By all means get rid of the “Crap”
Found this free-be to help, haven’t had the chance to try it but it looks good
http://pcdecrapifier.com/
Clean out the start menu this will eliminate programs running in the background that you don’t need all the time.

If you decide to go back to XP buy another hard drive, remove the vista one so you can go back to it if you want.

I think Jesse should have read your columns BEFORE buying it! Seriously tho, you’re right on target about getting rid of the pre-installed junk that comes with ALL pc’s these days Ron. My son’s Gateway was so full of “bundled” stuff that it bogged down much the same way as Jesse’s. McAfee especially is a hog … so is Norton. AVG is an excellent alternative and runs very clean.

I also recommend a nice Registry utility called JV-16 (not free). This pgm does an excellent job in cleaning things up once the unwanted garbage is removed. Maybe Jesse can cut a deal with HP for an upgrade to the Vista Home Premium (??). Yeah, right, and Fred Langa is returning in the after-life!

Nice column Ron .. look forward to it every day …….. Don

Try CCleaner (Cra* Cleaner), a FREE download that will remove all the junk piled in to a new system.

Google for ‘CCleaner’ and pick your trusted D/L site.

Do not uninstall Windows Vista until after you find all the correct motherboard drivers. I tried doing this with a gateway system and I was not able to get the drivers for the modem or the onboard NIC. I had to install a PCI NIC so that I could use DSL to connect to the internet.

You will want to set your apperance settings to Windows classic mode and that will help because Aero will always slow your computer down unless you have over 2GB of RAM installed.

Hi everyone,
That was quick! Thanks for providing such great feedback and helpful hints for Jesse.

Ben - thanks for the reminder about decrapifier - I just checked and it does work with both XP and Vista now.

Hi Don,
Thanks for the comment and compliment. It is appreciated. Another Gateway fan. I still think they make a great system. Good call on JV-16:-)

Paul - CCleaner is also very good. Thanks for the comment.

James- my thoughts also. If you don’t have the correct drivers for XP it could turn into another nightmare.

Also, I recalled on the HP site that Jesse may have not received recovery CD/DVD’s. I saw where there was a place to order them. I haven’t used a HP system for awhile and I am not sure if they still have a procedure to make recovery disks when you first buy the system?

Again - thanks to you all.

Where’s Ralph Nader when you need him (See Unsafe at Any Speed? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsafe_at_Any_Speed).

Seriously, some good suggestions on what to add and what to remove. However, why should the average consumer be put thru the extra effort.

Jesse and all consumers should hold HP’s (the vendor) feet to the fire (i.e. hold them accountable) for selling a computer that is not fit for use at an expected level based on HP’s specs.

And if HP states it is Microsoft Vista’s fault? Tough! HP is the final integrator and IS accountable for the components THEY choose to include in their final product. If Vista is the source of the problems, then HP needs to hold their supplier’s feet to the fire.

Wow. Thanks alot to all of you. And I’m sorry, it turns out that it IS in fact Vista Premium.

Odd but the browsing experience has been working a little bit better today but still not as good as I want it to.

The first thing I’ll do is uninstall some of the “junk” that I’m sure does slow things down like Norton. I used AVG on my old computer and never had a problem.

So I also hear that I can have BOTH XP and Vista on this computer (like one of you mentioned). Somebody told me something about pressing F8 while I starting the computer and if I have both it will ask which one I want to use. My question now is, if I have both, and I select to use XP would it run as smoothly as it should or not since Vista is on the computer?

Thanks again to all of you and Ron especially. It would be very hard and depressing to deal with these situations without people like you =D

Hi Barry,
LOL - I love it! Taking the junk off a new system is a pain the rump for everyone no matter who the OEM is. I recall that the theory goes if the junk wasn’t put onto the computers, we’d have to pay an extra $50 for the system, since the junk dealers pay this amount to have their wares added.

Hi Jesse,
All right. I’m glad it’s Premium you got and not basic.

I haven’t heard of a new system coming with 2 operating systems. A license would have to be paid for both.

F8 is for diagnostic mode.

If you had a dual booter you would have a option during boot to select the OS you wished to use.

Regards, Ron

If I was Jesse I would take the machine back to the retailer and tell them plainly that it’s got problems. There’s no better feedback than customer returns. Give the “problem” back to the retailer and let them take it up with HP.

Hi Tim,
That was my first thought as well. But it seems that some of the problem[s] may have been solved.
Ron

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to stop by and let everyone know how things are going.

I erased Norton and a BUNCH of junk, downloaded AVG and a few other programs I needed and restarted the computer.

It’s only been a few hours but the difference at this point is incredible. The computer is basically working at the same speed my previous computer worked which had the same amount of RAM but used XP. So that’s pretty incredible.

Also, about the price of this computer, I think it was probably $800+ because it comes with 400gbs of memory, a wireless mouse & keyboard and a 19inch LCD widescreen moniter. I’m sure it would be a lot cheaper for the tower alone.

Thanks again to all of you. Hopefully it’s problem solved for good =D

Hi Jesse,
Thanks for getting back to us. That is great news. With the options you listed it seems you got yourself a very good system. I sincerely hope that it provides you with many years of great service.

Your is another story where the amount of junk and crapola OEMs put on systems does more harm than good.

Regards, Ron

Jesse, that’s great news! Glad things are up and running again.

Ron … yeah, I’ve been a Gateway fan for a few years now. Have owned 3 towers and got the laptop for my son back about 4 months. A shame the’re not up there in the top 3, but the quality and workmanship are tops. My previous 2 towers I gave away to friends and the’re all still crankin’ out the bytes!

Don

Hi Don,
Interesting you should mention the quality. I just got a note this AM from a tech. buddy [He's a Gateway man also] who setup a Acer lappy yesterday. His only comment was, “it is a piece of junk compared to our Gateway systems.” Though he didn’t mention this to the client. LOL

I don’t get it either. People just stopped buying Gateway systems. Yet quality and feature wise they make a great machine. Oh yeah. They are priced right as well.

Have a good weekend. Ron

Sorry, I know this doesn’t belong here but I couldn’t find where else to post it.

I wanted to know what you think about this website and if it’s worth using at all. I mean would it make any difference at all?

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/331151/surf_the_web_secretly_conceal_your_identity/

Supposedly it helps “conceal your identity” online for various different reasons. Figured I’d stop by and ask what you’ll thought about it.

Hi Jesse,
I haven’t tried this software before.
You may wish to post at the LG forums to see what others may have to say also.
http://help.lockergnome.com

Thanks Ron, the link isn’t working though. Is there anywhere on this site where one could ask certain questions or do you just post specific things and respond?

Reason is I have one more question and may have more down the line and it seems that people here are really helpful.

I was just wondering your thoughts on fileshare. How bad is it for your hard drive (I hear it is) and is there anyway to minimize the damage?

Thanks again, I promise no more stupid questions =D

Hi Jesse,
I fixed the link, sorry about that.
I do not recommend using file sharing, it is a good way to screw upyour system. Though others may have a difference of opinion.
FWIW - there is no Q&A here. Basically this is just for blogging.
But the people at LG forum are great. Try the link again.
Oh yeah. There are no stupid questions. This is how we all learned.
Ron

Your comments are all very interesting. I am a church secretary and was complaining about the old computer I have been using and how bogged down it seems (hp pavilion mx70). I was not here when it was purchased about 5 years ago, so I did not have any say in the matter. But recently a good samaritan that heard me whining about the computer went to the ‘higher ups’ and told them I needed a new one and this is what they purchased for me (hp pavilion 6037). I am truly ignorant as far as hardware goes. Though I have been working with computers for over 15 years, and have a great one at home, I don’t have any idea what I’m doing when connecting one myself. Therefore, it has not been hooked up yet. I am pretty adjustable and will not be using this computer for much more than keeping track of finances, word processing and cards / banners/ signs, but I would like to know if I should watch for trouble in any of these areas. Or if there are any easy ‘fixes’ for troubleshooting in the future. Is Vista home premium much different that xp? Do you have any advice for me about this new computer? (Besides taking it back?)

Nan Man,
I don’t think you will find Vista that different. But it will be interesting to see if all of your old programs will work with Vista or not. You may wish to check with your software vendors to confirm this first. Don’t forget to clean off the junk. Once you get it cleaned up it should work fine.
Best wishes, Ron

Thanks for your quick reply, Ron. I’m hoping the old programs will work, office needs (especially software) are not a priority item for a church. I’m trying to be optimistic, will hook it up tomorrow and see what happens.
Nan

Hi Nan,
Let us know what happens and what you think of Vista.

Get a copy of decrapifier to rid your system of the junk and gunk.

http://pcdecrapifier.com/

Regards, Ron

Just an update, Ron. Hasn’t been a fun week. Vista is verrrrrry sloooooow. Had a time putting Quicken 2007 on - it took forrrrevvvverrrr. But the new computer has all my new programs on it now and is working fine, except that it is not fast, to say the least. Vista looks different, as well as the new Word and Quicken programs I am using. There is a lot to get used to, more than any other new computer/operating system I have worked on in the past. I am having someone come in to clean off the junk that came with it, maybe that will make it run faster. It took a week to set everything up and start getting used to, but hopefully, the hard part is over with and I can start being productive with it now.

Hi nan man,
Let us know how the cleanup goes and if you see any system improvement as well.
Ron

Hi Ron-
Here’s an update on the new HP. I was out of town for a couple of weeks and just before I left, the new HP crashed on me. I left it all in someone else’s lap (you can do that when it’s not YOUR computer) when I left town and when I got home they had already bought another one (new Gateway) and had it set up for me with all of my files (lucky that worked because it was the E drive that crashed first) by using a flash drive they were able to do the tranfer. All programs went on in a breeze and the new Gateway with the Vista isn’t bad at all. Thanks for your interest, Ron!

Nan

Hi nan man,
Thank you for getting back to me. This is how we all learn from real user experience such as yours. I hope the new Gateway works out well for you.
Regards, Ron

What is the best anti-virus

the answer is:

Kaspersky

so if you are going for AVG which is free trust me it sucks… if you get a virus you wont find it… and you ll think everything is fine…

than download kaspersky and see the difference… after all what you pay is what you get…

norton slows down computer a loooot i know this cause i had it… i got kaspersky and it was really good…

kaspersky anti virus or internet security look for deals?? sometimes they will sell it at best buy for 30 when it usually costs around 80….

and for the new commers… no matter what it is… do the research before you buy anything… google it, read reviews and decide if its worth it to buy it… never buy and ask questions later… ask than buy…

and when it comes to vista its the consumers fault for continuing to buy it… if everyone stopped buying the computers with vista on it… guess what… they would go back to xp… so we can blame only ourselves for it..