Robin's Blog

Why I hate my Toshiba laptop

List of installed software on a Toshiba laptop

I think that screenshot is enough really, but just to give a few more pieces of information:

  • In the screenshot above you can see twenty-one separate pieces of software whose name starts with TOSHIBA. These are 21 different pieces of software which were supplied, by Toshiba, as part of the original build of the machine. I suspect the majority of them run at startup, although I haven’t fully investigated that.
  • Many of the pieces of software seem not to be very important or useful – for example TOSHIBA ReelTime? What is that? Or TOSHIBA Online Product Information – since when has anyone used anything like that? As for what on earth TOSHIA Value Added Package is, I don’t know, but I suspect it isn’t adding much value to my use of the computer!
  • As well as the software above (nicely screenshotable (yes, that is a word) because they’re all next to each other in the list), the laptop came with a number of other applications including: Bing Toolbar, Ebay, TRORMLauncher (seems to be something else from Toshiba) and a number of others.

I wanted a computer to use – not a computer filled with junk like this. I think the best thing to do is probably to wipe the machine and reinstall a clean system, but I should not have to do that with a new computer. If any computer manufacturers are reading this (unlikely, but possible) then please stop doing this.

(For the record, I was given this computer under a university scheme, I did not purchase it myself – if I had I wouldn’t have gone for a Toshiba!)


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This post originally appeared on Robin's Blog.


Categorised as: Computer Help, Computing, Windows


15 Comments

  1. Nick says:

    Buy your pc from microsoft store! I did it and it rocks! no more trashware:-)

    http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/home

    “Your PC comes with Microsoft Signature
    With Microsoft Signature, you get rock-solid PC performance, great security, and first-class support. After installing Windows 7, we removed the trial software that can slow down your PC, installed applications you really use, and tuned them to work together seamlessly. Combine that with world-class security to help eliminate viruses and spyware, and 90 days of technical support, and you’ve got the best PC experience ever, right out of the box.”

  2. H.-J. Thienemann says:

    Dear Robin,

    I searched for TRORMLauncher what the program do – and found your blog. I wish I had read “Why I hate my Toshiba laptop” BEFORE I bought one…

    Greetings from a frustrated user in Germany
    Hans-Joavhim Thienemann

  3. Marie says:

    I feel your pain. I too have a Toshiba (my work computer, I NEVER would buy one of these for personal use) and it is absolute garbage. It’s a Toshiba M780, one of those tablet jobbies. Don’t ever get one – they are tempermental pieces of crap.

  4. DW says:

    Toshiba Reeltime is one of the MOST useful software widgets going. If you work with lots of files and later have trouble finding them then this little program can help and help in a mighty powerful way. You let it run all the time then when you’re struggling to find that special jpg name” aposdihfoasdhvan.jpg” you simply hover over the little clock and click on the photos button and scroll to that pic. It’s that simple.
    I’m not saying all their widgets are good but this one is!
    Cheers
    DW

  5. […] und pc problem erschließt sich auch mir nicht mehr zur gänze. sicher auf den chat bezogen. TRORMLauncher du solltest dir auch mal deinen start-up mit dem ccleaner ansehen. norton toolbar / google-update […]

  6. Fiona says:

    Gahh! Same, also given the laptop to assist with my degree, get it home and it’s full of Toshiba related crap. I’m not that technologically advanced so didn’t realise until it started running like a snail and thought I’d go through and give it a clean up – only to see a strangely similar screen as the one before.

    Please stop, manufacturers, thanks.

  7. Heather says:

    So has anyone discovered which of these programmes ARE useless – would love to clean up. Also does anyone have ANY idea how to remove My Start Incredibar – driving me dilly! HELP!

  8. Gemma ley says:

    I Hate my new laptop! Why the hell did I get a toshiba satalite c50. Straight out of the box it is unresponsive and slow! It is full of bloatware! Going to have to reinstall factory settings. Should not have to do that with a new laptop. I feel your pain mate. I’m so fucking pissed off! It took me two hours from turning it on the first time to actually being able to use it. What the fuck?
    It keeps restarting for no reason. The mouse sticks. God I could go on and on about how crap it is for longer than I have owned this damn machine. Not 24 hours. If factory settings doesn’t work I’m taking it Back. We should all get compensation for this. The time wasted, the work emails I’ve missed, the money on travel. I could go on and on but even writing this is pissing me off!
    Anything I can do to help make people realise, and toshiba realise that this is unacceptable then let me know.
    There is a Facebook page called my toshiba laptop is crap! Check it out at like!
    Let’s stop these assholes ripping people off!
    Good luck to you mate and we’ll done for taking a stand! Respect!

  9. don says:

    Had a Toshiba in the past and liked it…this new one is a PAIN IN THE ASS…so confusing and full of useless options!!

  10. Guy in Boulder says:

    Keys just quit working. Go to Toshiba website for help, and go round & round & round & round & round & round & round & round & round & round & round & round & …
    I hate my Toshiba.

  11. Kim says:

    Since t was new my Toshiba Satellite has keys that don’t consistently work, t goes to sleep and can’t be awakened without powering it off and rebooting it. If there was anything in the RAM when it went to sleep it will be gone when you reboot. I HATE MY TOSHIBA!!!!!!! If only I had a brick handy I would have had an excuse to own a Mac. I’ve had it about one year.

  12. AL says:

    Oh dear I hate my Toshiba too. Slooow and the mouse pad? so unresponsive. Have to hammer it to make it work.Constantly wondering if I hammered it hard enough or whether I will wait for ever because I didn’t. Getting rid of Mcafee has made a tad of difference to the speed. Paid extra for the speed. Titter yea not!

  13. KC says:

    Found your blog after typing in “I am pissed off at myvToshiba” I have spent the last several hours trying to enable my mouse, to no avail, can’t uninstall anything, screen runs endlessly trying to go back to an earlier version of windows from hell. So glad others are having issues, I am less homicidal now.

  14. Bill Perkins says:

    I have near new piece of shit Toshiba laptop Intel Core i7, 8gb RAM, 1 terabyte hard drive. Beaten everytime by my four year old,16GB iPad.

  15. Sylvester says:

    My Toshiba laptop was trash because it was lagging and bad graphics quality but at least those types of laptops are dead hahahaha

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