Windows 10: What extra software do I need with Windows 10

Hi,
I'm a bit confused and using up lots of disk space (I only have 110GB) with extra software.
I have ghostery, adblocker, avast free, cc cleaner, defraggler, reimage (paid for 1 year) and of course the inbuilt windows defender. And just uninstalled McAvee which was also running in the background!
What should I get rid of?
Thanks
*Confused

:)

 

Do I need extra virus protection with windows 10?

Iam guessing he meant in addition to what is included in Windows already..i.e. Windows Defender..

Why is this stuff not clearer, i ve been researching now for 2 hours and still none the wiser....its like insurance sales...

I pay for mcafee at moment but iam concluding you can just use free Window Defender as most internet providers also do a pretty good job at protecting these days....

an industry making billions off fear... or justified?...who knows....

 

Do I need extra virus protection with windows 10?

I asked you "in addition to what?" and you didn't answer the question. What you need for malware protection depends in large measure on your web-surfing habits. There is no anti-malware solution that will protect you if you're not careful about clicking
on links, especially links in email messages. Don't click on a link unless you're sure of where it's going to take you. When a new malware species is released into the wild, there will always be a delay in antivirus software catching up, so don't ever think
that you're completely protected. I've been using the web since the beginning and I've never had a virus or trojan infection and can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times that antivirus software has prevented it, and even in those cases there
were doubtlessly false positives.

Stay away completely from anything from Symantec (Norton) or McAfee, because both of them will, sooner or later, cause problems of their own. In general you should stay away from comprehensive "internet safety" packages. Have a look at
Virus Bulletin, from an organization that does independent testing. You will get an indication there of what might be the most effective
programs.

For myself, I use Windows Defender and the Windows firewall. Your mileage may vary, as they say, but if you feel the need for a different solution, get a standalone antivirus program. As I suggested, if you do feel the need for extra protection, you need
to take a look at your own web-surfing habits.

 

Hi, @Lizzy:

You ask a very common question with no one "right" or "best" answer.
There are many, different, strong opinions about security software choices.
Each user must, in the end, select the software that best suits that user's computer hardware/OS, computing practices, budget and other variables. Details here.

If you have Avast for your AV, then you'll want to be sure to fully disable Windows Defender (WD).
WD in Windows 8/8.1/10 is not the same as the WD in Win7 from which I think you recently upgraded.
WD in Win10 is an anti-virus. Since you have Avast, it's important to disable WD, so that you will not end up with 2 AVs running in real-time. Otherwise, you could run into stability or performance issues.

You may want to consider adding real-time anti-malware protection (e.g. with MBAM Premium), and/or real-time anti-exploit protection (e.g. with MBAE Free or Premium, or HitmanProAlert).

For your browser security add-ons (extensions), you might want to consider adding something like NoScript Security Suite. And it's VERY important to keep plug-ins, such as Adobe Flash Player and "Java" up to date, as they can create security vulnerabilities. (Be sure to opt-out (un-tick) any bundled software freebies that may be offered during the installation process.)

It's important to remember, however, that no security program or group of programs can protect 100% of computers from 100% of malware 100% of the time. The most effective computer security component is the one between the chair and the keyboard.*Smile

I'm sure the other forum members will have additional/different suggestions.

Cheers,

MM

 

Hi MM,
Thanks for your reply. I was hoping to get rid of some stuff*Confused
You recommend I should keep everything I have and add an anti-malware and no script security suite?

 

It would help if you could take a screenshot of what is in your Programs and Features,
then post it in your next reply.

 

Sorry, how do I do that?

 

A large number of members here, including myself, run just fine with no extra "performance", "anti-malware", or "anti-virus" software installed. On the eleven computers in my house all that is installed is built-in Windows defender and I like to have CCleaner installed - but I would not say CCleaner is a necessity. On the eleven computers in my house - and four very non-technical users - I get maybe 1 malware infection per year on a computer, and that has always been cleaned with just a thorough disk cleaning with built-in Windows disk cleanup and CCleaner - sometimes in safe mode - because the malware usually was in temporary internet files.

I have given a few basic instructions to the non-technically inclined users in my house:

1. Don't click on any pop-up that says to optimize or clean the PC. Look for the little X in the upper right corner and if you are unsure about that then CTL-ALT-DEL to get to the task manager and kill the browser program from there.

2. Make sure you know exactly what link you are clicking on. If unsure, hover over the link and look in the lower left corner to see if the URL looks legit.

3. Never use express install on any program you are installing, and make sure the EULA you are accepting is for the actual program you want to install. Always pick custom install and make sure that crapware is not included in what you are agreeing to install and decline any EULA that is not for the specific program you want to install. Also when downloading a program to install from the internet make sure the link you are clicking is for the actual program itself and look for checkboxes on the same webpage to include crapware - like on the Adobe webpage when you install Acrobat Reader or flash.

I've been asked to clean malware off of several friends computers before and I usually see a whole bunch of the programs in the categories of my first sentence installed. The first thing I do is uninstall all of those. Then I run a good disk cleanup and 90% of the time their malware problem is gone.

 

Thanks for recommendations.

 

This tutorial will show you how. Use the option which is easiest for you.

Screenshot - Take in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

A screenshot of all your programs is what will be helpful.

To find your programs, Right click on Start > at the top of the list will be Programs and Features >
Left click on it and it will open to show all your Programs.


This is what it will look like.

 

Lizzy, This is your laptop, I believe... ASUS ZenBook UX31E | Notebooks | ASUS USA


If so, you do not need defraggler because you have an SSD disk drive. Use the Windows built in defragmentation tool. The process is called Optimizing or Trimming.

A basic good trio of software, for system and maintenance is:

MalwareBytes (Free)
Windows Defender (Built in)
SuperAntiSpyware

Avast will turn off Defender and not give you much more, if any, security than Defender.
MalwareBytes is good to get rid of junkware that may creep onto your system.
SuperAntiSpyware is good at cleaning up "Cookies" left behind by overambitious web sites!

There are many variations of what software you could have, depending on our needs.

Remember, do not run a regular defragmentation on a SSD drive. It will add lots of wear and tear.

TC

 

Thank you, I'm learning a lot on this forum. Will get rid of defraggler straight away!

 

here are my screenshots:

 

I second the recommendation to dump Avast.

 

Launch cCleaner
Pick Tools from the left hand menu
Uninstall should be shown
Press Save to text ... button in the lower left.

Then open the text file,
Ctrl+A to select all
Ctrl+C to copy the selected text

Create a new post on your thread
Press the # icon on the posting menu above to create a Code box
Ctrl+V to paste the copied text between the two

Code:

tags

Here's what the install list looks like on my machine.
Code: 7-Zip 15.14 (x64) Igor Pavlov 04/10/16 4.72 MB 15.14 Audacity 2.1.2 Audacity Team 04/17/16 56.5 MB 2.1.2 CCleaner Piriform 04/10/16 5.16 Defraggler Piriform 04/10/16 2.21 EasyBCD 2.3 NeoSmart Technologies 05/05/16 2.3 FFmpeg (Windows) for Audacity version 2.2.2 04/17/16 29.3 MB 2.2.2 GIMP 2.8.16 The GIMP Team 04/10/16 185 MB 2.8.16 Google Chrome Google Inc. 04/17/16 51.0.2704.103 H&R Block Basic + Efile 2015 HRB Technology, LLC. 04/16/16 141 MB 15.02.8101 LAME v3.99.3 (for Windows) 04/17/16 1.52 MB Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable - x64 9.0.30729.6161 Microsoft Corporation 04/10/16 13.2 MB 9.0.30729.6161 Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable - x86 9.0.30729.6161 Microsoft Corporation 04/10/16 10.1 MB 9.0.30729.6161 Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable (x64) - 11.0.50727 Microsoft Corporation 04/10/16 20.4 MB 11.0.50727.1 Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable (x86) - 11.0.50727 Microsoft Corporation 04/10/16 17.3 MB 11.0.50727.1 Mp3tag v2.77 Florian Heidenreich 04/25/16 v2.77 Nitro Reader 5 Nitro 04/19/16 210 MB 5.5.6.21 OpenOffice 4.1.2 Apache Software Foundation 04/10/16 312 MB 4.12.9782 Speccy Piriform 04/11/16 1.29 Synaptics TouchPad Driver Synaptics Incorporated 04/26/16 46.4 MB 15.3.27.1 TextPad 8 Helios 04/09/16 13.8 MB 8.0.2 VLC media player VideoLAN 04/10/16 2.2.2 Windows Help+Tips Microsoft Corporation 04/11/16 6.3.9654.20559 Windows Live Essentials Microsoft Corporation 04/10/16 16.4.3528.0331[/quote] This is not a recommendation, it's a request to see what's installed as a text list