ZDNet: Crapware: Why manufacturers install it, what you can do about it, and why it's not going to go away

If you've ever bought a Windows PC or Android smartphone or tablet from one of the big name vendors then chances are that you are familiar - perhaps even intimately familiar if you've ever tried removing it - with crapware.

By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
February 20, 2015

Crapware (also know as "bloatware" or "junkware") is the stuff that hardware makers install onto their devices on top of the operating system. While some of it might be vaguely useful stuff (I'm trying hard to think of an example of useful crapware, and I'm failing miserably), most of it is nothing more than a blizzard of free trials and demos that nag you into buying the full version. At best this crapware is benign, while at worst it can dramatically slow down system performance or even compromises system security.

Click the URL above to read the full article