PROGRAM GETS RID OF PROGRAMS
Advertising these days is just about
everywhere. Most media, be it print or broadcasting, is advertising
driven because it works. When I watch TV, I anticipate when the
commercial is about to appear. Sometimes I watch because many of
them put in the effort to make them somewhat entertaining as well as
informative. But I always have the option to watch them, flip the
channel or take a break. With newspapers and magazines, it's pretty
much the same. If I see something of interest, I'll look further. If
not, they get ignored.
I'm still not sure if I like seeing ads before I go to see a movie
in the theatre. At first, I was outraged when I saw an ad before the
movie. But they're getting better at it. Some of the ads are
downright entertaining.
Theaters are now using some kind of PowerPoint advertising equipment
before the actual projector begins rolling the previews. For the
most part, I've come to accept advertising within these venues. But
let me say right now that I'll never come to accept ads and
telemarketing calls pushed to my cell phone. It's invasive and many
times I even have to pay for the ad via some kind of connection fee.
Yet there's one other venue that I'm still on the fence about when
it comes to advertising and that's my computer.
The Internet is ad driven and I'm OK with that. I understand how
advertising makes possible so many of the free services I enjoy
online. But there's another kind of advertising that may be crossing
the line or at the very least, giving it a really strong bend. I'm
referring to what happens when you buy a brand new computer and turn
it on for the first time.
There sitting on your brand new, pristine desktop are countless
icons pitching products and services with special offers. Your
system tray is piled full of little icons that represent
applications and utilities that immediately go online to see if all
of these unsolicited products are up to date. Some ads may
auto-start and run like some kind of desktop application pretending
to be a helpful program launcher menu but displays ad banners while
it runs. This happens because the company who made your new computer
has sold this advertising space on your computer to those companies
who are trying to convince you that you need their products and
services. Now maybe if you are brand new to computing, all of these
pitches may be of some service in helping you to get started. Maybe.
If you're an experienced user who has just bought a new system,
these things will be nothing more than an irritation. Chances are
you already know about them and probably even own a few of them too.
So now you're going to have to take the time and be rid of each and
every one of these things which can take you hours if not days to
do. But fortunately, you may not have to.
The PC Decrapifier is a free program that was written by someone
who's been through this too many times and wants to spare you from
sharing that same experience. And if you're a PC technician, for a
small fee you can use the PC Decrapifier as a tool to clean up any
new equipment you might be selling to your clients. PC Decrapifier
is pretty easy to use. Just download the utility from the PC
Decrapifier website and run it on any newly purchased computer. It
was originally designed for use on Dell and HP computers but
according to the PC Decrapifier website, it can be used on just
about any new computer you wish to "decrapify."
When PC Decrapifier runs, you see a window with a list of all the
products and ads it can identify. At that point, you can choose to
place a checkmark next to any or all of the listed items and click
on the Process button. PC Decrapifier will then begin cleaning your
PC. If nothing is found, the display will notify you and the program
will simply end.
In a world of advertising driven media, it's nice to know that
there's something out there that gives you a choice in the decision
making process when you turn on that shiny new computer for the
first time. Granted you may want to keep, purchase and subscribe to
any number of these things. But then again, you may not and if
that's the case, then you'll find PC Decrapifier to be of value.
www.pcdecrapifier.com
| Craig Crossman is
a McClatchy-Tribune newspaper columnist writing about computers and
technology. He also hosts the nation's longest running nationally syndicated radio talk show on
computers and technology, Computer America, heard on both the Business TalkRadio
Network® and the Lifestyle TalkRadio Network®, weeknights at 10PM Eastern
time. Visit his website at http://www.computeramerica.com |
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