Why the need for the clean Vista install?

Are you guys doing this because the new laptops have so much extra software installed on them?

Does ASUS actually ship an OS disk or is it a recovery disk like I read HP provides?

 

Asus tends to put a lot of bloatware on their new pc's, and most of it is junk that is better managed by other applications.

Asus ships a recovery disc, which is essentially an oem-specific copy of Vista.

 

No really so much.
I disable some software on startup and left another as is. For me this is the way to stay safe and to have extra time to learn what else can be done to improve performance without harming OS

 

It's always ben a general rule with windows and a very hard rule with upgrading to a newer OS (on any OS).

 

Asus tends to put a lot of bloatware on their new pc's, and most of it is junk that is better managed by other applications.

I don't fully agree with this. ASUS are actually not as bad w.r.t. bloatware. Most of the things have their use, at least in theory. But it's definitely true that:
a) for some there are better alternatives. E.g., noone who knows anything about antivirus software would put up with Norton AV for too long.
b) some utils are buggy and nearly useless due to those bugs, such as ASUS Live Update.
c) some apps have marginal utility, if any, for most users, such as ASUS Splendid or Power4Phone. But there are some people that use those, even.
so indeed, in practical terms, much of the stuff is bloatware.

Now, to the topic and to answer the OP. The general opinion is that the clean OS runs better than if you uninstall the "bloatware", because uninstalling always leaves traces in the registry, the filesystem, and perhaps system folders. I do not believe it's a proven fact that the clean install runs better than a thoroughly cleaned OS (i.e., one from which the bloatware has been removed). But it's pretty likely.

As to whether ASUS makes a clean install possible, the answer is yes. Please see Info Booth (link in my sig),FAQ, question #14.

 

What AV are you using?

I agree Windows works better with a clean install, but I'm not sure a clean install would be warranted with a new computer. However, that, I think, would be dependent on the amount of bloatware.

 

I'm using Symantec Corporate AV, because that's provided by the place where I work. A good free antivir is AVG or Avira, and good paid options are NOD and BitDefender.

 

I'm using Norton.

 

nod32.

The lightest, no-bull antivirus with strong detection. The only downside is the cost at $40/year. Worth it in my opinion.

 

I thought my G1S had too much bloatware and it had Vista Premium, so I installed Vista Ultimate and a couple of other operating systems.

I don't use Anti-Virus programs, and haven't used them for years.

 

I wouldn't do online payments from that computer if I were you... :roll:

Seriously, anyone not running a good firewall and antivirus/antimalware in 2008 are fooling themselves into a false feeling of security. Even with those things in place, you're not secure. Without them, it's like walking in shorts at the North Pole.

I suppose it is possible to survive uninfected if you do your Windows and browser updates ASAP and you are very, very careful where everything that you use originates from. But still, I very strongly advise you to use a good, frequently updated antivirus.

 

I run AVAST and COMODO BOClean and I think I'm well protected

 

I used them on and off a few years ago, and stopped when I started using the early Vista\Longhorn Betas. I've never "caught" a computer virus in Vista, XP, or my non-Windows operating systems.

I'll get some protection if I ever experience virus problems, but until then I don't see a need.

 

I haven't had a virus (positive reading) in a Virus program in a long time, but I still leave it on here. Now that CPU power is so abundant, I don't see why to not run Avast/AVG.

 

Problem is, without an antivirus, you have no idea whether you are infected or not. Nowadays the most dangerous malware don't go around wiping the harddrive... they sit comfy in the memory and monitor your keypresses for credit card numbers and user/password combinations, lend your system and network bandwidth to spammers to send their stuff at 3AM in the morning, and other such lovely stuff...

I reiterate my suggestion of running a good antivirus.