First PC in Ages. Have some questions.

Hello,

I just bought an Alienware M17x R4, which just happens to be my first PC in a long time, as I previously had an MBP and the Blackbook. I have seen my families PCs get infected, or slow down over time, and considering the amount of cash I paid for this machine, I would rather that not happen.

So, what are some first steps I should take when I receive my laptop? What programs do you recommend for Anti-Virus, SpyWare and Malware. I do download things from torrents, so should I get any protection in the form of firewalls?

Also, how do I keep this thing performing at peak level for years to come? I have seen so many PCs slow down over the years.

Some general tips would also be a big help.

Cheers,

 

Security and Anti-Virus Software

There are hundreds of threads asking about the "best" antivirus.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sec...d-mac-what-anti-virus-software-do-i-need.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sec...mbam-free-effective-lightweight-solution.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/security-anti-virus-software/657985-avira-12-free-av.html

MBAM + your choice of AV (Avast, Avira, MSE) is the general consensus.
Then download CCleaner and run that every month to keep your hard drive clean. A good firewall is Comodo firewall.

And talking about downloading from torrents could be against the rules depending on if it's illegal torrent downloading or not.

 

Moving to security and s2odin answered quite nicely. My recommendation would be MSE + MBAM and hten call it a day. If you're a bit paranoid, Avast is a good alternative.

Regarding torrent discussions, anything related to piracy is of course prohibited, but mentioning the use of torrent software isn't. For all we know, you could be using those to share files legally, and let's leave it at that.

 

Remove any bloatware and update the OS+programs, then create a user account and make a separate partition for data like docs/music/movies etc.
Make an image of the OS+programs partition with a program like free Paragon.
If you would also make a partition at the end of the drive and put a copy of the image there and keep a bootable USB stick with Paragon (or any other imaging program) with your Alienware, you can always reimage to 'mint condition', wherever you are.
In 10-20 minutes, faster than an average AV 'deep scan'.

Now start thinking about AV/AM/firewalls etc.

 

I use MSE(Microsoft Security Essentials), and spybot's HDD cleaner thing. Though if you're going to download potentially dangerous files, I wouldn't complain to anyone about having the latest virus/infection, and that whatever free software you choose didn't protect you.

 

I've heard about MSE, and I will certainly get that. Is MBAM Malwarebytes Anti-Malware? I am paranoid about spyware and viruses, so I might get something like Avast.

Thanks Baserk, but I have no idea what you getting on about. Would you be so kind as too enlighten me?

I saw somebody run this setup in one of the threads, and it looked quite good. Avira, Threatfite, SuperAntiSpyWare, Comodo Pro Firewall.

 

Don't run two AV's ever (MSE + Avast).

This is my setup:
Comodo firewall
MBAM (MalwareBytes AntiMalware)
Avira AV

Baserk is referring to removing the bloatware that comes with new computers.

 

I mean Imaging software as in making a 1 on 1 copy of your OS+programs.
If you know how to install an OS yourself, read this f. y.i. link. If not, nevermind.
Avira, MBAM on-demand and Comodo FW is a strong combination, no need for ThreatFire, that's a behavioural blocker and you already have Comodo HIPS Defense+ and a sandbox.
Read the Comodo FAQ/PDF, if applicable, so you know what you click 'yes' to.

 

First things first.
Windows OS doesn't really slow down with time on its own.
This is usually the result of having a lot of programs installed into the OS that clutter up the standard services and run with the OS itself (along with programs that start with the OS).
To that end, keeping your computer bloatware free is the way to go, and by that, I am referring to removing any and all programs that came pre-installed with the laptop (sans the drivers) - and also checking to see what is starting with the OS, and eliminating everything except say the touchpad and antivirus.

Also keep an eye out on installed services - some of them can integrate with the OS and slow the start-up times along with overall responsiveness.
Windows 7 comes with about 42 services out of the box (clean install) - and adding an AV might increase it to 44 or 45 (Which is ok).

As for Antivirus programs...
Pick ONE of the following:
Avast (free), Avira (free), MSE, Panda (free).

And then also install Malwarebytes (free) - this will be an on-demand scanner which you can run only if you suspect a potential infection.

As for firewalls... keep Windows firewall - its more than enough.

 

Thank you so far. How do I go about removing bloatware, and how do I ensure that nothing starts with the OS? I heard Alienware is pretty good about not giving the user a bunch of useless crap upon first start.

So, essentially, keep my PC bloatware free, and don't overload it with programs, downloads and so on, and it should stay at optimum performance for years?

 

Mostly, yes.
But when it comes to downloads... just put them on a separate partition.
And as for programs... avoid them from starting up with the computer and make sure they don't install unnecessary services (antivirus not-withstanding of course).

 

winkey + r -> "msconfig" no quotes -> change your startup programs.

Be sure to download something like CCleaner and defrag your HD every month or so.

 

So I type in MSconfig, and I can change what fires up when I turn on the laptop. That's awesome. Thanks. I think I will run with the security combo mentioned in this site, as well as MSE. I typically keep most downloads on my external hard drive, as I don't really know how to make a partition.

 

MSConfig offers more options than just turning on and off startup items though.

This thread contains some other tips that could come in handy: http://forum.notebookreview.com/windows-os-software/629640-windows-fact-day-thread.html

 

I second what s2odin mentioned about CCleaner. It's en excellent program that really helps cleaning up junk and bad registries. It's been helping me out for years and it's free too.

Those Air Force guys really know their computers.

 

Thanks again everybody. Being new to Windows, I am sure I will have my issues, but at least I know how to protect myself now.

 

MSE + MBAM (Malwarebytes). Also run CCleaner & Glary Utilities - this is an awesome program and is recommended in the Alienware forums