Walt Mossberg of WSJ Online recently wrote about how disappointing it can be to get a new computer, only to find that it loaded with tons of crapware and popup ads that can slow your computer and frustrate you no end. He mentions a program called pcdecrapifier that can help clean out some of this stuff. From the PC De Crapifier website:
The PC Decrapifier attempts to remove all of the crap on your PC that you never asked for or wanted. To manually remove all of this stuff by hand can take at least an hour (depending on the severity of the infestation.) The PC Decrapifier will detect the ‘crap’ on your system, you choose what to uninstall, then sit back and let the PC Decrapifier work its magic.
In addition to the crapware, you are probably already aware that your system can be slowed by the accumulation of numerous temp files and bad registry entries. If you don’t already have software to help you clean this stuff up, I recommend System Mechanic. I’ve used a number of “system cleaners” over the years and this one gets my vote the best of the lot.