The Big Brands - Which Is Best? Part 2 - Software

The Big Brands - Which Is Best - Part 2

Ok so in the first installment of this little mini series we discussed the hardware of the big brands.  Well now let's talk about software. 

I could be wrong, but from what I have seen, all of the big brands come with various types of software already installed.  Anti virus programs are common in all of them, which usually is Norton or McAffee (and if you have looked at some of my past blog posts you know how I feel about those two).  Some will have Microsoft Works, some kind of DVD burning/watching software, Adobe and other programs. 

They all also like to include specialized programs.  For instance, Gateway likes to install a program called Big Fix, while Dell machines have something similar called Dell Online Support.  Both of these programs are constantly connected to the Internet and are designed to deliver all of your software and hardware updates.  They also like to send you messages and sometimes will do other little things.  HP, Sony, Acer and Lenovo also have programs like these, I just can't remember what they are called. 

HP also likes to install a program called HP Organizer, which despite it's name, is not easy to navigate, use, or even look at. 

Regardless of which big brand you have or are thinking of getting, it's going to come with all kinds of software already installed, some of which you will use, most of which you won't.  To go along with that, half of the software they install is also configured to start up when you boot your computer.  This of course causes Windows to boot much slower as it has to start up all these programs.  It doesn't matter if you have the latest, fastest, Core 2 Duo with 2gb of fast memory and a large fast hard drive.  If the amount of programs running next to your system clock extends half way across your screen when you expand it, then your computer is going to be impaired. 

So when it comes to deciding which of the big brands is best, we don't get a lot of help for any of them when it comes to their software.  Every single one of them installs a vast amount of software that isn't necessary to operate the machine.  So in that regard they all fail.

If you know how to do it, I highly recommend formatting the hard drive of your newly purchased big name brand computer.  All of them come with the OEM Windows key on the side or back.  Use that key to reinstall your operating system, and then use the net to get the software you really want. 

What's funny about all of this is, I am not exactly free of the same faults with the new computers I build for people.  When a customer purchases a new system from me, it comes with an assortment of software to insure that their computer will be able to perform all the basic functions that they need to do.  Here is a list of what I pre-install on my customers machines.

Windows or Linux - With all the latest critical updates
Hardware Drivers - All the latest directly from the manufacturers website
Anti Virus Program - Customers choice but usually Avast or AVG
Office Suite - Sometimes Microsoft Office (if the customer wants to pay for it), but usually OpenOffice
Adobe Reader - The latest version from the Adobe website
DVD/CD Software - Whatever came with their burner, usually Nero 7 Essentials
Adobe Flash Player - Because its pretty much a requirement for web browsing
Java Runtime Environment - Another requirement for web browsing
Anti Spyware - Customers choice but usually Spbot and Ad-Aware combined

I set up all the programs so that only the absolute essentials start up when the OS starts like Avast.  Otherwise everything else only starts when the customer initiates it from the desktop.  By doing this the customer is ensured that when they boot their computer for the first time, that it will boot quickly and be ready to go with most all basic computer tasks.

As for the big brands I personally feel that they all fail in this department.  In an effort to make sure that the customer has everything they need, that have over done it and the end result is a computer that runs slower and takes forever to boot up. 

Again, if you purchase a new computer from a big brand, the very first thing you should do with it before anything else is format the hard drive and re-install the operating system, hardware drivers, and software from scratch to ensure that you have a computer that runs and performs the way you want it to and not they way the big brand thinks you want it to.  This is especially true for machines running Vista with only 1gb of memory. 

If any of you know of big brands that ship computers with minimal software, please let us know. 

In part 3 we will be discussing support and customer service in which we will really need some input from all of you.  I have dealt with a few of them when it comes to customer support, but only a few.  As I am writing this part, I am still compiling information for part 3, so it should be a good one.