uninstalling programs in xp

hi.
finally broke down and got xp home edition with sp2. it was already installed when i got the computer. no discs at all with it. it sure does come with a lot of extra junk.can i uninstall real player and quick time? why do i need three media players anyhow? also has itunes.dont think i need that. has a program called microsoft plus dancer le. dont have a clue what that is. what about wild tangent games? have read that it isn't good to have. i just dont want to take anything off that shouldn't be taken off. it also has a trial version of norton. so far it isn't causing any problems but, when it runs out i dont plan on buying it. i know i will have trouble getting it all off my system. i have a compaq sr1503 wm. thanks.

 

nana--Congratulations. I hope you really enjoy your new PC.
You have asked a lot of questions.
I will try to address some.
First, I would call Compaq and order a full Windows XP Home SP2 CD. They should sell it to you at a reasonable price when you reference you just purchased their PC. There are several reasons for doing this. Basically it will make your life a lot simpler if you run into problems in the future.
Concerning Norton. Whether you renew the Norton AntiVirus subscription or not is up to you, but whatever you do, be sure to install some Antivirus program when the trial is up. This is an absolute must for security purposes. Ditto a firewall, especially if you have a broadband (as opposed to dialup) connection to the internet. But you should have Windows Firewall installed by default on a new WinXP PC. So nothing for you to do right now. With time, however, you may want to get a better one. Post back here when you are ready.
I would also advise the following programs for security
AdAware
http://www.lavasoft.de/support/download/ get the Personal (free) version
SpywareBlaster (free)
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
In both cases click the Update buttons after installation and get the latest updates (free). Do this every ten days or so.
SpywareBlaster runs in the background. You do not have to scan with it. You must run scans with AdAware. It is simple. Perhaps every week or so.
You also should learn about using Internet Explorer's own defenses against security risks. But it is a little complicated, so perhaps put it off for a week or two until you are ready. Here is a good reference
http://www.nwnetworks.com/iezones.htm
You may have noticed that my suggestions so far are to add programs, not remove them!
As far as removing the programs you mention, unless you play games, you do not need WildTangent, and it is associated with spyware.
http://www.pchell.com/support/wildtangent.shtml
I think that article tells you how to remove it properly. However, it is complicated, so maybe you should use the second Automatic Remover mentioned later in the article
http://www.pchell.com/downloads/WTRemover.exe
(Or ask the Compaq people how they would recommend, when you order the WinXP CD.)
Do not meddle with the Registry unless you know what you are doing. And if you do, back the Registry up first. (Registry File|Export)
And, yes, you can uninstall the other programs you mention, BUT
1) When you do it, be sure you do it from Control Panel|ADD/REMOVE. Do not just delete files or folders
2) None of the other programs you mention are going to hurt your PC, so perhaps just wait and see if, indeed, you ever use them. With time you will learn what you need, what your favorites are and what you want to add. If you cannot stand the "microsoft plus dancer le ", you could practice your uninstall skills on it. It is pretty junky.

P.S. When you remove Norton AV (or microsoft plus dancer le), again be sure to do it from Control Panel|Add/Remove.
P.P.S. Feel free to post problems here.

 

thanks for the reply.i will check out all the suggestions and links. especially calling compaq for a disc.i never had one for my windows me. it was a problem when my system started to go down hill.i do have adaware and spyware blaster installed.did that the first day. i used avast on my old system.i hope to be able to use it later.as i said,norton seems to be working fine so far.might decide to keep it.i have the xp firewall shut off and i am useing the norton internet security. is that ok to do? i am not going to mess with the registry.learned my lesson on that once. was glad i had system restore. i just dont know what the microsoft dancer is for. will have to google and see. thanks again

 

nana--Norton Internet Security's firewall is fine.
Concerning the dancer
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/plus/tryit.asp
Maybe you like it. Seems less than desireable to me.
And concerning removing Wild Tangent, I think you will be pretty safe using the remover program, provided that you back up your Registry first. That way you can always restore if things go south. Of course you also have System Restore.
Enjoy!

 

welshjim,
thanks for the link. seems like something i can live without.since it is a trial version it wont work when it runs out. thanks for the answer about norton internet security. didn't think i needed both turned on. same thing with the google pop up blocker and xps pop up blocker. dont think i need both of those either.
nana