Solved! Preloaded Bloatware - Which of these can/should I remove?

[bharms]

I just received my Lenovo IdeaPad Y460 today and I'm excited to get it running and see how it does. It has, however, come with a TON of preloaded software which I believe I do not need. I want to be sure that's the case before I delete anything important, or anything valuable. Here's a list of the programs pre-installed, could someone take a look here and recommend which programs I can remove without hurting anything, and whether they're worth keeping or not? Thanks!

 

[evilavatar]

I would start by removing Lenovo Split screen and any of the other generic software that came loaded that you don't need or intend to use. If you change your mind you can usually get it back by going to the company website and it may need updating anyway. Get rid of the older adobe setups and download a clean new copy since it's free, may save you some hassles later if you have to update again. I'd also ditch any of the generic Windows drivers for things you are not using (no need for bluetooth software if you don't have any bluetooth equipment and it makes it a lot easier to protect yourself if you take your computer out). Also ditch the older versions of C++ that you don't need. The newer compiler programs should be complete and are much better than the old ones. Same for the older SQL stuff unless you need the older version for some reason, I am pretty sure they are reverse compatible though. Also I would ditch Macafee unless you really like it. I am a bigger fan of Avast or AVG as they are free, regularly update, and there consols are great, but that is up to you.

 

[bharms]

Here's some more specific information. I've taken a few snapshots and pasted together the list of things that are enabled on startup. Can anyone give me advice as to which items are safe to disable and which are not? Thanks!