Dell on Tuesday became the first big computer maker to try to address customer frustration and anger over “trialware” – the often superfluous and frequently unwanted software that comes pre-installed on most PCs.

Michael Dell, chief executive, speaking in New York during the launch of a new range of PCs, dubbed Vostro, aimed at the small business market, acknowledged that many of Dell’s customers do not want the software loaded on to their new machines.