The Chinese firm tries to recover after the Superfish fiasco

Feb 28, 2015 09:36 GMT  ·  By

Lenovo is still struggling to recover after the Superfish fiasco, and after releasing a public apology for secretly installing adware on customers' new computers, the company is taking another step towards a hoped reconciliation with possible buyers.

The Chinese firm has announced today that all its Windows 10 PCs will come with absolutely no junkware, adware, or any other form of third-party software that could have an impact on system performance, user privacy or security.

Windows 10, which is regarded as a game changer for Microsoft, is now considered a turning point for Lenovo as well, as the new operating system is expected to generate bigger sales thanks to its new features and overhauled interface.

With today's announcement, Lenovo hopes to convince potential buyers that all its PCs will be entirely clean, so there's no need to worry that Superfish or other malicious files would be bundled on their computers.

“We are starting immediately, and by the time we launch our Windows 10 products, our standard image will only include the operating system and related software, software required to make hardware work well (for example, when we include unique hardware in our devices, like a 3D camera), security software and Lenovo applications,” the company explained, adding that in some countries, certain applications required by users would still be offered.

Full transparency and pre-installed antivirus software

At the same time, Lenovo also pledged to offer full transparency as to the software preloaded on its computers, trying to show customers that all running apps are perfectly legit.

Last but not least, the company will also offer a pre-installed copy of McAfee LiveSafe on each Windows 10 PC to protect users against viruses and malware. The antivirus license will last for six months, Lenovo says, but more information about this will be provided at a later time.

As for Windows 10, there's no doubt that Microsoft needs such a move from Lenovo, as the Chinese vendor continues to be a key partner for the software giant, especially for the business sector. Windows 10 is projected to launch in the fall of 2015, so the Chinese firm still has enough time to work on repairing its image after the Superfish fiasco.

Microsoft itself worked together with Lenovo to remove Superfish and updated Windows Defender with definitions that could help identify and clean all affected PCs.