New Laptop Arriving today - how to optimise from scratch
January 29, 2021 2:57 AM Subscribe
Hello all,
A scare with my work laptop has prompted me to buy a new personal laptop. After a bad experience helping to set up my partner's new Dell XPS, I need advice on how to get rid of bloatware and keep things running smoothly. Last question I can see is from 2015 so new advice wanted for Windows 10 and the recent issues with ccleaner.
I currently use a Dell laptop provided by my organisation - having mixed up my work and personal data for the last few years, intensified by working from home since last March, I had been thinking about separating, but some hardware failures have made me bite the bullet. I am taking delivery of this Acer laptop today. It comes with Windows 10 but i'm not sure which version.
My work laptop was semi-locked down and looked after by our great IT team. I had a couple of folders of photos and creative writing stuff on the C drive, which I have backed up and removed. The main thing I will want to move is my Steam, itch.io and GOG game collections. I think I have a fairly good handle on how to do that but advice/tips welcome.
Main Question:
My partner recently bought a brand new Dell XPS which was £1000+ and unusable becuase of an out of date "killer wifi" driver and "max audio pro" software, which interfered with zoom and skype audio. I had to spend a long time sorting it out and it was extremely frustrating that a brand new computer could not connect to the internet or be used for zoom calls. In the end, the best solution was simply to remove these programmes and use the dell/windows audio and wifi tools.
I want to avoid this with my new computer and it's been a long time since I was responsible for my own machine. What should I do? Various websites recommend a clean refresh of windows and/or removing all programmes with 'acer' in the title.
However, I'm clearly getting a lot of spammy search results with recommendations for various bits of software to help. I used to use CCleaner, but seems they have been compromised. Is ninite still useful? Can I get rid of scammy anti-virus and still just use windows defender?
Pleaset note I am not interested in a Linux install.
TLDR: what should I do to start with a nice 'clean' Windows laptop in 2021?
I currently use a Dell laptop provided by my organisation - having mixed up my work and personal data for the last few years, intensified by working from home since last March, I had been thinking about separating, but some hardware failures have made me bite the bullet. I am taking delivery of this Acer laptop today. It comes with Windows 10 but i'm not sure which version.
My work laptop was semi-locked down and looked after by our great IT team. I had a couple of folders of photos and creative writing stuff on the C drive, which I have backed up and removed. The main thing I will want to move is my Steam, itch.io and GOG game collections. I think I have a fairly good handle on how to do that but advice/tips welcome.
Main Question:
My partner recently bought a brand new Dell XPS which was £1000+ and unusable becuase of an out of date "killer wifi" driver and "max audio pro" software, which interfered with zoom and skype audio. I had to spend a long time sorting it out and it was extremely frustrating that a brand new computer could not connect to the internet or be used for zoom calls. In the end, the best solution was simply to remove these programmes and use the dell/windows audio and wifi tools.
I want to avoid this with my new computer and it's been a long time since I was responsible for my own machine. What should I do? Various websites recommend a clean refresh of windows and/or removing all programmes with 'acer' in the title.
However, I'm clearly getting a lot of spammy search results with recommendations for various bits of software to help. I used to use CCleaner, but seems they have been compromised. Is ninite still useful? Can I get rid of scammy anti-virus and still just use windows defender?
Pleaset note I am not interested in a Linux install.
TLDR: what should I do to start with a nice 'clean' Windows laptop in 2021?
As a totally non-expert I've been happy with the results of removing anything non-manufacturer and non-Microsoft. In particular, as you mention, the scammy antivirus.
Windows Defender seems decent to me.
Sometimes even the manufacturer will have some crappy stuff, in particular I've seen some horrible wifi management tools which are best uninstalled so you can just use the standard windows stuff.
I'd suggest creating a system restore point before you start fiddling in case it all goes wrong.
(non-expert, this is just what works for me personally)
posted by curious_yellow at 3:53 AM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
Windows Defender seems decent to me.
Sometimes even the manufacturer will have some crappy stuff, in particular I've seen some horrible wifi management tools which are best uninstalled so you can just use the standard windows stuff.
I'd suggest creating a system restore point before you start fiddling in case it all goes wrong.
(non-expert, this is just what works for me personally)
posted by curious_yellow at 3:53 AM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
I just got a brand new Acer Aspire myself yesterday!
I've heard good things about the Microsoft Fresh Start tool for getting rid of bloatware. I'll be running it this weekend.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 5:18 AM on January 29, 2021 [3 favorites]
I've heard good things about the Microsoft Fresh Start tool for getting rid of bloatware. I'll be running it this weekend.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 5:18 AM on January 29, 2021 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks All - promise not to threadsit, but it just arrived and it's installed with Windows 10 Home in case that is relevant.
Thanks Sheydem-tants - I saw that article too and if it works on my version of Windows it looks promising.
posted by sedimentary_deer at 5:26 AM on January 29, 2021
Thanks Sheydem-tants - I saw that article too and if it works on my version of Windows it looks promising.
posted by sedimentary_deer at 5:26 AM on January 29, 2021
Here's a couple suggestions:
1) Login and get all the Windows update done first.
2) Install all the applications you want and get them patched as well.
3) Download the Nanite installer and pick the utilities you want, and patch those. Add the cloud storage now and get all the documents sync'ed.
4) IMPORTANT PART: make an IMAGE of your HD as it is now, so you can restore it in case anything goes cuckoo.
5) Separate media, make periodically backups of your HD every few months, probably using external HD, "just in case". Generally restore the backup is fine, but occasionally, it's "nuke it from orbit" with step 4.
posted by kschang at 11:49 AM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
1) Login and get all the Windows update done first.
2) Install all the applications you want and get them patched as well.
3) Download the Nanite installer and pick the utilities you want, and patch those. Add the cloud storage now and get all the documents sync'ed.
4) IMPORTANT PART: make an IMAGE of your HD as it is now, so you can restore it in case anything goes cuckoo.
5) Separate media, make periodically backups of your HD every few months, probably using external HD, "just in case". Generally restore the backup is fine, but occasionally, it's "nuke it from orbit" with step 4.
posted by kschang at 11:49 AM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
Regarding point 4) in the post above - The goto tool in my arsenal is Macrium Reflect 7 Free Edition. It does a fine job of creating images of hard drives/SSDs and it doesn't come with McAfee or worse bundled to it.
posted by nostrada at 2:26 PM on January 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by nostrada at 2:26 PM on January 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
"In the end, the best solution was simply to remove these programmes and use the dell/windows audio and wifi tools."
That's been the solution to the audio/Zoom issues on the XPS the whole time?!?!?! Dammit! How did you do that? Why doesn't tech support just say that then instead of telling me, "oh you probably need to update the drive"!?
(sorry, I know the rules, I'll show myself out)
posted by jander03 at 5:59 PM on January 29, 2021
That's been the solution to the audio/Zoom issues on the XPS the whole time?!?!?! Dammit! How did you do that? Why doesn't tech support just say that then instead of telling me, "oh you probably need to update the drive"!?
(sorry, I know the rules, I'll show myself out)
posted by jander03 at 5:59 PM on January 29, 2021
This thread is closed to new comments.
Ninite.com.
posted by Bill Watches Movies Podcast at 3:20 AM on January 29, 2021 [5 favorites]