Not only is Microsoft reselling select Windows 7 PCs normally sold by its hardware partners, but the company is making sure they come only with the software it wants. Yes, that means that if you buy a PC from Microsoft, it won't come with the usual "crapware," though it won't be a clean install either. Microsoft is still bundling its own software, including Windows Live Essentials and Microsoft Security Essentials, as well as Adobe software.

Last Thursday when Windows 7 officially arrived, Microsoft opened up its first store in Scottsdale, Arizona (a second store is to follow in Mission Viejo, California). As expected, the store was stocked with Windows 7 PCs from various OEMs, and Microsoft even went the extra mile by selling them at its online store, though only in the US. It didn't become clear until recently, however, that Microsoft was doing more to these PCs than just picking them up and putting them on display.

"Trial ware is removed from the PC," a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed with Ars. "Microsoft Signature pairs the best PC hardware with a thoughtfully tuned software and services suite, taking your typical 'ready to assemble' PC ownership experience to 'ready to run.' For customers who purchase a Signature PC in one of our stores, our knowledgeable staff will help customers set up their passwords and networks, and tailor their browser, e-mail and other applications to their personal preferences before they walk out the door, so they can immediately enjoy their PC. Microsoft Signature PCs also come with 90 days support."

The new "Microsoft Signature PCs" initiative means the software giant is removing all preinstalled software from the computers it is selling, and loading them instead with full versions of programs of its own choosing. We decided to check for ourselves, and there are indeed Microsoft Signature PCs from every PC maker Microsoft's stores sell: Acer, Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, Gateway, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba. They're all crapware-free.

For the uninitiated, "crapware" is the term used to describe bundled software, usually trial versions or unwanted programs, which other companies pay computer makers to preinstall on their PCs. This keeps PC prices competitive, but it also clogs up computers with useless well, crap. A typical PC from an OEM can come with any number of third-party applications, many of which are a pain to remove.

Our favorite way to deal with such software is PC Decrapifier, a freeware program designed to remove or uninstall a specific list of unwanted software in an unattended fashion. It currently can remove a total of 63 applications (though this spans different versions) that it labels as crapware, eight of which are Microsoft's own software (most are Office trials). None of those, however, are being installed on Microsoft Signature PCs.

According to the Microsoft Store, Redmond is bundling the following applications on the PCs it is reselling: Microsoft Security Essentials, Bing 3D Maps, Zune 4.0, Playready PC Runtime (for WMC), Adobe Flash Player for IE, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Windows Live Sync, and Windows Live Essentials (which includes Windows Live versions of Messenger, Mail, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Writer, Family Safety, Toolbar, as well as the Office Live Add-In and Silverlight). Of that list, the first and the last are the ones most worth noting.

Microsoft announced in September 2008 that Windows Mail, Photo Gallery, and Movie Maker would be stripped away from Windows 7 and the company would instead be offering Windows Live versions of the products as part of Windows Live Essentials. The company said it would not force (but would encourage) OEMs to include the suite on new PCs, and it would be including links in Windows 7 to download it. Microsoft Security Essentials, on the other hand, does not have its own download link in Windows 7, and the company said the software was being specifically targeted at users who did not already have an antivirus. Microsoft also said it was perfectly happy with consumers choosing other security software, as long as they were protected.

While slightly different decisions were made for the two Essential suites, Microsoft's reasoning for both has been quite clear: no deals regarding bundling in order to avoid antitrust issues at all costs. It looks like Microsoft has found a loophole for its own rule. The company's lawyers have apparently come to the conclusion that Microsoft as a retailer won't have to worry about antitrust issues when including its own software on PCs that it sells.

Most Windows PCs will of course not be purchased from Microsoft stores, so the initiative will only really be successful if users see real value in the software Redmond is preinstalling. We personally prefer the software that is being offered on Microsoft Signature PCs compared to the usual crapware, as there are no trial versions and most of it we install on the Windows PCs we encounter anyway. That said, we would still end up uninstalling some of the applications Microsoft is listing.

In March 2008, Sony decided to offer consumers the opportunity to pay $50 to get a PC without all the useless software installed. The test didn't get very far though; the company killed it after the move raised the question as to whether or not crapware is acceptable at all. Microsoft has been angered by crapware on machines for ages, but it particularly got annoyed in January 2007, at the start of the Vista age.

The company made a lot of changes in the development of Windows 7 and marketing of Windows 7; now it appears the company is trying to change the software that comes with Windows 7. It's a shame that OEMs are unlikely follow suit.

Hat tip to TechFlash.