You know it bothers me when the larger, more trustworthy companies play with us. The reasons are usually altruistic; they of course want to help you. Make improvements and most important to them…make some money for their shareholders. With more money, they can add more features and updates to their software, hardware, or whatever.
The one today I will bring to your attention has to do with your purchase of new computers.
When you got your shiny new computer, then start it up, it may surprise you. You may get ads, pop-ups, etc. as it comes with many pre-installed applications. The company you buy your computer from will make deals with some software companies to include their products on alternative systems. They receive a small fee for each app on each computer. That is said to help reduce the cost to you for the computer.
Some applications pre-installed are worthwhile, and others may be useless to you. You may uninstall the ones you are not familiar with. You can always use Google to discover which unknown apps you may need to keep and uninstall the others. Keep in mind that even Microsoft installs things you may not need. Say you are like me and are not one of the millions of Xbox owners in the world. (April 2020, Microsoft reported that the online gaming service had nearly 90 million monthly active users.) You could uninstall any Xbox apps on your PC. Note that in future Windows updates they will return.
The easiest way to uninstall an unwanted app is to click on your Windows 10 menu/logo button (lower left of your screen) and find the apps in the list you wish to uninstall, right-click on the icon and choose “Uninstall.” I suggest using Revo Uninstaller (revouninstaller.com) as it does a much better job of removing extra clutter that may be leftover from Microsoft’s uninstallation of apps.
Now on to my chief complaint/warning. All computer manufacturers install a major Antivirus application on your new computer. The antivirus application is usually free for anywhere from 30 days to a year. Then at the end of that time, you will get a pop-up message reminding you that for continued protection from viruses, malware, etc. you will need to purchase a license. I suggest you uninstall the antivirus that comes “free” with your new computer and relax. After the old, most likely expensive, antivirus is gone Windows kicks in automatically with, “Microsoft Defender Antivirus.” This application is good and actually comes free with Windows 10. It will take care of your security for your computer. If you want to get more information about it visit ghtech.site/w10security online at Microsoft’s site. This is a good antivirus application for most users.
You do not have to worry much about it as it usually gets all the updated files with every Windows Update done on your computer along with all the Microsoft features tied to Windows 10.
I also run the free version of Malwarebytes.com as an extra layer of protection. Keep in mind the old rule of never installing two antivirus apps on one computer still stands. However, you may run the two above simultaneously without problems.
You may install another antivirus application and decide not to use windows security. If you do, Defender will automatically shut down and let your new application take over. If you later uninstall the other antivirus…Defender will start back up.
