New Laptop with Windows 10

[Rockin Robbins]

Poof! I've been summoned! Software firewalls are not absolutely necessary if you're sitting behing the harware firewall of a router, either wireless or wired. However, a software firewall gives you a degree of control that I find useful.

Windows Firewall, which is a part of Windows 10 is a 1-way firewall system. That means that it filters incoming connections to your computer. If you have not authorized, or that connection is not automatically authorized by Windows, the connection is not allowed.

A one-way firewall should be all you need unless you are a very juicy corporate target or someone would be willing to put a lot of effort forth to get into your goodies. Unfortunately, even randomly, those persistent people rarely become a big problem. I've never had such a problem.

But what if you are a bit paranoid? What if, in spite of your firewall, bad stuff gets on your computer? It can happen, because the greatest hazard to your computer is you, installing malware, and no firewall can keep you from doing that unless it just pulls the plug and your computer becomes a very bad and expensive boat anchor.

A two-way firewall filters outgoing connections too. Initially, when your programs try to make an outgoing connection a dialog box pops up and says "Bub, you really want this connection to happen?" and you say "Yes, and remember that please." And that program is authorized to send info over the Internet.

This means that if you do install a piece of malware on your system and it tries to send its information home, your two-way firewall will pop up that dialog box to alert you. You will have to authorize the connection. At the very least, that tells you that somebody's calling home. Most of the tme that's legitimate and you'll authorize the connection.

What if it is a process you don't recognize. You have a name to do a Google search with to see it you need to worry about it and its connection is interrupted until you do.

But is that valid protection? Maybe. If it's an internal Windows 10 process chances are the name will be reported honestly and if it's telemetry you can tell the firewall "No way Jose and remember that." But real malware outside Microsoft (the new king of malware) often masquerades under the name of an inoccuous process. "Do you want TimeUpdater.exe to access the Internet?" Yeah, that's legitimate. But in this case it's malware stealing the name of a normally legitimate process. See what I'm getting at? Two-way firewalls are useful but not infallable because a fallable human is running the show.

The best alternative for Microsoft snooping is Spybot Anti-Beacon. This is a free program, updated regularly, whose sole task is to keep Microsoft malware from calling home. You have infinite control with tons of options. It's a very good program and I use it even for Windows 7.

Personally right now I'm running Windows Firewall on my one remaining Windows machine and haven't had a problem. I am also behind a hardware firewall.

I was just given one of those HP all-on-one computers with a 21" touch screen. First thing I did was dump Windows 10 off the machine and install Ubuntu 16.10. Yikes! Linux is better with a touch screen than Windows 10! It's really pretty phenominal, especially when you consider that Linux is perfectly happy WITHOUT a touch screen too. Unlike Microsoft's practice it isn't necessary to toss out the baby with the bathwater.

[vienna]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

...But what if you are a bit paranoid? What if, in spite of your firewall, bad stuff gets on your computer? It can happen, because the greatest hazard to your computer is you, installing malware, and no firewall can keep you from doing that unless it just pulls the plug and your computer becomes a very bad and expensive boat anchor.

...


The best alternative for Microsoft snooping is Spybot Anti-Beacon. This is a free program, updated regularly, whose sole task is to keep Microsoft malware from calling home. You have infinite control with tons of options. It's a very good program and I use it even for Windows 7.

...

...and if you're really paranoid, you'll wonder what info Spybot Anti-Beacon is sending back to home base or if it might be a front for Microsoft...

Another series of tools, for the advanced users, is Microsoft's Sysinternls Suite:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/.../bb842062.aspx

This is free from MS and here is the home site for more info:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/.../bb545021.aspx

Particularly useful is the Autoruns tool, which allows you to seek out and block software that launches on startup, some of which don"t even show up in the Task Manager's Startup list. If you are comfortable with getting into the nuts and bolts of machines, these tolls could be a help...



<O>

[Reece]

Well this has made me even more paranoid/worried about turning the computer on. Maybe I should turn it on without an internet connection.
I am still running on my old computer, maybe I should download the software ( Spybot Anti-Beacon.) on to a usb stick and plug that into the new machine at startup. Does it have to be online when starting Win 10?

The dealer said that most machines will not allow the installation of an older windows version or even Linux, I wonder if this computer will or won't allow other operating systems.
I did search for a Win 7 system before I selected this one but basically only a few old slow machines were available in only a few stores.
My Galaxy S4 has an older version of Android (kit-kat) and is great compared to the newer versions, I can actually turn auto updates off.
I was hoping for some sort of positive response regarding Windows 10 but there doesn't seem to be any.

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by Reece

Well this has made me even more paranoid/worried about turning the computer on. Maybe I should turn it on without an internet connection.
I am still running on my old computer, maybe I should download the software ( Spybot Anti-Beacon.) on to a usb stick and plug that into the new machine at startup. Does it have to be online when starting Win 10?

The dealer said that most machines will not allow the installation of an older windows version or even Linux, I wonder if this computer will or won't allow other operating systems.
I did search for a Win 7 system before I selected this one but basically only a few old slow machines were available in only a few stores.
My Galaxy S4 has an older version of Android (kit-kat) and is great compared to the newer versions, I can actually turn auto updates off.
I was hoping for some sort of positive response regarding Windows 10 but there doesn't seem to be any.

Wow! You've been fed a couple of shovels of fresh horse squeeze there by the dealer.

Older versions of Windows, including Windows 7 and Linux can be installed on every computer I've ever seen, including my HP all in one with the most vicious BIOS setup I've ever seen.

As a matter of fact, after you throw the right switches, you can pull the hard drive out of your old computer, install it into your new one and just boot up! You would probably have to reactivate Windows over the phone and you'd be good to go. However I wouldn't recommend running XP today. Windows 7 is best if you want to stay with Microsoft.

You're dealing with less than astute people where you bought your new machine.