Chapter 18
Adding or Removing Software,
for Better or for Worse
In This Chapter
Adding software you want
Uninstalling software you don’t want
Cleaning up programs running in the background
Rooting out spyware and adware that sneak onto your machine
S
ometimes software applications are like the guests who come to dinner
and just won’t leave. They take up valuable space, they use your limited
resources, and they long ago stopped being entertaining or useful. And some-
times a piece of software is a totally uninvited guest that stubbornly refuses
to leave no matter how many hints you drop.Before you go any further, stop and consider the various ways in which soft-
ware applications, utilities, and bad-acting malware(including spy programs,
viruses, and thieves) get on your machine:When you first install the operating system (or enable the O/S put in
place by the manufacturer of your laptop), you are adding a whole
bunch of programs to your system. These are probablythe safest pro-
grams on your system since they are aimed at setting up the basic
working platform for your machine or are developed or adapted by the
original equipment manufacturer specifically for your model laptop.A default installation of Microsoft Windows XP puts in place the operat-
ing system (which includes a Control Panel for configuration and a
library of common device drivers for various pieces of hardware that
attach to the innards or external ports of the laptop). Some entry-level
programs include a pair of very basic word processors (WordPad), a
simple drawing program called Paint, and a rudimentary audio and
video playback program. The operating system adds utilities including a
disk defragmenter (more about that later) and some security features
including a firewall. An installation of Microsoft Windows also ordinarily