It sounds like the bloatware wars will favor users when Windows 8 launches later this year. But extra software may still creep onto your new Dell, HP, or Lenovo PC, even though Microsoft is reportedly getting ready to take on Windows 8 bloat.
Signature Upgrades
To fight off bloatware, Microsoft plans to offer Windows 8 users its $99 Signature Upgrade service available at Microsoft Stores across the U.S., according to PCWorld's sister site Computerworld. Signature upgrade is an extension of the Microsoft Store's Signature PC program that offers Windows 7 PCs tweaked for speed and performance, and the devices come without any manufacturer bloatware. If you didn't buy your PC from the Microsoft Store, all you have to do is walk into one of the software maker's 22 retail locations in the U.S., plunk down a hundred bucks, and a day or two later your bloat-free PC is ready to go.
Microsoft says compared to a regular PC, a Signature PC can go to sleep 23.1 percent faster, starts-up 39.6 percent faster, and can resume 51.3 percent sooner.