New Pc; Want To Get Off To A Good Start

Greetings...Instead of waiting for a problem to post my next thread, I thought I'd get off to a good start and ask what steps I should take after unboxing and firing up my new PC (hard drive failed in the old one and it was just time to upgrade my 2010 model).

I have a Dell XPS 8930 running on Windows 10 x64. I still have time left on a Symantec subscription and have had a good experience with their package, but I'm open to alternate views of other products, so I haven't installed anything yet and just going with Defender for the time being.

I couldn't find anything on this topic in the forums, but if one exists and you can point me there that would be great. I've seen a number of YouTube videos on the subject, but I value the MG perspective. Any pointers/recommendations would be much appreciated for a good initial setup. Thank you.

QB

 

a brand new computer always gives me a good feeling! so hurrahs all around
but asking a bunch of geeks their views on malware products could lead to a very lively and spirited discussion

but about that good start... with a brand new computer, first thing would be to get every windows update offered.
then take/create an image of your hard drive, with an imaging program, then copy that image file to a secondary or external hard drive, and then hope you never have to go back and use it to restore your computer.

now is also the time to decide how you need to back up all of your personal data files that will end up on your computer. so a good back up program is needed as well as a place for your backed up files to live.

other than that, your computer will reflect your individuality and style, use it, have fun, and enjoy!
and good luck with it, because everyone can always benefit from a touch of fortuitous good luck

 

You should install a program like O&O ShutUp10 to stop Snoopy's (Windows 10) liberal theft of your data.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/oo_shutup10.html

 

Nothing wrong with Windows Defender. I use it on all my systems. But regardless your primary scanner of choice, you should always have a secondary scanner on hand for periodic double-checks. I generally recommend Malwarebytes for that.

I personally would not worry about Windows 10 privacy policies. Microsoft could care less about your real name, phone number, street address, passwords, contacts or your billing information. In fact, W10 does a better job at protecting that information than any previous version of Windows. If you are worried about privacy, worry about your ISP. They already have all that personal and sensitive information about you, and they know everything you do on the Internet.

And for sure, get rid of your cell phone! Your cell phone carrier not only knows your real name, billing information and home address, they know who you've talked to and texted, where you have been, where you are currently standing (including the aisle of the store you are standing in!!! ) and they know the direction you are heading and how fast you are moving.

If you connect your computer to your network via Ethernet, the closest Microsoft knows of your physical location is your PoP (point of presence), the physical location where your ISP connects your home to the Internet backbone. In my case, that is 10 miles away in the next town over!

And for sure, if that concerned, never use anything with the Google or Facebook brand on it for they are much worse than Microsoft!

Bottom line: If you are concerned about your privacy, Microsoft is not who you should be worried about.

And besides that, Microsoft heard the complaints even though they were really unfounded and blown way out of proportion by the IT press and other MS bashers. W10 privacy settings have changed tremendously since W10 first came out. It now lets you choose your privacy settings, and even greater control is coming that will let users see and control what information is being collected.

Second bottom line: We don't need a 3rd party app.

What you need to do is really, just let Windows do it! It is important to keep Windows and security current. If you don't mess with the defaults, Windows will do that for you. Don't mess with Windows Update or page file settings. Windows knows how to manage them just fine.

Next, don't be "click-happy" on unsolicited downloads, links, attachments and popups - the same precautions we all must take regardless our security of choice.

 

Thanks Eldon, I'll look into that option. Hadn't considered getting a program to protect my info given I'm in a class where most, if not all, has been compromised, but it is certainly something to consider. Thanks for weighing in.

QB

 

Thanks harmless. I had an image backup of the drive that crashed and also a separate backup of files only. Rather than restoring my image (Windows 7) to my new PC (Windows 10), I've just been transferring files from the other backup. I do plan to step it up on a routine backup plan as you suggest. Any suggestions regarding restoring from my image backup so as not to conflict with my new PC/system? Is there a way to do it without using a second PC (perhaps on the 2nd internal drive [I have a 512G SSD and a 1TB conventional HDD on the PC]) so I can recover more data/info? The way this played out certainly has me thinking more about figuring out a smarter backup strategy.

Thanks again,
QB

 

Thank you for the thorough reply Digerati - very much appreciate the precautions and perspective. Malwarebytes seems to be the popular scanner choice in my survey pool, so I do plan to go that route. I'm with you on the Google/Facebook take - unfortunately that horse left the barn years ago. I keep the settings on both very restricted, but I realize that's probably as effective as a knife in a gunfight.

Much gratitude,
QB

 

@quietblue, I only use the search engines Startpage and DuckDuckGo.

This is a new hosting on MajorGeeks that I have not used.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/simple_data_backup.html
It will backup your data in a non-proprietary format so you won't have problems when restoring.
It's worth a look.

 

I also like DuckDuckGo. I tried StartPage years ago but it was too slow and DDG integrated easier into my browsers. I did not realize StartPage was still around - might have to check it out again.

I agree with both your analogies (horse and knife). And with companies like Equifax who pretty much allow (invite?) the bad guys in, totally unchecked, to steal all our most sensitive personal information - information that was not even encrypted - taking steps to protect our personal information now does seem like a lost cause. Especially when it seems like Equifax could get away with it - at least from the federal government and this administration who are supposed to protect us .

But I still think it prudent to be careful with our exposure. I am just saying we don't need a 3rd party program for that. I look at it this way. Yes, Microsoft wants to (needs to) make money and the only way they can do that is through their customers. I get and accept that. But it serves Microsoft no purpose to p!$$ off their customers either and even the bean counters, marketing weenies, and executive management at Microsoft see and (after being slapped upside the head a couple times, eventually ) understand that.

People need to learn and understand the difference between privacy and security - because the difference is HUGE! Microsoft is not and cannot connect our IP address to our real name, phone number, SSN/IN, etc. Your ISP and your cell carrier sure can connect that most sensitive information to your IP AND to what you do when using their services.

Microsoft is not trying to hack our bank accounts or steal our tax refund. In fact, Microsoft is striving to keep our most sensitive information secure. Why? Because if it is compromised, Microsoft knows they will get blamed for it anyway - just as they were relentlessly blamed for 10+ years with XP even though it was the bad guys who put us in this mess, corporate demands for XP support of less secure "legacy" hardware and custom programs, AND the failure the of the anti-malware industry who whined and cried to Congress and the EU that it was their job to provide security - not Microsoft's - who then forced Microsoft to remove anti-virus code out of XP, or risk a forced break up of the corporation! True fact.

Something else to consider. ONLY Microsoft has the financial incentive to rid the world of cyber-badguys and malware! Norton, Avast, McAfee, Kaspersky, and all the others need malware and the bad guys to succeed, or they all go out of business! That's another reason why I am a fan of Windows own Windows Defender (besides the fact it works). I am NOT saying all those companies have ulterior motives (though some might - see below). I believe most are sincere in their efforts. But the fact remains, if they succeed in ridding the world of malware, they will all be out of jobs.

I mean, can we really trust 3rd party security and privacy apps to have our best interests at heart? I mean look at Kaspersky! Or Lenovo which I realize is primarily a hardware manufacturer, but still.

 

Haven't read everyone's post, but may I suggest, before going in and taking an image, you visit the Settings/Apps section and remove all the crapware that is put on a new PC.

PCDecrapifier is a good one, of just Remove programs manually.

 

Especially when it seems like Equifax could get away with it - at least from the federal government and this administration who are supposed to protect us .

''this administration" ...................
I believe this has happened way back through every administration probably back to Reagan's. Doesn't seem to matter who is in power.

 

But nothing close to this scale - at least 145 million people! And to make matters worse, this was data users had absolutely no control over - that is, we did not sign up for accounts with Equifax. They collected this data without our permission. And the very nature of it was to maintain and protect our credit information - the exact information bad guys need steal our identities.

But also, other companies did not get away it either. Target, Sony, The Home Depot and others were fined $millions - though perhaps chump change to them.

But you are right - there is long history of companies either getting away with it completely or with little more than a slap on the wrist. But again, this hack was much bigger, and could have easily been prevented. The vulnerability was discovered, and a patch for it was made available months before the hack but the administrators were grossly negligent and didn't apply it. And again, all this data was in the clear. Considering the type of data, and its purpose, why was it not encrypted?

To be clear, I don't care who's administration it is. But I do note "clear the swamp" to get rid of all the stagnation was a big campaign issue. So to me, the fact this has happened all the way back to Reagan days makes it that much more deplorable, not excusable.

This blame certainly belongs on Congress too, not just the administration. But I note the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is not totally independent. It comes under the executive branch, not legislative. And it is the CFPB who is backing off the investigation.

 

I think to blame it on anyone besides the business itself is a little off target.

 

I do (and did in my first post) blame the breach solely on Equifax. The breach was 100% their fault and totally due to negligence. Not ignorance, but negligence.

But I blame Congress (going back decades - so I am NOT pointing fingers at any party) for failing to empower and fund the consumer protection agencies (that were created to protect US citizens from negligent - and criminal - companies) so those agencies could do their jobs.

And I blame past administrations (again, both parties) for failing to push Congress to empower and fund those agencies.

But I blame the current administration for directing the CFPB to back off their investigation of Equifax! That just make so sense to me. Once again, big business is allowed to slide so they can continue to stomp on The People. And why? Annual Lobbying by Equifax Inc., that's why. How much do you suppose those figures will increase for 2018?

Don't get me wrong. I think the Government is WAY too big and there are WAY too many regulations. But deregulation only works when companies, including banks, insurance companies, power companies, the gun industry, etc. do the right thing and put the people first instead of their personal bank accounts.

********

Now, having said all that - this thread is not about Equifax or politics. So we need to get back on topic.

 

well, it sounds like you already have your bases covered in a good way. you had an image of the boot drive and a backup of important data files. but backups are only as good as the last one, so consistency is key here. nowadays, with ransomware so prevalent, it is important to keep your backups and image files on an external hard drive that is powered off and unplugged from your computer, except when you are actively backing up to it. my preferred back up program is syncback, both free and pro are excellent. https://www.2brightsparks.com/
as far as a strategy... if data is so important that one's life would be devastated if it is ever lost, then the backups need to live on, at least, 2 separate physical devices. using the 1TB drive to backup everything to, is a good first step and convenient, and this could be done "regularly", as needed. since everything deemed important is now in one spot, it would be easy to copy everything from the 1TB to an external drive/NAS/cloud whatever you might have, and this could be done every week or two or three. backing up is an easy thing to forget, and i know that all too well.

"restoring from my image backup" - this depends on the imaging software used. my only experience is with acronis. if acronis is installed on the computer, they have an file explorer that lets you mount their images and cherry pick any file you need out of the image. i have never done that, since my preferred use of acronis is to make a bootable CD, boot the computer with the CD, and take my images that way. i know other cloning software exists, i've just never used them.

anyway... good luck with it.