"Brian Gaff" wrote in message
...
Well, to be honest they are only cheap due to their bloatware. If you want
a clean machine go to a small store but it will cost more.

Otherwise allow a couple of weeks for removing crapware first.

Doesn’t take a couple of weeks to do a clean
install of Win from the distro you download.

Avast should be the first to go!

"Clive Page" wrote in message
...
Our desktop PC is showing signs of senility - it's running Windows XP
from which you can tell that it's well past it's use-by date. We still
use it as a file and backup server and for occasional word processing and
spreadsheet work, but don't need high performance.

There seem to be quite a number of machines costing up to £350 that look
suitable, from brands like Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Packard-Bell, etc.

From experience in buying laptops in recent years, I think the main
deciding factor may be how much bloatware is pre-installed but it's hard
to assess that from vendors descriptions or reviews. Does anyone have
experience of which brands are least infested, or on which it's easiest
to remove all the junk?


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Clive Page