Remove HP bloatware - clean reinstall or manual uninstall

[marteen]

Hi all,

I am facing the following issue. I have bought a HP laptop, which is filled with HP bloatware and the like. I have now manually removed all of it using the uninstall feature, because I have read that this may increase performance.

Now my questions(s):

1) I was advised to do a complete clean install of Windows 10, using a downloaded setup file and boot from USB. Is there any advantage to this, compared to simply uninstalling each unneeded app?

2) In case I go for the reinstall, is there a way to back-up an installation file for the factory version of the OS, including all the bloatware? So I can revert to that if needed (e.g., when selling the laptop etc.)

Thanks a lot!

 

[Barty1884]

1. A clean install will remove *everything*, so even bloat you still can't appreciate is installed - highly recommended as the "best" route for removing all bloat, although manual uninstalling (using something like CCleaner) can be ok, just not quite as comprehensive.

2. You would need to create a system repair image of the drive, new, out of box. As it stands, you've removed at least some of the bloat - so you cannot create an image of the "stock" drive now. You could use HP's recovery partition to restore it to "stock" and then create an image...... but I'd question why you'd want to. I can't think of any user who'd outright opt for the bloat-filled version vs a clean install....

 

[marteen]

1. A clean install will remove *everything*, so even bloat you still can't appreciate is installed - highly recommended as the "best" route for removing all bloat, although manual uninstalling (using something like CCleaner) can be ok, just not quite as comprehensive.

2. You would need to create a system repair image of the drive, new, out of box. As it stands, you've removed at least some of the bloat - so you cannot create an image of the "stock" drive now. You could use HP's recovery partition to restore it to "stock" and then create an image...... but I'd question why you'd want to. I can't think of any user who'd outright opt for the bloat-filled version vs a clean install....

Thanks! Just curious, if I uninstall via the "Programs and Features" tab, is this any worse than CCleaner?

Also, if I do a complete clean install from USB drive, how difficult will it be to get all the drivers right afterwards? Because my understanding is that there will be just Windows 10, and no GPU, CPU, ... drivers. I am doing this for the first time, hence this potentially obvious question...

 

[Barty1884]

Simply via Control Panel generally doesn't allow every piece of bloat to be removed, but should remove the bulk of it.

The drivers will all be available on HP's website (just look up the model on the support page).
If you have a discreet GPU (nVidia or AMD), download the GPU drivers from their website for the latest versions.

Windows 10 will install it's "best guess" at drivers...... I'd suggest you download the drivers from HP's website beforehand - then don't 'get online' when prompted during the install.

Once installed, install the drivers you downloaded (store them on a USB or External HDD etc) and, only once those are installed would I suggest signing into Wifi etc.

Also, when clean installing, skip when prompted to put a key in. You'll reactive when you're back online automatically - provided you reinstall the same version of Windows (Home in this case, probably).

 

[marteen]

Great, thanks a lot!