2. De-bloat the System

Big-name system vendors typically install software on their consumer PCs at the factory. These "extras" go by many names: bundleware, begware, bloatware, and my favorite, crapware. That's because a lot of it is just that: useless crap. The vendors install it under the guise of helping you out, but mostly they do it to get money from the software makers. A few vendors, like Sony and dell offer some options to avoid crapware, but usually just for small businesses. Boutique manufacturers, like Velocity Micro, do a better job of providing a clean system.

What can you do to decrapify your new PC? Download and run the free PC Decrap- ifier (www.pcdecrapifier.com). It will hit the flotsam you might not want, from AOL installers to Yahoo! Toolbar, but it won't get them all. If you can identify more crapplications it missed, try Revo Uninstaller (www.revouninstaller.com), a free utility that does more to fully eradicate errant software than the built-in Windows control panel.

This is a good time to kill anything you don't want that's part of Vista itself. Load up the control panel called Programs and Features. Click "Turn Windows Features on or off" at left. You'll get a User Account Control warning; click Oka. Uncheck anything in the list you definitely don't want, such as games, Tablet PC Optional Components, and so forth. If you don't know what an item does, hover the mouse over the name for a description. If you still don't know what it does, best to leave it.