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As several other people are stressing: Clean install will do it. It won't even take that long.
New crapware will creep in, though. New cookies, new registry entries, new directories with files you do not know where came from. So you really should plan for another clean install ever month, every two months or every three months, depending on how big the problem is.
Then it isn't as straightforward any more! A clean install will erase even the applications you want to keep, your lists of trusted email addresses, your various certificates, ...
I wrote a software installation wizard handling all sorts of installers (that's how I learned to hate installer developers' unlimited competence in finding new ways of installing software  ), so I can have all the software automatically put in place after the clean Windows re-install - provided that I have remembered to add the newest systems to the wizard task list. And, some installers demand interactive input for license keys etc., so I have to babysit it. (I have ordered the task list so that those installers are run before the others, so when they are done, all the fully automated ones can be run without me holding its hand.)
In a few cases, I have to do manual operations after the wizard completes: I have a checklist reminding me of all of those. More important: The checklist tells me what I shouldn't forget before the clean install: Even though I keep all my user data on other disks than C:, several applications insist on putting data there - typically email clients and other network software. So I have to e.g. move all unsorted email from 'inbox' to other folders. Until my checklist had matured, I did loose some (minor) pieces of data.
With the checklist and reinstall wizard in place, doing regular complete cleanups becomes routine. Actually, I don't need to do it more than, say, every three months. That is because I gradually learn how to keep the crapware / spyware / adware / malware in general, from creeping in.
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Put in the microwave for 10 minutes on high.
Nothing succeeds like a budgie without teeth.
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Brain.exe
Knowing exactly what you're about to disable and why as well as how, is superior in the long term to those apps.
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With all the sync that is going on it is very hard to keep junk off. I use a combination of CCleaner, doing a browser clean of history, data and cookies. I use ccleaner to run a check on the registry and clean it though I am told it does very little to help but some help is better than none. Then I do a scan for malware etc... I manually uninstall any software I do not want. I do this for all my devices at least once a month. But then I am no longer programing and just use the system for my personal bookkeeping, emails and browsing.
The more you use search engines (which you have no choice) the more crap that gets on even if you don't open any pages. It seems google and all the search engines want allow cookies when you don't even open a page. I have done searches and just read the results of the search without opening any page but the page that lists the search and had the browser cookie pop up come up and ask if you want to allow cookies from such and such. So, you do not even have to open a page to get a cookie or unwanted things.
Security begins with you. Always remember anything you put on your computer can and will get out on the web if that computer is connected to the web. The best security you can have, is a system that is not connected to the web that you can transfer files from to a system that is connected but those transferred files are then no longer secure. I do not care how much security software you place on a computer there will be someone that will find a way in if they really want too.
Curtis
Way always can be found.
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I use NTLite, you can remove just about anything you want and get a really lean system
modified 6-Sep-22 21:01pm.
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I have to say I was pleasantly surprised last year when I bought my new dell laptop that came with Windows 10 pro and nothing else. No ms office, no utilities from dell, no games, none of the junk that you normally have to spend time getting rid of. Just a bare system.
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install Garuda Linux or any Linux variant.
To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer
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A clean install would get my vote. As for Windows 11 vs Windows 10, I am running Windows 11 now and it's something of a disappointment. It's definitely less stable and has a few subtle bugs, so unless you need it because most of your customers are using it I would recommend you avoid it until M$ get their house in order (if they ever do).
The other thing you should do (if you're not already) is boot off an SSD. This cuts boot and app load times dramatically. And yes, download and install from a Microsoft ISO, that gives you the cleanest system.
modified 10-Feb-22 8:29am.
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I'm highly certain someone else will say this and they probably already have but remove Windows 10 immediately and install GNU\Linux. Debian 11 seems to work pretty good for general use...
Seriously, I think GNU\Linux needs to rename their background drivers from daemons to services, but with the exception of Cubase and Emulator X for ultra-low latency audio, I no longer have much need for Microsoft. Their products have issues. I really like .NET Core, but I highly regret jumping on the Microsoft bandwagon about 10 years ago. I've paid dearly for that decision.
Richard Stallman, if you are listening *pretty please* with electrons on top, will you rename GNU\Linux background drivers from daemons to something nicer? Git is already in the process of renaming the Master branch to Main. Please understand that some Christians such as myself are offended by the daemon naming convention.
Now, I guess I had better get to my day job...
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Without a doubt, the best tool for this is Winareo Tweaker. Winaero Tweaker[^]
Not only can you remove the annoying things you don't like, you can do a crapload of other nice-to-have configs, with just a few button clicks.
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I wouldn't trust any of the so-called "decrapifier" tools. You put yourself at the mercy of whoever developed it to make sure it: a) doesn't install more crap and b) does the de-crapify 100% correctly.
Reformat and reinstall. Then you only have official MS crap on your computer. And you control what crap gets loaded after that. Make sure you have the latest Win10 drivers for things like the network device, video adapter, sound device, etc. just in case you need them. I'd download all of that plus the Win10 install from MS and have it all on thumb drives before you start the reinstall.
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I originally tried to boot up with a Win10 installation stick, and it said I had to do it from Windows, not as a boot. In the end I was able to make out how to do a recovery which got rid of the retailer's crap, and then was able to change the language for about 3/4 of everything.
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I've never had a problem creating a bootable USB. There are several methods. See the following article:
Install Windows 10 from ISO. I've used both the "MediaCreationTool" and "RUFUS" methods successfully. Maybe if the Microsoft "MediaCreationTool" didn't work, you could try the "RUFUS" method. Although it sounds like you might not want to go back to that point and start over.
Note: you can't download the ISO, mount it and just copy the files to a USB. The USB has to be created through one of the tools above. That might be how you got to the "must be installed from Windows" message.
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In 1980 right out of college I took a job with IBM (job title "Junior Programmer") working on the operating system for the S/38. We coded in PL/MI - a custom language similar to PL/1. At the time IBM was an amazing place.
Now I'm employed by the Mayo Clinic (job title "Senior Analyst/Programmer") and have reached age 63.5 - where I can retire at any time if I wish, and use COBRA (an oddly named acronym for a program where I can pay the employer's cost for my benefits so that they continue for up to 18 months) to bridge to Medicare.
Just recovered from a mild case of COVID - and feeling like I have a world of choices ahead!
Best wishes from Minnesota!
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Welcome
The less you need, the more you have.
Even a blind squirrel gets a nut...occasionally.
JaxCoder.com
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Using COBRA is always better than CORBA[^] 
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Amen to that. CORBA was a nightmare.
Charlie Gilley
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
Has never been more appropriate.
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COBRA[^] wasn't a lot of fun either!
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Instead Cobra[^] was a lot of fun 
GCS d--(d-) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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So was COBRA[^].
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer
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And Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei[^].
GCS d--(d-) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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And Cobra...
...
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...
...(CRICKETS CHIRPING)
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...
...Kai...
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Did you get a price for Cobra? It's expensive!
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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