List of must-haves for new computer

[stevensfo]

I have a Windows 10 laptop that I use only for serious stuff, but maybe this year, I'll finally replace our very old desktop PC that has served us well. Windows 7, RAM increased a few years ago from 4 to 8Gb.

So I'm already making a list of stuff to install so that when the time comes, I can have it up and running asap.

So far, my list is:

Firefox/Brave/Opera browsers
A/V Built in Defender
CCleaner
uBlock origin
Free VPNs (limited no. of countries) and/or paid e.g. Surfshark
7zip for zipping/encrytion and/or Axcrypt or similar

Anything missing? Is the paid-for CCleaner worth it? A better alternative?

Steve

[Urbandreamer]

I have a Windows 10 laptop that I use only for serious stuff, but maybe this year, I'll finally replace our very old desktop PC that has served us well. Windows 7, RAM increased a few years ago from 4 to 8Gb.
...

Steve

What sort of "serious stuff"? You might need photo or video editing software....or not.
Likewise word processing, spreadsheet stuff. We use LibreOffice.
Or a serious math package such as Matlab or octave.
Specific tax calculation software, I've taken to using BittyTax for my one concern.

On a more general note, you have missed the obvious of backup methods.

Many like windows OneDrive, but it might be an idea to check that it is actually doing what you need.
Others use Macrum and backup the entire machine, for easy recovery when the SSD fails.

On a more personal level.

I use linux, but if forced to use windows I'd install the linux subsystem. I find tools like awk and sed incredibly useful extracting and transposing data from csv files to feed programs like BittyTax or to summarize multiple months of credit/debit card statements. I'd also install Calibre to handle my ebook collection an find the plug-in to remove the DDR from the ebooks that I buy.

[stevensfo]

I have a Windows 10 laptop that I use only for serious stuff, but maybe this year, I'll finally replace our very old desktop PC that has served us well. Windows 7, RAM increased a few years ago from 4 to 8Gb.
...

Steve

What sort of "serious stuff"? You might need photo or video editing software....or not.
Likewise word processing, spreadsheet stuff. We use LibreOffice.
Or a serious math package such as Matlab or octave.
Specific tax calculation software, I've taken to using BittyTax for my one concern.

On a more general note, you have missed the obvious of backup methods.

Many like windows OneDrive, but it might be an idea to check that it is actually doing what you need.
Others use Macrum and backup the entire machine, for easy recovery when the SSD fails.

On a more personal level.

I use linux, but if forced to use windows I'd install the linux subsystem. I find tools like awk and sed incredibly useful extracting and transposing data from csv files to feed programs like BittyTax or to summarize multiple months of credit/debit card statements. I'd also install Calibre to handle my ebook collection an find the plug-in to remove the DDR from the ebooks that I buy.

Sorry, my mistake for not explaining.

I'm more interested in those programs/things to do that are important for security, cleaning junk and smooth running etc.

Photo editing and back-ups will come later.

I'll definitely install LibreOffice and an oldish version of MS Office - NOT the 365 version!

Steve

[Lanark]

Anything missing? Is the paid-for CCleaner worth it? A better alternative?

Steve

CCleaner is a bit of a blast from the past, after they were caught distributing malware most people stopped using it.

CLEANMGR.exe does most of the same things and is built into Windows free of charge.

There are a bunch of newer 'Decrapify' utilities and scripts but I havent tried any recently to be able to recommend one.

More important I think is turning off all the telemetry which Windows comes with these days.

[Urbandreamer]

You might find Chris Titus's tool of interest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju_BSNKeP6w

[JonE]

I'll definitely install LibreOffice ...

Why install?
It may be worth considering a fairly clean and unentangled C: partition with minimal count of 'installed' applications. Redirecting user data storage locations to somewhere other than the C: partition could also be employed to keep C: cleaner

Browsers, mail clients, office suites and a surprisingly wide range of other applications can be located on some other partition in 'portable' versions (portableapps.com being a trusted source of clean versions). Some applications/utilities (such as, I now notice, ShutUp) may not have consented to availability via that source but are natively 'portable'.

This helps make your application (and user data) backups independent of your system backups as there is no dependency on the 'portable' apps and the Windows registry being synchronised. I reckon that restoration of 'business as usual' following many a calamity can be rather more swiftly achieved with this kind of separation. Sounds as if the kit will serve more than one user but you'll need to decide for yourself how/whether to use multiple user accounts.

You may wish to (try to) keep a full record of customisations you make to Windows and create a library of any reg files you may apply in case you are ever forced to reinstall the OS from scratch rather than restore from backup: just don't keep the records on the C: partition.

Cheers!

[torata]

I'll definitely install LibreOffice ...

Why install?
It may be worth considering a fairly clean and unentangled C: partition with minimal count of 'installed' applications. Redirecting user data storage locations to somewhere other than the C: partition could also be employed to keep C: cleaner

Browsers, mail clients, office suites and a surprisingly wide range of other applications can be located on some other partition in 'portable' versions (portableapps.com being a trusted source of clean versions). Some applications/utilities (such as, I now notice, ShutUp) may not have consented to availability via that source but are natively 'portable'.

This helps make your application (and user data) backups independent of your system backups as there is no dependency on the 'portable' apps and the Windows registry being synchronised. I reckon that restoration of 'business as usual' following many a calamity can be rather more swiftly achieved with this kind of separation. Sounds as if the kit will serve more than one user but you'll need to decide for yourself how/whether to use multiple user accounts.

You may wish to (try to) keep a full record of customisations you make to Windows and create a library of any reg files you may apply in case you are ever forced to reinstall the OS from scratch rather than restore from backup: just don't keep the records on the C: partition.

Cheers!

I second JonE's recommendations of portable apps as much as possible, with those apps and all data on a separate drive you've made on the hard drive. Also 'Shut up windows'.
It's just so much 'cleaner' in so many ways.

However if you do want to install everything on C:drive, then Ninites is pretty useful to do it automatically - and chooses from a list of useful software.
(I moved from Ninites to mainly portable apps after having had to purchase an emergency replacement PC and having to set it all up from zero in a real hurry. All my app customizations over the years had to be redone by hand. Real PITA as my backups were mostly all data focused.)

torata

[stevensfo]

Anything missing? Is the paid-for CCleaner worth it? A better alternative?

Steve

CCleaner is a bit of a blast from the past, after they were caught distributing malware most people stopped using it.

CLEANMGR.exe does most of the same things and is built into Windows free of charge.

There are a bunch of newer 'Decrapify' utilities and scripts but I havent tried any recently to be able to recommend one.

More important I think is turning off all the telemetry which Windows comes with these days.

Hi Lanark,

Could you explain what you mean by Telemetry?

In simple terms if possible.

Steve

[Urbandreamer]

CCleaner is a bit of a blast from the past, after they were caught distributing malware most people stopped using it.

CLEANMGR.exe does most of the same things and is built into Windows free of charge.

There are a bunch of newer 'Decrapify' utilities and scripts but I havent tried any recently to be able to recommend one.

More important I think is turning off all the telemetry which Windows comes with these days.

Hi Lanark,

Could you explain what you mean by Telemetry?

In simple terms if possible.

Steve

Just to but in:

Telemetry is when XYZ reports back to base. It can, and is, used for benign purposes. Such as crash reports.
Or to provide location so that weather reports are correct.
It's also used for market research to identify what people are doing so that resources can be allocated to develop things that they want.
Then it starts to get less benign, what can we sell this person.
Can we sell information about their interests to marketing companies.
When it gets to that level we normally start to call it spyware.

If you have installed Windows you will have been asked about telemetry.
I.E can we try and identify adverts that you want to see or would you prefer to receive adverts that are not based upon what you are interested in (paraphrased).

You might find this of interest.
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/3 ... ut-your-pc

[Infrasonic]

An easy way to cut down on telemetry and general background online activity with Windows (including non urgent updates) is to turn metered connection on for ethernet/wifi...https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/win ... connection.

On a non windows front - I bought a new *wizzy fast Chromebook yesterday - logged into my main Google account and it just started to populate with apps and saved settings from my old CB. I was using it on the internet browsing within a minute or two of turning it on...

The only real 'chore' so far is all the 2FA enabled accounts I have require authentication the first time I log in from this new CB - other than that the experience has been so much better than setting up a new Windows box (which I will have to do again soon when I get a new W11 desktop).

*Acer Chromebook Spin 714 2 in 1 - 13th gen i5-1335U / 8GB RAM / 512GB SSD. WiFi 6E.
It is blazingly quick, especially over 6GHz wi-fi.
£100 off at Currys currently.

[Infrasonic]

Ninite got mentioned upthread, there is also a command line way to get updates in Windows called winget and there is a third party GUI option there that I've been using with my W10 desktop...https://github.com/marticliment/WingetUI

It isn't entirely universal, I still have to do MS Store and OS optional updates the traditional way (I don't have auto updates enabled), but for third party apps it is pretty much a one stop shop. So at boot if there are new versions of apps, just hit the prompt install button and away you go - it gets on with it in the background and (mostly) doesn't need Windows UAC prompt interventions.

[stevensfo]

I'll definitely install LibreOffice ...

Why install?
It may be worth considering a fairly clean and unentangled C: partition with minimal count of 'installed' applications. Redirecting user data storage locations to somewhere other than the C: partition could also be employed to keep C: cleaner

Browsers, mail clients, office suites and a surprisingly wide range of other applications can be located on some other partition in 'portable' versions (portableapps.com being a trusted source of clean versions). Some applications/utilities (such as, I now notice, ShutUp) may not have consented to availability via that source but are natively 'portable'.

This helps make your application (and user data) backups independent of your system backups as there is no dependency on the 'portable' apps and the Windows registry being synchronised. I reckon that restoration of 'business as usual' following many a calamity can be rather more swiftly achieved with this kind of separation. Sounds as if the kit will serve more than one user but you'll need to decide for yourself how/whether to use multiple user accounts.

You may wish to (try to) keep a full record of customisations you make to Windows and create a library of any reg files you may apply in case you are ever forced to reinstall the OS from scratch rather than restore from backup: just don't keep the records on the C: partition.

Cheers!

Apologies if I've misunderstood, but from what I understand, you and Torata are talking about a library of apps that has to be either carried all the time on a USB stick or stored in the cloud?

I see the advantages for somebody who moves around a lot for work, but it's rather different in my case. I really dislike storing important stuff in the cloud ( I usually send it to my email address) and in any case, each of my laptops and desktop serves a different purpose. My 'paid work' related stuff is confined to my work laptop, which never leaves my office. I have a private laptop for personal use (I do a lot of online courses, totally unrelated to my job), a desktop PC for more family/fun stuff and visitors - though these days people bring their own tablets etc, and a cheap laptop I use when on holiday. Despite what I said about the cloud, I do use it in these situations where I may need access to large videos and docs.

Steve

[JonE]

Apologies if I've misunderstood, but from what I understand, you and Torata are talking about a library of apps that has to be either carried all the time on a USB stick or stored in the cloud?

Or simply placed somewhere convenient on a PC: no external storage, no cloud and no fuss (e.g. deleting a program doesn't need a special routine to be run and doesn't risk leaving bits & pieces behind - just delete the folder in which you'd placed the undesired program).

It can also be convenient to put some portable analysis and repair tools on a (sacrificial) USB stick if one needs to identify and rectify problems on a machine as you don't need internet access working on the subject machine to download apps and don't need to utilise disk space (which may be running out and causing problems) on the subject machine - but all that's only if you are getting a bit techy. For normal use one just places portable apps on a local drive of your choice and you also have the option (recommended) of using the PortableApps platform for launching and managing portable apps (from any source):
https://portableapps.com/platform/features

Cheers!

[Infrasonic]

You can 'install' portable apps to an internal drive other than the C drive/partition if you want, it doesn't have to be a portable USB/TB option - that's its main advantage.

That way the OS and apps are separate and in the event of say a boot SSD/HDD complete failure you could just restore the OS backup (e.g. Macrium Reflect) to a new C drive and carry on.

I actually have my desktop PC setup so that there is a bootable copy of Windows on two drives (multiboot), that way in the event of a disk failure I can just boot into the secondary drive and carry on as is, sorting out a new drive at leisure. It's happened once so far and I now have a spare SATA SSD lying around for the next time it happens...

Licensing auto pickup is fine as you're only running one active instance of Windows at any one time.

[Infrasonic]

... Despite what I said about the cloud, I do use it in these situations where I may need access to large videos and docs.

Steve

I've just recently taken the jump from free ProtonMail/Drive/Calendar/Password/VPN to the unlimited individual package.

I'm now using this E2EE ecosystem for all interactions with with banks, HMRC, Govt. Councils et al who require sensitive information from me, including documents like photo ID.
It has an aliasing facility for the email built in, so you can keep track of people leaking addresses + up to 15 personal email addresses + up to 3 custom domain addresses. 500GB of cloud storage. Calendar subscription capability (mine is synced to my master Google calendar which has coded entry).

I'm still using Google and Microsoft and their email + cloud offerings but not for anything identifying or sensitive.

Just throwing it out there...

[GrahamPlatt]

... Despite what I said about the cloud, I do use it in these situations where I may need access to large videos and docs.

Steve

I've just recently taken the jump from free ProtonMail/Drive/Calendar/Password/VPN to the unlimited individual package.

I'm now using this E2EE ecosystem for all interactions with with banks, HMRC, Govt. Councils et al who require sensitive information from me, including documents like photo ID.
It has an aliasing facility for the email built in, so you can keep track of people leaking addresses + up to 15 personal email addresses + up to 3 custom domain addresses. 500GB of cloud storage. Calendar subscription capability (mine is synced to my master Google calendar which has coded entry).

I'm still using Google and Microsoft and their email + cloud offerings but not for anything identifying or sensitive.

Just throwing it out there...

Have been on it a couple for years now and they just keep getting better & better. Proton recently bought SimpleLogin (https://app.simplelogin.io/auth/login) & your account there (which comes with the Proton subscription) gets populated automatically. From there you can do unlimited send/reply aliases. So in effect you have unlimited email addresses (via passmail.net).

[torata]

Apologies if I've misunderstood, but from what I understand, you and Torata are talking about a library of apps that has to be either carried all the time on a USB stick or stored in the cloud?

Or simply placed somewhere convenient on a PC: no external storage, no cloud and no fuss (e.g. deleting a program doesn't need a special routine to be run and doesn't risk leaving bits & pieces behind - just delete the folder in which you'd placed the undesired program).

Again, to follow up on JonE's and also Infrasonic's responses, I have all my portable apps in a D:\ drive folder. Almost all the software I use is portable now.
I use the portabledrive 'umbrella' program JonE mentions, which will update the programs available from the portabledrive website automatically when I choose.

torata

[Redmires]

Could you explain what you mean by Telemetry?

In simple terms if possible.

Steve

OO software is a well rated piece of freeware which gives full control over telemetry

https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10