Anyone that's bought a computer (come on you must have - what are you reading this on?) will know that they all come with a ton of software that most of us either use or need. The reason that manufacturers put the stuff on is to make a bit of extra money from people that might actually buy the software. But Sony has decided that if you don't want this tat-ware you can have it removed for a small(-ish) fee. 

The option is available on the company's Vaio TZ2000 and TZ2500 laptops, but to have a nice clean laptop Sony will be charging customers $50 (£25). Called the "fresh start" option you will also have to stump up another $100 (£50) for a Windows Vista upgrade!

Anyone that's stupid enough to shell out for this so-called "Fresh Start" will miss out on software including Microsoft Works SE 9.0  and a 60-day trial version of Microsoft Office, Sony's Vaio Creation Suite Photo Software that comes with a 30-day trial version of Corel Paint Shop Pro; the Click to Disc video editor; WinDVD, and a free edition of QuickBooks Simple Start that can only track 20 customers.

The company justifies this fee by saying it covers removal of the unwanted software before shipment - although selecting the option doesn't seem to change the timing of the shipping date.

Better still, save fifty bucks and visit this website instead.