One of the most basic maintenance tasks is to remove all unwanted or unused software from our computer. When we install Windows from scratch, or buy a new computer, we usually find a significant number of pre-installed programs designed to ” improve the user experience “, although we all know that they are adware, bloatware. When we see them, the first thing we usually do is uninstall them to make our system as clean as possible. However, we have to think twice before going crazy, as we can run into a lot of problems.
There are many of the programs that come standard installed on computers that are really unnecessary. On the other hand, although they may seem garbage, there are others that are necessary for the equipment to function correctly, and, therefore, we should not uninstall them.
The good thing about UWP programs is that, if we delete them by mistake, we can download them again (almost always) from the Microsoft Store. And, if not, is that the program was not as necessary as we might think. Even so, before deleting programs without thinking, it is necessary to take into account some of the problems that we can find if we delete what we should not.
Windows drivers may be out of update
When we buy a new computer, the manufacturer usually installs its own update software. This allows us to analyze the status of all the PC’s drivers, BIOS and firmware to see if the equipment is up to date or, if it is not, download the new versions of everything.
Depending on the manufacturer (ASUS, DELL, ACER, etc), this software can be a classic Win32 program, or it can be updated and distributed as a UWP program. The most common thing for new computers is that it is a UWP and if we delete it, we will no longer receive support from the manufacturer.
Hardware may stop working well
In addition to the manufacturer’s software, we can also have other UWP programs installed that are necessary for the hardware to work well. These programs can be related to audio (for example, Realtek Audio Console), CPU (Intel software), or graphics (NVIDIA Control Panel).
If we delete these programs we will no longer have control over the hardware, and it can start to work incorrectly. For example, we will lose control over the PC’s sound enhancement effects, or over the performance we want the graphics to have.
The software may also stop working
And beyond the hardware, we can also have problems with the software . This is because some of the pre-installed programs may be necessary for others to work. It is true that with UWPs, this has been reduced considerably, since each program is “isolated” from the rest. But it can still happen, especially if we want to delete Windows programs (such as Edge or Internet Explorer), without which many other programs will stop working as they depend on their libraries.
Even if the program is uninstalled badly and does not finish to be completely deleted, we may not be able to download other programs from the store, since we would have problems downloading from the Microsoft Store.
Security issues in Windows
It is also possible to endanger our computer. This is because manufacturers’ programs usually install a series of certificates on the computer that are necessary to be able to communicate with the manufacturer’s servers, or the developer, in a secure way. These certificates can expire, or they can become insecure. If we have the manufacturer’s programs installed, it will update them, reinforcing the security of said certificate. However, if we have deleted them, and the certificate has been copied in Windows, nothing will update it, and we will be putting our PC in danger.
If we have deleted these programs, we can reinstall them again, or manually search for the certificates installed on the PC and delete them, as long as we are 100% safe.