Engadget publishes a story today that is actually pretty infuriating. Sony, like a lot of computer manufacturers, likes to load up their new machines with loads of crapware.

Engadget actually reports that they tried to review an ultra-portable from Sony and it blue-screened on them on the first boot. As they say, that is thanks to all the bloated software that came pre-loaded on the machine.

Well, Sony learned the error of it’s ways and “solves” it. Or do they?

Actually, they are not charging a fee of $50 to remove the trial applications and games that come pre-loaded on their machine. This option is currently only available on the Vaio TZ2000. It is called “fresh start” and it is described, according to Hardware 2.0, as:

Opt for a Fresh Start™ and your VAIO PC will undergo a system optimization service where specific VAIO applications, trial software and games are removed from your unit prior to shipment. Fresh Start™ safely scrubs your PC to free up valuable hard drive space and conserve memory and processing power while maximizing overall system performance right from the start.

What a load of crap that is. As 9 to 5 Mac says, Sony is pulling its head from it’s ass - but only slightly.

If you don’t want to fuel Sony’s insanity, try PC Decrapifier instead. And whatever it doesn’t catch, I guess you’ll need to remove it yourself.