How To Remove Bloatware from New Computer

Barebone Windows 7 Install

While it doesn’t necessary take a genius to figure out that you can simply uninstall the crapware that tagged along on your new PC, it takes a little more effort and skills to kick it up a notch and completely nuke all of it back into oblivion. And I mean complete annihilation. I don’t want to repeat myself but here is an article I’ve written in the past that talks specifically about the Windows license key on that shiny new computer you’ve just purchased from the store. Basically, the license on your computer is considered an OEM license key. In almost all cases, the computer manufacturer restricts you from using that license key on a different computer and yes, that means even if the original computer cease to function anymore. You cannot transfer that key to a different computer. If the computer dies, the license key dies with it. So what if you want to reinstall Windows 7 on that same computer? Will it work? The answer is definitely yes! Because that license key belongs to you once you’ve purchased the computer, you can technically reinstall Windows 7 (using the same version) on that same computer however much time you want to and you would not run into activation problems. But like with most things, there is a catch.

By default, the computer manufacturer should have provided you with some sort of system recovery method to completely restore your PC back to the same system state as when you’ve first turned it on after bringing it back home from the store. If you want more details about this, please read the article I’ve posted above for more information. So now you’re wondering if it’s possible to use this system recovery data to get get rid of all the junkware. The answer is a definite no. Because the system recovery data (whether stored on a hidden hard drive partition or on physical DVDs) restores the PC back to the original computer state it was in as when it was brand new, then doing so would only reinstall all the junkware along with it! Because those junkware originally came with your computer, they are also most likely installed in the recovery data. So no, this wouldn’t work.

What we need to do is perform a complete barebone install of Windows 7 on our new PC and activate it with our OEM license key. But because we can’t use the original system recovery data that came with our new PC, we need to look elsewhere for a fresh new (and unaltered) copy of Windows 7. Basically, we need a retail version of Windows 7 that hasn’t been touched by any computer manufacturer. This can also be called the barebone version because all you’re getting after the install is Windows 7 and nothing else. No extra pieces of software or trialware will be present.

Extracting OEM License Key

Before doing anything, we need to extract the license key and certificate from our OEM computer. An excellent and mostly unknown utility to many that does this for us is called Activation Backup and Restore (ABR). This free utility is simply fantastic because without it, you would need to use the product key located on the side or bottom of your computer. However, although legitimate, using this product key for activation might not get your computer activated and you’ll then need to phone Microsoft. ABR allows us to simply export two key files and restore them once we’ve gotten the installation completed. This then allow Windows 7 to immediately activate without any problems whatsoever because it is reusing the license key and certificate as did the OEM manufacturer.

Once downloaded, run the executable and you’ll be asked to extract the utility. You can just extract this to your desktop if you wish. It doesn’t matter. Once extracted, you should then have a folder labeled ABR with two main executables within it.

All you have to do now is run the activation_backup executable. Immediately, ABR should then do its job and help export the license key and certificate into the same folder. The license key being exported is not the same as the one you’ll find on the sticker on the bottom or side of your computer. Once you are sure the operation completed successfully and you see the two files, copy the entire ABR folder to a USB thumb drive or to a different location. If you reformat Windows 7 without making a backup of ABR, you will lose the ability to activate it and you’ll then be forced to reinstall from the system recovery data or use the product key on the sticker in hopes that the activation will go through.

Barebone Windows 7 Download and Install

Luckily Digital River, a legitimate Microsoft business partner, includes downloadable links for users to get unaltered copies of the Windows 7 operating system. The .iso files you will be downloading is completely legitimate because simply installing it will not get you an activated copy of Windows 7! You will still need to provide a legitimate license key for activation and if you’ve already used ABR to perform the export, you now have everything you need to perform a reactivation.

By removing the ei.cfg file from within the .iso, you can actually choose which edition of Windows 7 to install. Your license key can only be used to install the same edition of Windows 7 as the one that came pre-installed with your computer. For example, if your computer came with Windows 7 Home Premium, then you must also choose that edition during the install phase. No exception.

Equally important during the installation phase, please be absolutely sure that you do not type in a product key when asked and that you deselect the option to have Windows automatically activate when online. Be sure to do this! The installation will continue albeit Windows 7 will then enter trial mode. Don’t worry, this is correct and exactly what we want.

Once the Windows 7 installation has completed, you can now activate it with ABR. Simply copy the entire ABR folder back onto your computer (desktop is fine) and this time, run the activation_restore executable instead. Restart your computer and your barebone install of Windows 7 should now be fully activated! Proceed to reinstall only the software and drivers that you deem necessary. Enjoy your clean and fresh install of Windows 7!

Once you have the barebone copy of Windows 7 installed along with all the drivers and necessary software, please perform a system image backup! If you need to perform another reformat in the future, you can save yourself a whole lot of time by using the system image backup rather than restarting from phase one.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Thoroughness. Although some might view this as overkill, reinstalling your OEM computer with a barebone install of Windows 7 is the surest way to get the cleanest slate possible as every piece of trialware and other pieces of unnecessary software from being installed on your computer. Because we are essentially wiping out everything, we can to start from scratch with a fresh copy of Windows 7 and have a peace of mind that only what we want installed on the computer is actually there and nothing else.

No Activation Issues. I can’t guarantee that ABR will work for all OEM computers (it worked successfully on all computers I’ve used it on personally) but if it does, you’ll not experience any activation problems or hiccups at all. You will not have to call Microsoft.

Preparation. Since you are completely nuking your computer, you are responsible for getting the computer up and functional again with the correct drivers and utilities for your hardware once the re-installation has completed. Prior to starting the re-installation, you should head over to your computer manufacturer’s support site and download the drivers and other pieces of important software that you might need. At the very least, make sure to download the driver for your network adapter and store it on a thumb drive. Windows 7 and Microsoft have a huge database of compatible drivers (although generic) for an assortment of hardware. However, some hardware such as a dedicated video card is best utilized if you manually install the latest driver from their manufacturer’s website (Nvidia or ATi, for example) and not use the one provided from Microsoft.

Time Consuming. This is mainly due to the preparation stage and the downloading of the Windows 7 install .iso. Although there might be a lot more junkware than software that you will actually use, wiping away an entire operating system and starting from scratch means everything will be gone! If you do find an important piece of software that your OEM manufacturer provides for you to use, you need to make sure that you have a way of obtaining that software back. For example, on my laptop, there is a special utility provided by my manufacturer that allows me to use a special key on the keyboard to activate certain special functions. Because the utility is wiped away after the re-installation, I had to manually hunt down the special utility from the support website.

Not Suited for Casual Users. Although this method is clearly a lot more complicated than the mass un-installation method listed on the first page, as long as you have a copy of the system recovery data provided by your computer manufacturer, you can simply fall back to it if something goes horribly wrong.

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