Ever wonder what all that crap computer makers install on new computers do? See some real (disturbing) numbers:

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=16678

Solution? Take the crap off. Either do a clean install or remove them yourself. Don't have the time/patience to remove everything?

http://pcdecrapifier.com/

Enjoy. There's NOTHING like a pristine OS. Just remember - don't let people install crap on your machine while you're away ;)