Hi Windows folks. I’m setting up a new laptop for a family member and it’ll have to be Windows 11. The salesperson at the store obviously wanted to upsell us their security software, but I told him we’d just use Defender.

Is that still the go-to? Back in the day I used Malwarebytes, is that any good these days?

Any other debloat tips for Windows I might want to know? Thanks gang!

  • Ludicrous0251@piefed.zipEnglish
    3·
    26 days ago

    +1 for Firefox with uBlock Origin (and the built-in Malware lists) as a part of a healthy security strategy.

    For the tech illiterate, one of the easiest ways in is “VIRUS DETECTED SCAN NOW WITH OUR TOOL” “ads”. Ad block so it doesn’t even appear is the first line of defense against that shit.

    Following that, there are a few good debloat tools out there, my recent go-to has been the CTT winutil, it’s free, well documented, and includes O&O ShutUp 10++. Together they can clear out most of the built-in junk on Windows 11, with two notes:

    1. There’s always the risk of updates undoing whatever you have done, so you may need to check in occasionally and rerun.
    2. CTT’s + O&O’s definitions of “non–essential” may not align with your own. To paraphrase everyone’s favorite spider aunt and/or uncle, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Take your time and do your homework on what you’re changing. Don’t go with the fully automatic nuclear option unless you’ve reviewed everything.