There is a difference between ‘installed’ and ‘pre-installed’

Reading Edward Moss’s letter in Issue 608 about the prefix ‘pre’ not being needed, it seems to me that the significance of this prefix is not understood. As an IT maintenance and repair technician, I’d say there’s an

important difference between ‘preinstalled software’ and ‘installed software’.

The former has been installed by the computer’s manufacturer. This typically includes the operating system itself and specific software required to make the machine operate correctly. These days, there are often added extras, such as antivirus and office software. Pre-installed software has also been tested to make sure it works properly on the machine. If it’s ever removed and then needs to be re-installed, the entire operating system may need to be re-installed.

By contrast, installed software are programs installed not by the manufacturer, but by the person using the computer. From a technician’s perspective, such software is often what causes a lot of problems. Also, this type of software is usually easy to uninstall, unlike pre-installed software.

Knowing the difference between the two types of software helps technicians to decide whether they can quickly fix a problem, or if it requires to be sent away for repair. Bob Nickson

CA SAYS Bob’s right that the term ‘pre-installed’ is used to distinguish between programs that are built into a computer, and those you download independently. However, it’s often used unnecessarily, particularly to describe computers that “come with pre-installed software”. In such cases, there’s no need for ‘pre’ – or even for ‘installed’.