gray hairs , but at least you won't have any crapware to deal with. Or there's Linux. But in all seriousness, if it's Windows you need for whatever reason, telling people to "go Apple" or "go Linux" doesn't really help.

Maybe if more people complained or voted with their feet and purchased crapware-free products then perhaps OEMs could be persuaded to make it easier to remove. Let me close with a suggested "crapware best practices" for hardware makers. This would allow them to continue to earn revenue from installing crapware, without making life hell for their customers:. Tech Turkeys The worst products and services of the year. Kyndryl and Microsoft forge cloud, digital transformation partnership.

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There are far too many apps and services to create a succinct list of what's likely slowing down a PC, but that doesn't mean there aren't likely culprits. Here are some of the top issues that we all experience on a PC.

After watching your system running slow with Task Manager open, you may have noticed that your antivirus software is routinely near the top of the list. Antivirus software can slow down your system while it's actively scanning your computer for malware and viruses. Instead of letting your antivirus program scan whenever it sees fit, schedule it to run at times when you're not likely to be using your PC, such as overnight or during your lunch hour. Changing the schedule for scans will depend on the program you use, but generally you can open the app and go to the settings pane.

If your PC takes forever to be responsive after you log into your Windows account, then you probably have far too many apps trying to run at startup.

You can edit the list of apps and services that begin running when you log in to your computer by opening Task Manager and clicking on the Startup tab. Go through the list and remove anything that you don't need to have loaded and ready the moment your PC turns on by clicking the app name, followed by Disable.

Your web browser could be the culprit, especially if you've lost count of the number of windows and tabs you have open. Each browser window and tab takes up memory and processing power and, over time, that will begin to slow down your PC. You can view a breakdown of extensions and tabs that could be to blame in Task Manager by clicking on the arrow next to your browser's name.

Alternatively, if you use Chrome, it has a built-in task manager of its own. If you find that your browser is often causing your PC to slow to a crawl, try a different browser or keep an eye on how many tabs or windows you have open at a given time.