Keep, install, or uninstall these apps with Vaio ? advice needed

Hello all:

I did the semi-clean install on a new Vaio VGN-FZ445D/B. There are still some items I'm unsure of, because Googling and checking forums hasn't given me sufficient info for these items. I'd sure appreciate your advice.


Welcome Center questions

The Welcome Center, which loads at each startup, still shows MS Office trial, Adobe Acrobat (even though I uninstalled Adobe Acrobat), and Web Conferencing Adobe Acrobat Connect. How can I remove those?

Should I allow the Welcome Center to keep opening at startup? This laptop is for a friend - is Welcome Center useful, or not really?


SHOULD I UNINSTALL THESE APPS?

"VAIO OOBE and Welcome Center"

"OpenMG Secure Module" and "OpenMG Limited Patch" (something to do with playing Sony music?)

How do you feel about the VAIO Launcher?


SHOULD I INSTALL THESE APPS?
(these are available for install via Launcher.exe from Recovery)

VAIO Location Utility (I can't find out what this does.)

DSD Direct (something to do with audio playback?)

Magic i Visual Effects Installer (does special effects or something for the webcam, but is it even full app or just trial version?)

Click to Disc 5.1CH
Click to Disc Editor
.

 

Welcome Center - uncheck the box at the bottom of that window the next time it pops up (Run at startup) and you'll never see it again unless you go into the Control Panel to launch it. Those programs show up because the icons are loaded, not the programs themselves.

I nuked OpenOMG - I use iTunes and/or Windows Media Center for all my media playing needs.

Nuke Vaio Launcher - it is that silly program that pops up when you press the AV Mode button. I can go directly to those programs faster through "Start" than through that program.

Location Utility is usless, IMO, unless you are running all of the Sony Media services (which I do not).

DSD Direct - don't have that one myself.

Magic I - I nuked that, it is a trial version of something I did not want to buy.

Click to Disc would come in handy it you want to move pictures or video from a device to the FZ or to DVD. I kept it just in case.

 

Ah, okay. Is it possible to remove those icons, in case my friend does decide to use the Welcome Center? What is the Welcome Center's purpose anyway?

Oh, is OpenOMG some sort of player app? I thought it was background stuff for managing digital rights or something. No reason to keep it?

Does it also handle the functionality for the Instant AV Mode when Windows is not booted? When you press the AV button, you can then play movies, music, view photos, etc. without booting into Windows. If Vaio Launcher app is removed, will the Instant AV Mode still work?

Also, if Vaio Launcher app is removed, is it possible to assign a different function to the AV Mode button when it's running in Windows, so instead of it loading the launcher strip into Windows it does some other user-defined action?

What does it do? I can't find any description of it on-line.

Hmm, I wonder if it's needed or useful? All I could find is that it has something to do with audio.

Okay, thanks. I wondered if it were trial software. If it's just a trial, then I don't want it.

Okay. Thanks.

 

Hope this helps - I am sure if I am incorrect on anything, others will jump in.

 

Thanks!