I recently bought two HP systems about a year
apart and they have an HP support assistant on them,
and free limited use versions of MSFT Office,
but other than that, there isn't anything else. The
support assistant keeps track of any updated drivers
or bios that HP might have and it will install them if
needed and you OK it. It doesn't bother me and
I don't bother it. The MSFT office starter software
was a plus and I use it. Even if it has other software
on it, if your friend doesn't use it, I don't see the
big issue.


I can build a system for him as I WOULD want for


I do 95% stuff on iPad. Laying on couch. Thank god.
I had a acer vista laptop I gave away. I hated vista. Occasional boot
problem.
I bought a hp laptop. Hp assistant has done some good things, but it's a
pain. Especially when you say no, and it does it anyway. Between Microsoft
and hp support, I go crazy. It screwed up the computer after one update,
but recovered somehow.

My last desktop from tiger. Amd quad core, no problems. Probably $250. No
software included except drivers. I loaded XP, also had Symantec end point.
It's great, except like my laptop, just set back for a while while
everything settles down, scanning, loading, connecting,

Greg