Wild Tangent is one of those add-ons that OEM manufacturers are paid to add to new PC's. Just like the other crapware, these should be removed as well.

Well, after a struggle, I got the HP gaming console (which included 32 games) powered by Wild Tangent removed. The "Add & Remove" from the Control Panel didn't get it done, nor did the uninstaller in CCleaner, or My Uninstaller, or App Remover. So I did some researching on the issue, & this is what I came up with, directly from HP.

How to uninstall HP Games/WildTangent - HP Support Forum

Though Revo Uninstaller allows for the native app uninstaller to work first, it didn't, so it proceeded to the next step, more or less a Forced Uninstall. That took some time to do a deep search for registry entries & folders related to the install, almost 10 minutes. Then everything related to the install was removed to the Recycle Bin, except the deleted registry entries.

Like TM stated, it was one huge package of games. They are forever gone now, that is, until I need to use the OS Recovery option again, which I doubt that I will unless forced to. Most of this crap is well outdated now, I see no need to re-install it. There is more HP crap to be removed, but I took this one step at a time. One questionable app is "Homepage Protection". It was originally set to AOL's homepage, as always, I change this to MSN. Nothing prevented me from doing so, that's why I stated it as being questionable, in addition to this info that I dug up on the app. Malware, or bundled with such.

Homepage Protection Service - Add or Remove Programs Entry Information

MS Works (based on Office 2007) is another on the removal list, though I used it when new, after I installed Office 2010 Pro Plus, I never did again. That app is also updated every month, so it should free some disk space after removal.

Needless to say, another HP product won't be coming into my home again.

Cat

Apps that uninstall poorly are often those same apps that are malware. Glad you finally succeeded.

Finally, I got all that I wanted removed, including MS Works. Had I known that Wild Tangent/Homepage Protection service had malware, this would have been removed long ago. One wouldn't think that the actual OEM's who builds & distributes computers would have this type of crap installed.

But HP is an exception to the rule, they did once build good computers, but for those who remembers, Carly Fiorina shoved the Compaq brand through the door. These were lesser (lower quality) brand computers, and due to this, those of us who have HP computers today, actually has a Compaq re-branded as HP. The Compaq name has been phased out, but it's legacy lives on in HP branded products.

From what I understand, Dell isn't much better these days, though I can personally vouch for the days when those were good computers. At least their re-install CD's wasn't loaded with crapware.

Cat

MS Works is a really crappy little program that MS puts out for FREE, with new computers.
I don't know that I've ever seen it for sale anywhere. At least at one time, the files created by Works could not be read by any other program. (that may have changed)

As for the Spyware that shows up on HP's, it also shows up on Acer, Compaq, Dell, eMachine, Gateway, etc.
Crapware is everywhere! And, the worse part of all...... 99.999% of users don't know what's on their computer and what's good and what's not.

The "Decrapifier" (The PC Decrapifier Wipes Unwanted Junk | The PC Decrapifier) was a great program that could put all the crapware in one list and then give you the option to delete it (all). But only a very few people, tech's and geeks even knew about that program. It mostly went unknown and unused. It's been an on-going battle for a long time now, and it doesn't look like it's going away any time soon. The two most used programs on my Utilities CD are the Norton Removal Tool and the McAfee Removal Tool. Both AV programs are a total waste of HD space.

Cheers mates!
TechnoMage

PC Decrapifier has been around for some time. I recall that when Windows 7 was released, many installed it to remove the tons of junk on their computers. I even used it once, but had to use my recovery disk set when purchasing a new HDD. Had forgotten about the app at the time. When Windows 8 computers goes to Retail, the app will be in the spotlight again.

As a rule of thumb, I prefer a clean install (or recovery) over a backup in this situation, as I don't want any issues associated with a bad HDD carried over onto a new one.

Speaking of Norton's Removal Tool (which I have several copies of), I wonder that since 8 is going to have WD built in, will the OEM's still bundle AV/IS trial software, as in the past?

Cat

Remember the old saying............Money Talks and BS walks.
If the money is there, so will Norton, McAfee and the Spyware.
You can almost bet the farm on it. Eh?

Well, in that case then, WD won't get the brand recognition that it needs. Many will see it as the same WD that Win 7 has, with less options, such as scheduled scans. At least those who had no Beta experience exposure to the app. Many won't even know the difference, certainly it won't be covered in the OEM's manual.

Seems that MS would have had an agreement with the OEM's over this, especially given that they got Windows 8 & 8 Pro at bargain basement prices. I say it's also time for MS to make sure that any crapware doesn't pose a security risk on computers with Windows pre-installed.

Cat

Unfortunately, it's not up to MS. When an OEM buys a license, just as with we individuals, they can then customize the PC to add their own branded S/W and crapware as they see fit. I just wish they would give an option for a Clean Install of just Windows without the junk. Unfortunately, as TM has alluded to, money talks. The OEMs are paid to install this junk.

The MS store offers PC with just Windows installed. I'm not sure anyone else does. I don't know of a single one. Even the Sagar Notebooks TM has mentioned in the past includes MS Office Starter edition.

There is ONE way to get a new computer with a Clean Installed OS.
Buy the new computer and wipe the HD. Then dig out your Off The Shelf copy of your OS and install it.
On almost every forum, someone has said that they did just that.
Finding the right hardware drivers, once you've wiped the HD, can be a bit of a problem.

That's a bit extreme for me, as I clean up new PC's all the time as a part of my own computer business.
I no longer build new computers, but I do set up new PC's for my customers. I did two this past week.
I start by Un-Installing Norton, which seems to be on every new PC and then just work my way down through the list of junk software. It's not hard to do, but just takes time. I flat-rate my installs so the time is no big deal.
To keep it simple (KISS), I set up just one user with NO Password.

C'est la vie

TM