Sony Fresh Start: List Of Missing Crapware

So if you were buying a Sony PC or Laptop you’d get it home to find it full of junk: free trials, games and a host of other worthless crapware.

Then someone at Sony came up with the idea of charging $50 to get a machine without all the ‘extras’.

“Opt for a Fresh Start and your VAIO PC will undergo a system optimization service where specific VAIO applications, trial software and games are removed from your unit prior to shipment. Fresh Start safely scrubs your PC to free up valuable hard drive space and conserve memory and processing power while maximizing overall system performance right from the start.“

That idea of charging customers $50 for the additional service went down like a lead balloon and now Sony have scrapped the extra charge for Fresh Start.

Now at no extra cost you can get a crapware-free version of a Sony machine, but what are you missing out on? Here is a list of some of the ‘goodies’ that won’t be on your machine if you select the Fresh Start option.

* Two desktop icons for America Online services
* At least two dozen icons for random offers
* Two desktop icons for Microsoft services
* Napster window in the lower right part of the screen
* “Watch Hit Movies Now!” icon which requires you to pay to play the movies already taking up space on your computer
* Internet Explorer preloaded with AOL toolbar
* AOL set as default search engine with Google not even listed as an option
* Symantec Internet Security 60-day trial (requires multiple rounds of warnings / scans / updates before use)