Is there A list of SOny Bloatware?

Hey I just got my new Vaio SZ and I am kind of troubled about how much bloatware is on the Machine. It says I have 114 GB out of 142GB available I know there are some vita files that take up space but Sony i known for Bloatware. Can someone shw me a list of stuff no one really needs I am a former Mac user so the Bloatware thing is new to me. Thanks

 

it all depends on individual.

personally, other than what comes with the operating system, and all the necessary 3rd parties drivers to get all the hardware running properly, the rest are garbage.

if you want to look for clue, explore the recovery disk. i don't have the disk with me now, but there should be a folder with at least 2 sub-folders in it, "applications" and "drivers". the binaries listed in "drivers" are necessary, and those listed in "applications" are optional. by the name of the binary listed in each folder, you can decide for yourself which you do not need and uninstall them.

another route to this is to do a clean installation, but that is another story, and not recommended for beginner ...

hope this helps.

 

That is NOT true at all. There are many things in the "applications" folder that are necessary to the proper operation of your Sony Laptop. Things like the "Sony Shared Library", "Sony Utilities DLL", "Setting Utility Series" etc are all needed if you want the function keys, power management etc to actually work. And the names of these aren't really much help. Some of the stuff name Vaio xxx, aren't needed at all others are.

For an FZ series machine my clean install doc (see link below) has in it a list of all of the applications and drivers and a hint as to what they do.


Gary

P.S. I am pretty sure there is a comparable clean install doc for an SZ machine here. With that in hand and careful attention to detal (and of course a full set of Recovery DVD's) even a novice can do a clean install. It is NOT difficult at all.

 

Gary,

Thanks for the clarification.

However, just to clarify things up after i have take a closer look at my recovery disc ...

Depending on your sz model, there are some programs in the "applications" folder that can be removed. here's a list of sub-folder within the "app" folder from my sz483 recovery disc:

Battery Checker
LAN Setting Utility
Music Server Controller
Norton Internet Security
OpenMG Setup
Px Engine
Setting Utility Series
SonicStage
SonicStage Add-on
Sony Shared Library
Sony Utilities DLL
Sony Video Shared Library
VAIO Control Center
VAIO Data Restore Tool
VAIO diagnostics
VAIO Event Service
VAIO HDD Protection
VAIO Power Management
VAIO Update

And following are the programs that I have not installed after a clean installation (meaning you can uninstall them if you do not want to take the clean install route). I have not had any problem for the past 2 months.

Music Server Controller
Norton Internet Security
OpenMG Setup
Px Engine
SonicStage
SonicStage Add-on
Sony Video Shared Library

 

You probably want to leave the Sony Video Shared Library in place, EVERY set of clean install instructions I have ever seen that came DIRECTLY from Sony suggest this be installed. This goes back to all three Sony Laptops I have owned. Also the PX Engine appears to be part of the DVD/CD native operating system burn software and should also be installed. You can probabably dispense with Vaio update. At least on the FZ series, the web page it connects to is no longer functional. I talked to tier 2 support about this and they confirmed it is no longer functional and therefore no longer needed. You'll need to periodically check the Sony Support site for driver updates manually (that's all the VAIO Update did for you anyway).

Gary

 

Isnt it funny that the only useful software packaged in the sz being WinDVD cant be extracted through the recovery utility???

 

Can I uninstall the following Sony stuff safely:

DSD Direct
DSD Direct Player
Click to DVD
Vaio Service Utility
OpenMG Secure Module
Sonicstage Mastering Studio (+audiofilter, plugins..)
Sony Utilites DLL
Vaio Integrated Media (Contect Colleciton, Integrated Service, Media Reg tool..)

 

I'm so glad you guys are creating this list. I suggested such a resource in another thread, so I'm glad to see it's happening.

 

DSD Direct - only needed if you have any Super Audio CD (SACD)
DSD Direct Player - see above and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_Stream_Digital
Click to DVD - "Click to DVD software enables you to easily create your own DVDs using the DVD recording drive on your computer." see: http://club.vaio.sony.co.uk/clubvaio/GB/en/exploration/software/clicktodvd.jsp
Vaio Service Utility - no idea what this one is
OpenMG Secure Module - Sony's own DRM - DITCH IT!!! See: http://www.sony.net/Products/OpenMG/
Sonicstage Mastering Studio (+audiofilter, plugins..) keep it if you want to create any audio files from analog sources.
Sony Utilites DLL - You do NOT want to delete this one! It is essential for Function keys and I believe Power Management.
Vaio Integrated Media (Contect Colleciton, Integrated Service, Media Reg tool..) Used to share media files on your home network (NOT the internet only your home network).

Gary

 

You might be interested in the bloatware removal method listed in my signature.