Direct2Dell

How sweet is revenge. Thanks to all of the posts here, which we read only minutes after ordering six new Inspirons, we were able to cancel the order before it shipped, and we made certain that Dell knew that we cancelled exclusively because of our inability to remove URL Assistant. 

Many thanks to all of you. Do you realize that nearly every single post here is has an unhappy customer? Mr. Dell must be otherwise occupied.

i wonder if if cheeper if they just send a Dell box with styroform peanuts!) (lol)

on second hand you need just the controlers (drivers) like network in you intend to download ubunto. there are software like microsoft's stedy state. which blocks out unaurtherized installs (e.g. firefox.exe) and create guest accounts so users can customize there enviorments and keep them from messing up your conrigurations. (remember that "no-internet" lady?)

The moral of all this being - don't even bother with a Dell system, build your own, get a small OEM to build it (or email me of course) who will actually listen and not install unwanted garbage on the system. Dell, you shot yourselves in the foot here with what could have been a positive move on your part and yet became just the opposite. It's now February 2008 and yet no real move on Dell's part to get rid of the bloatware and nothing from  Michelle Pearcy, WW Client Software Manager  (or whatever luckless soul they've hired to lie to the public now) by way of response to the many valid points that have been raised here. I predict that within 2 years, Dell will cease to exist.

I recently had to do a PC restore which was when I learned that Norton Ghost is used for this.  I had seen no evidence of it on my computer before.  Now it is in my system tray wanting my to buy it before it expires.  I want to delete it but don't want to lose the original configuration info it provides if I ever have to restore again.  Am I safe to delete it?

 Jamie, get Ubuntu. Then you can have all the languages you want for free.

I have a Dell dimension 3000 which came with the preinstalled XP. I recently began learning korean so i wanted to install the east asian languages. When I attempted to I got a message that said to input the service pack 2 disc but the only disc I recieved from dell was the XP reinstall disc which will not load the asian fonts

Get rid of mcafee and norton, they both bloatware.Toolbars in IE are bloatware, and i dont care if its yahoo or google.

Whatever happend to trends pc-cilin?

"PS - Worried about support?  First, I have yet to have any kind of problem with my system, just do a little homework up front and you are perfectly fine.  Second, whatever problem you find, you will certainly find a credible answer on the internet hours before a Dell support tech can give you an answer. "

Dude your forgetting that not everyone knows how to use the internet and even worse use a computer. And you get people askign support that their internet is not working after being told that their provider cant help them.  

Build your own PC.  I just recently did that and it blows away anything that Dell has to offer in both performance, quality and price.  I did break down and got a licensed retail version of XP Pro and used that for the new system.  OEM XP software from dell has limitations on licensing and what you get from Dell always has Dell BS in it.  Windows provides the ability for manufacturers such as Dell to customize the XP installation for their OEM XP software they provide, and believe me, they do.  It is so nice to be rid of Dell and on my own.

PS - Worried about support?  First, I have yet to have any kind of problem with my system, just do a little homework up front and you are perfectly fine.  Second, whatever problem you find, you will certainly find a credible answer on the internet hours before a Dell support tech can give you an answer. 

Putting $900 worth of parts into an older Dell computer does not seem like sound professional IT advice. Computer crashed about a month later, no help or anything.

Much agreed--I am the IT department of a company with just under 100 end users.  We buy dell for the price and quality of warranty support.  with buying mostly latitudes and optiplexes (business class machines) there is less "bloatware," but there is nothing like formatting a system and installing just the OS and drivers.  looking forward to putting a WSUS server in place to reduce config time too.  In my opinion, always get the windows media CD even if it's stamped with dell's logo; it is just an OEM windows CD that will give you a virgin OS (I'm speaking XP here, no experience yet with vista).  as for drivers I always go directly to support.dell.com and download the newest drivers for the Service Tag; and only the ones I need (Chipset, audio, video, NIC, and dell quickconnect for laptops)  the challenge is deciding on the driver type you need (eg Broadcom or Intel etc when it comes to NICs)  Also, I don't bother with the drivers and utilities CD's out of the box because even that makes you install the dell resources program which bloats the system "in order to make it easier to install hardware/system drivers."--if you get the proper drivers from the support site you're going to get newer driver versions than the Resource CD anyway--especially if you're re-imaging a few years after your box shipped.--95% of the time getting the drivers from the site won't steer you wrong.

That's what i have.

Id love to buy a Dell PC but I wont buy one due to the Bloat-ware.

A PC (Personal Computer) is just that, Personal to me. I should be able to decide what I do and dont want on the system.

 If I BYO any dell system, I can decide if I want XP or Vista, I dont recall sellecting fill-er-up will Bloat-ware.

Their should be a tick box when BYO system where you can either select to have the Bloat-ware installed or just simply the OS and the relevent drivers for your machine etc.

That way, people who are tech savey can pass on the Bloat-ware, and people who arnt so techy and think that the Bloat-ware is added value can select to have it.

I agree with many others here who insist that the bundled software (including Google Desktop, AOL, Earthlink, etc) should be an option that we can choose not to have. We love our Dells (we have bought 3 within the past year) but it's disgusting to pay so much for a computer and yet be unable to avoid this unwanted bloatware.

Some people like it - great. I personally hate AOL software and don't want it to touch my computer, not even a single icon. Simply give the rest of us a chance to uncheck a box during the ordering process so we don't have to clean up our computers when they arrive. This shouldn't be available only on certain computer models. It's an option all Dell customers should have access to.

Also, one other note: OS and other important software should come on cds with every new computer -- this should be a standard procedure!

Having spent endless hours in the past deinstalling bloatwares from my wife's, my son's, and my own dell desktops (sometimes unsuccessfully) and in the process having been rattled almost to the point of taking a hammer to them just before embarking on buying a dell laptop (taking advantage of the current promotional offerings) I accidentally hit on this blogpage. And glad am I! This blogsite just reminded me how much time I will waste and how frustrated and angry I might be again if I do that.

Thanks fellows. You have cooled my greed to take advantage of a huge dell sales in laptops. I skip. I'm going to check out Macs. I hate to "undo"  things, pay for things I don't need and especially don't want (even if it is with my own labor). And I really hate to get angry.

This is a good article. The added trashware added to Dells' has definitely got worse over the last 5 years - I notice each new incarnation of pre-loaded rubbish as the months roll by. Its worse than any of the other big players and definitely taints the Dell brand (negatively).

 
The typical Dell Dimension system has 20 programs that slow the system (despite what has been said) and just confuse customers - and which time out. Remember Dell get paid to put this software on so it does subsidise the hardware to some extent, but personally Im sick of removing countless picture viewers, AV packages, browser add-ins, Google add-ons, network helpers, system updaters and ISP signups.

Users spend more time closing the pop-ups these produce than working so they all get removed as soon as a Dell hits the desk.
 

If you want virtually no software be aware that the Optiplex range have a far  smaller trashware footprint as business users wont stand for 20 irrelevant programs being loaded - so selecting from that range is a good idea but they generally cost more. The only rubbish on then is usually the Norton AV solution which slows your PC back to 2003 speeds (try AVG).

Also be aware that if you run the Dell OS restore CD - which is just an OEM XP installation CD - you do NOT get all the rubbish re-loaded (which some people don't seem to realise).
 

I just ordered an E1505. I called Dell to tell them I only want the OS installed.

.... What? ....

I just want the OS, no AOL, no extras, no proprietary software, no trial software, no bloatware. Just the OS.

.... Sir, we don't uninstall software ....

No, I don't want you to uninstall it, I don't want it installed to begin with. I want a clean OS with no add-ons.

.... We can't do that sir ....

I quoted Dells words from this article.

.... That's not an option sir ....

OK, I want the OS install media, not an image backup, the media to reinstall.

.... Sir, a recovery disk comes with the computer ....

No, I want the installation media so I can wipe the system when it arrives and install a virgin OS.

.... Sir, I can connect you to our software sales if you'd like ....

Are you telling me that if I want a virgin install of Vista, I'm going to have to spend $199.95 + when I've already paid for the OS on the Dell laptop?

Why should I pay Dell for software I don't want and is steeling clock cycles.

Don't try to tell me that uninstall uninstalls everything. I know better.

Dell, if you really are giving this option to your customers, tell your people.

My only option, when the laptop arrives, make a forensic image, wipe, and then re-install.

If I have a problem with the machine later, put the image back and call Dell.

What a waste.

I am sorely tempted to buy a no OS laptop, but the Dell hardware is superior. I just wish they'd get their act together on the OS.

I purchased an E1505 last fall and, as per SOP, reformatted the harddrive and made a dual-boot Linux/XP system.  Unfortunately, the XP CD I had paid the extra $10 to Dell for had none of the appropriate drivers for my chipset, etc.  In addition, the drivers supplied by dell seemed to have irreversibly pooched the system.  My video flickered when connected to an external source, and the audio sounded choppy.  Every so often, the computer would freeze when writing or reading large files.  This continued after three (3) complete changeovers of the computer innards, and a re-reformat of the XP system.
 

Now, I'm relatively tech-savvy, but I've still had a bear of a time getting this fixed.  After four months of non-fixes, I've recently had the entire computer replaced, but am afraid to do a reformat, as I'd actually like to use the computer this time.

It's interesting to note, however, that the drive partitions are completely different from my last box -- gone is the Norton Ghost, etc.  But all of the bloatware is present.

My suggestion: please double check to include the appropriate drivers on your replacement CDs, keep them up to date, and make a FAQ for the very large community of people who appreciate Dell's commitment to their warranties, but really hate the extra crap you load on the boxes.  This experience definitely makes me think twice about buying Dells. 

I was keen to here that Dell now provide an easy way to uninstall all the extras they put on.....only to find that that facility is not on my Inspiron 6400. Is it a UK thing?

Not only that but I have just spent the best part of a week trying to resolve a severe peformance problem after I had installed MS Outlook 2003. It turns out that a pre-loaded "Outlook Addin" was causing the problem, but this took uninstalling everything methodically until I found the problem.

What a waste of time when it was important that I got up and running quickly. I do feel a little let down as I have enjoyed my old Dell laptop which has lasted (just) for 6 years.

Have you made any internal tests on how long it actually takes for the customer when they get the machine.

I just spent 3 hours cleaning an Inspiron 6400.

It frankly raises the total cost of getting the computer to the user to a level where it is not competitive. Consequently we are not going to be ordering anymore Dell’s before we can get them without the bloatware.

If you can make an online system that configures the PC, surely you can extend it so people can select the bloatware they want?

I posted on this blog back in August regarding an XPS system I bought that came filled with bloatware -- including some software that created problems with the computer's functioning.  I read about other people's experiences buying an XPS with the "no pre-installed software" option and was about to try that option.  I'm posting this to update folks on my experience.

I returned my first purchase and, after speaking to a person at Dell Corporate who was intimately involved in the bloatware issue, I re-ordered the system from the Dell website, this time opting for the "no preinstalled software" choice.  This choice is alternatively referred to as "limited preinstalled software", and that's the more appropriate name.  The Dell Corporate guy gave me a heads-up that the computer would come with less software but not "no".

Unfortunately, I can back up what Cassius wrote: when the machine arrived, it was pre-loaded with plenty of software, and specifically more software than the Dell Corporate guy had informed me would be there.  In particular, Google Toolbar was there, as well as a long list of other stuff I recognized from my first purchase.  This was obviously disappointing.  I can attest that there were indeed fewer pre-installed programs.  One program that was absent was AOL, which was quite a relief as it was one of the programs I had specifically complained about.  But through my experiences with both machines I'd learned a bit about dealing with bloatware issues, and I took the time to remove software I didn't want.  I also found a way to solve the "endless hourglass" problem (described in my post above) using msconfig.  My machine currently seems to be running well.

I applaud Dell for beginning to offer the "limited pre-installed software" option, though I request that they please do issue a clear list of what pieces of software will be included on such computers.  I'm posting this follow-up to inform people who may be in a similar position I was in, as to what to expect if they go this route.

I was horrified to find my brand new Dimension C521 filled with bloatware.  I am totally sick of the aggressive marketing of McAfee, with both PC manufacturers and broadband suppliers foisting it onto unwilling customers as if they were doing us some kind of favour.

I wa hoping for a quick uninstall of McAfee so that I could replace it with AVG, which is both unobtrusive and highly effective.  Unfortunately, McAfee isn't even listed in my "Add/Uninstall Programs" menu (the only part of it which is listed as an uninstall option is the McAfee Uninstall program itself... if that makes sense). 

So much for Dell's use of this blog to demonstrate their intent to become more responsive to customer issues. In review of all of the comments regarding bloatware, I see practically nothing here in the way of response from Dell that would suggest that Dell will  ever do anything different besides continuing to cram their trialware and adware down our throats.

Common issues include:

1)   Sales reps confirming that no bloatware is to be installed per "limited software install,"  yet so many customers are reporting that their new Dell systems continue to arrive as bloated as ever.

2)   Dell's chronic failure to ship the MS operating system disks which would enable customers to do a complete wipe and clean install.

3)   Dell's continued insistance that their customers WANT the bloatware and/or recommendations for software to run on their new Dell machines.

Dell's new blog has been a horrible failure as far as doing anything meaningful to address customer issues. Perhaps they were just afraid to contact me back in August when I was dealing with these problems.

Yep, it's a problem. Some configurations allow a genuine Windows installation CD, but it isn't across the board - why not?

A lack of responsiveness by DELL can only mean that their hands are tied by third party relationships with partner corporations. The question is whether or not the customer benefits from this through actual dollar savings from the cheaper prices.

I know that I will be doing everything I can to purchase a DELL XPS m1510 (if it ever comes out) with a genuine Windows Vista DVD so that I can just format the entire HDD and install a clean build.

Gotta love the right to be able to reinstall your genuine OEM licence of Windows Vista.