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Laptop Extras! I just want to know what I can get rid off, and will it harm my laptop, or make it faster?

Hey, well I got my laptop around xmas time. It has all of these pointless short cuts on it, like, yahoo, napster, download games, hp accessories, prepare this pc for kids, etc... You get it. When I go to the start menu and search, e.g prepare this pc for kids, it will come up, so it's in the menu, but when I go on like uninstall a program, it isn't in the list, so does that mean, that if I delete the short cut, it will just be gone, and won't make a difference? I just don't want to mess up my pc! =[ Please help, are all these shortcuts pointless? THANKS XXX Love Jade x

Public Comments

1. These links are about 1KB or less each. Really not enough to worry about. Since they are only shortcuts they are actually doing nothing, so do NOT affect performance. Since you may seriously require one or two of then at some time in the future, it is better NOT to remove them. I know one or two peolpe who religiously remove all the shortcuts they do not understand, I am forever having to recover things that are essential for them.
2. If you do not wish for the meaningless programs to be on your computer, just do a standard uninstall. To keep the programs and just remove the shortcuts from start menu, simply right click the one you want to remove and then click "remove from list". This does not uninstall the program, but merely removes it from start menu. The pre-loaded programs, such as anti-virus trials, seem to cause more harm than good in that after the trial period ends, they send out alerts that try to get you to purchase the full version. For example, when we first bought our Dell Dimension desktop a few years ago, it came pre-loaded with Norton Anti-virus 30 day trial. After the trial it changed our background and said "Your computer may be at risk...". As soon as we uninstalled it, the alert went away and all was well. So it is up to you whether you wish to uninstall any programs, but doing so will certainly not harm your computer.
3. Firstly, I'm going to assume your computer uses Windows. First click on Start, Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs. There is a list of the programs installed on your computer. Sometimes this list doesn't include EVERYTHING. If the programs you want to delete are not there, go to My Computer, C drive, Program Files. If you see a folder with the name of the program you want to delete here, delete that entire folder. Then all you have to do is delete the short cut to that program from your start menu. I hope this solves your problem. :-)
4. You can safely delete the icons if they are shortcuts. They don't do anything (since they are not programs) and if there is anything you require, the HP website and the System discs that was bundled with your laptop has it.
5. what the other people are saying is right...altho not ALL the items on the start menu are NOT asctually installed on your computer...so they can't be un-installed via the add/remove programs options in control panel. some of those item (like your prepare computer for kids) are a shortcut to the program waiting to be installed (may be in a zip type file) and wouldn't be activated until you click the shoprtcut and install the program. By deleting the shortcut you will still be leaving the .exe and program files of that program still on the computer. What I've done in the past is to go ahead and install them...and THEN remove them via the add/remove option. It's only after they are actually installed that they will appear in the add/remove section. and no...you won't be hurting your computer by getting rid of manufaturers miscll. junk...or stuff that they hope you purchase...a lot of that crap is just trial versions of software that they hope you use and then after 14 or 30 day (whatever) they'll have you purchase it. have fun