How do I install Pro Tools without all the extra bundled bloatware?

[desbest]

How do I install Pro Tools without all the extra bundled bloatware?

[Darryl Ramm]

How did all this crap get installed in the first place? You just blindly follow what Avid Link offered for install?

HD Driver is only needed if you have DigiLink IO via HD Native or HDX.

You mostly fix this by not using Avid Link bloatware to suggest other stuff to instal.

Avid Link is the worst part here, you uninstall it after installing Pro Tools. Uninstaller in the usual place.

Collaboration services can likewise be uninstalled, just unreliable stuff to avoid.

As for the plugins, they are only bloat if you don’t want to use them, so you need to manage what is installed. And some of those plugins are very nice. Stop using Link and just download the individual installers you want from your Avid.com account “My Products” section.

The Pro Tools installer installs a relatively small number of core and system plugins, many posts on DUC about what those are, or simple to work out/just look at an install. On Windows these are managed by a separate installer packaged in the main installer bundle. Typically it is better to just leave those plugins alone but there is more potential bloat with the Sketch music creation plugins that might just waste disk space for many users that you might want to uninstall that after install, or more technical folks might want to try to modify the installer.

[cvicente22]

Hi desbest,

As long as you don't click "install all" you should be able to choose which ones you want to download and install on Avid Link.

Option B: You may go to https://my.avid.com/products and from here you can go to your Pro Tools product, click on View Software Download Links & Product Details to see the stuff that you only wanted to install.

[desbest]

I tried installing it from the link provided and it didn't work.
Reliability Monitor said that Pro Tools was installed but I couldn't find it in the Start Menu, Program Files or Add Remove Programs.



]

[EGS]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

... download the individual installers you want from your Avid.com account “My Products” section...

I'd uninstall/reinstall Pro Tools at this point. First, full uninstall all AVID and Pro Tools. CCleaner reg scan. All OS updates. Then, do what Darryl said ^^^

[desbest]

I've tried those instructions and now the installer said it had finished but this time, there was the relevant entry in the start menu and files in the Program Files folder.

C:\Program Files\Avid\Pro Tools

But now Pro Tools won't open. Also my antivirus isn't blocking it and I've even given it elevated permissions.

Also the attempted installation process took two and a half hours!

[Darryl Ramm]

There is no way that anybody should have this amount of problems. Your system is likely a mess and it's not worth trying to troubleshoot it.

Super slow installs are a potential sign of anti-virus software going amuck. You really should unistall or disable all antivirus software (including from Microsoft) while using DAWs.

Do a new clean install of Windows on a test partition/drive, from a Microsoft distribution, don't use a OEM crapware infested recovery images. Manually install the bare minimum needed drivers like graphics and audio interface and install Pro Tools and nothing else and see how that works. Do not use plug and pray to find/install drivers. Do not install any AV software. If it's working well then go ahead and migrate over your user files, and do clean installs of other apps and Pro Tools plugins etc. (checking as you go that they work OK).