PC makers and their software buddies are preloading lots of software you didn't ask for and don't want. A new PC is often a morass of "freeware" and craplets that nobody but nobody asked for.

Mossberg's money quote:

"On my new Sony, there were two dozen trial programs and free offers. The desktop alone contained four icons representing come-ons for various America Online services, and two for Microsoft. The start menu and program menu had more items that I neither chose nor wanted. Napster, a music service I don't use, was lodged at the lower right of the screen.

The worst was a desktop icon called "Watch Hit Movies Now!" This turned out to be four full-length films from Sony's movie studios, which the company had preloaded onto my computer at the cost of more than four gigabytes of precious hard-disk space. But they aren't a gift. If you want to play them, you have to pay Sony."

When I last bought a home PC (a Sony Vaio from Best Buy)several years ago the added software was more benefit than bane. There was a year's MSN subscription: The free email was used then dumped). A year's worth of Trend Micro anti-virus: Used and re-upped. Free AOL trial: Never used at all.

But what's going on at retail now is enough to push you into the arms of the whitebox guys. Or Apple. This is a real problem for Microsoft given the huge anecdotal evidence in my very limited sample of Windows users who are open and even eager to jettison Windows for the Mac. After all the Vista hoopla-then-deflation, the security issues, they're just looking for one more itty bitty reason to go, fellahs.

Craplets? Nay. Custom-made PC with only the software you want and pay for? YAY!