What would you install on a new pc?

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by Defcon, Jul 12, 2021.

  1. Defcon

    Defcon Registered Member

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    I consider myself a fairly advanced user. I will be installing the latest Windows 10 fresh from iso (I believe its 21H1) on my Dell pc.

    I've settled on a few basic prefs when it comes to software -
    - portable is better
    - only freeware unless absolutely needs to be paid
    - foss is even better

    I've also started using Windows package manager like scoop and chocolatey and really like them, so prefer to use it when possible.

    So what is your personal opinion on best in the following areas?

    AV - I've always used Defender, but it causes high cpu load. after reading some more it seems Kaspersky Cloud Free or BitDefender free may be better? Does Avast still have privacy issues and is there a reason to consider it?

    hosts file - I tried mvp hosts, combined hosts updater etc, but some sites stop working and then the only option is to restore hosts, reboot/clear dns. what do you recommend?

    ad blocker - I've always used Ublock Origin in browser. Never had separate device to try PiHole and I used adguard once when it wasn't free. What is recommended these days?

    browser - currently just using Chrome Beta + Edge Beta. Chrome because I use my Google account for everything. Edge since its a bit faster. Is there a reason to use Brave if you use uBlock?

    media player - having tried everything, nothing beats PotPlayer in Windows

    Win 10 annoyances/telemetry - need some recommendation

    Dev tools - I use VsCode, Windows Terminal, WSL

    Firewall - should I just use WFC to control builtin firewall or replace firewall?
     
  2. Rasheed187

    Rasheed187 Registered Member

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    Firewall: WFC or TinyWall is good enough, very simple to use.

    Browser: Vivaldi, but I'm not sure if it can handle your Google account in the same way Chrome does.

    Ad-blocker: uBlock Origin is good enough for me.

    Win 10 annoyances/telemetry: O&O ShutUp should normally not cause any major problems.

    Media player: Forgot about PotPlayer, will check it out. Personally I prefer Media Player Classic, never found anything better. Of course you may also need the K-Lite Codec Pack Full package.
     
  3. blacknight

    blacknight Registered Member

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    I use Google Workspace in Vivaldi and it works fine.
     
  4. Rasheed187

    Rasheed187 Registered Member

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    But is this the same as a Google account? But yeah, I suppose Google services should work just fine in most Chromium based browsers.
     
  5. blacknight

    blacknight Registered Member

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    Yes. It needs a dedicated Gmail account, and to launch Google Workspace you have to do log-in in that account. Then in Google Workspace you find many other tools, but the Gmail account is identical to private Gmail. I'm using that Gmail for Google Workspace since last year in Vivaldi and in Chrome, e there is no difference, it works fine in both of them.

    https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_ie/

     
  6. Rasheed187

    Rasheed187 Registered Member

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    OK thanks, so it should work just fine in Vivaldi. Vivaldi even has certain options related to Google services that you can enable and disable.
     
  7. xxJackxx

    xxJackxx Registered Member

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    I would skip the hosts file. It all gets loaded into RAM and you'll never access most of the things in it. uBlock Origin will cover similar functionality with less trouble and since you were going to use it anyway... plus if you are determined I believe you can use the list same as a blocklist in uBO anyway.
     
  8. oliverjia

    oliverjia Registered Member

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    Yes, just check/enable the mvp hosts option in ublock origin filter list and you are golden. No need to mess with the actual hosts file at all.
     
  9. zapjb

    zapjb Registered Member

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    W7P64 or a Linux Distro.
     
  10. Buddel

    Buddel Registered Member

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    I would add decent backup software (e.g. Macrium Reflect).
     
  11. longshots

    longshots Registered Member

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    That would have to be on a Virtual desktop, not a direct install to the SSD.
    My PC runs a Intel i7-6700CPU @ 3.40 GHz x 8, which was the last CPU that Intel produced which allowed a W7 installation.
     
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