Advanced Plus Security ErzCrz Security Config 2025

Last updated
Jun 15, 2025
How it's used?
For home and private use
Operating system
Windows 11
Other operating system
N/A
On-device encryption
BitLocker Device Encryption for Windows
Log-in security
    • Biometrics (Windows Hello PIN, TouchID, Face, Iris, Fingerprint)
Security updates
Allow security updates and latest features
Update channels
Allow stable updates only
User Access Control
Always notify
Smart App Control
Off
Network firewall
Enabled
About WiFi router
Sky Router with built-in IPV4/IPv6 Firewall
Real-time security
ESET Security Essentials
CyberLock
RansomwareGuard
Firewall security
Other - Internet Security (3rd-party)
About custom security
ESET Security Essentials - Default Settings
Cyberlock - ON - Firewall Rules for Unsafe Items. SmartFirewall Recommended, Require Captcha to exit.
RansomwareGuard
Periodic malware scanners
Malwarebytes On Demand
Emsisoft
Malware sample testing
I do not participate in malware testing
Environment for malware testing
N/A
Browser(s) and extensions
Primary: Edge with Osprey, uBlock Origin Lite & ESET
Secondary: Firefox with uBlock Origin & Osprey Browser Extension & ESET
Secure DNS
Provided by ISP Sky Shield though occasionally Cloudflare DNS over HTTP.
Desktop VPN
None. Browsing primarily on home private network.
Password manager
Keepass 2.x
Maintenance tools
Windows built-in Disk Clean-up and Storage Sense.
File and Photo backup
AOMEI Backupper Pro - Monthly Full Backups & Weekly Differential Backups
Subscriptions
    • None
System recovery
Lenovo Built in Recovery, AOMEI Backupper Pro Recovering Environment & Bootable USB
Risk factors
    • Browsing to popular websites
    • Working from home
    • Making audio/video calls
    • Opening email attachments
    • Buying from online stores, entering banks card details
    • Downloading software and files from reputable sites
    • Gaming
    • Streaming audio/video content from trusted sites or paid subscriptions
Computer specs
ErzCrz Laptop Specs 2025
Notable changes
See First Post Spoilers
08.02.2026 - 2026 setup - ESET Security Essentials, CyberLock, RansomwareGuard
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Disclaimer we use date format DD/MM/YYYY here in the UK
What I'm looking for?

Looking for minimum feedback.

My advice from another thread, might help. If not just ignore.
Zero Knowledge said:
1) ASUS/MSI > 2) RAZER/GIGABYTE > 3) LENOVO > 4) DELL

That's how I rate Windows laptop brands. Apple not included but they would be above ASUS/MSI or equal.

I also wouldn't buy a cheap Lenovo or Dell. And I would avoid soldered on RAM that can't be upgraded/replaced.

Anything else is just plain :poop::poop::poop::poop::poop:
Click to expand...
Anything but HP. Lenovo is miles better in quality. They also update the BIOS/UEFI more frequently if there are any vulnerabilities.

If you go for only 8GB of DDR make sure that it has two RAM slots and DDR is not soldered on so you can upgrade/add another stick of DDR down the road.
 
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Zero Knowledge said:
My advice from another thread, might help. If not just ignore.

Anything but HP. Lenovo is miles better in quality. They also update the BIOS/UEFI more frequently if there are any vulnerabilities.

If you go for only 8GB of DDR make sure that it has two RAM slots and DDR is not soldered on so you can upgrade/add another stick of DDR down the road.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info! Puts my options more in perspective. The ASUS Vivobook 15 15.6in i5 16GB 512GB is looking like a promising option and with 16GB ram already in, that'll do the job and cope with some casual gaming with the intel Iris Xe. There is a Vivobook 16X for a bit more but the Ryzen Vega GPU performs less than the Iris Xe.

A mate recommended a Acer gaming machine as I sometimes play games but I think I'll be going with this Asus as a best all-rounder that I can pop into a game or two now and then. But a bit of time yet before I get it.
 
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ErzCrz said:
The ASUS Vivobook 15 15.6in i5 16GB 512GB is looking like a promising option and with 16GB ram already in, that'll do the job and cope with some casual gaming with the intel Iris Xe. There is a Vivobook 16X for a bit more but the Ryzen Vega GPU performs less than the Iris Xe.
Click to expand...

Great choice! The Vivobook has very good reviews and ASUS makes good quality laptops. If you want casual gaming, look for a Vivobook with a RTX GPU.


ErzCrz said:
A mate recommended a Acer gaming machine as I sometimes play games but I think I'll be going with this Asus as a best all-rounder that I can pop into a game or two now and then. But a bit of time yet before I get it.
Click to expand...
To play games at any decent FPS you're going to need a dedicated GPU (unless the games are 10/15/20 years old) so look at Nvidia RTX models.

Look for a 3050 RTX or 3060 RTX if you want to play games. They are the entry RTX models; you should be able to play most games at medium.
 
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Zero Knowledge said:
Great choice! The Vivobook has very good reviews and ASUS makes good quality laptops. If you want casual gaming, look for a Vivobook with a RTX GPU.



To play games at any decent FPS you're going to need a dedicated GPU (unless the games are 10/15/20 years old) so look at Nvidia RTX models.

Look for a 3050 RTX or 3060 RTX if you want to play games. They are the entry RTX models; you should be able to play most games at medium.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for this info! I don't play overly demanding games or PVP as such. I tend to play MMORPGs so I think the ASUS will be fine for the likes of Swtor which still runs on my old laptop I'm using and some WOW if I pick that up again. Lots of things get in the way of me doing any proper gaming. It will actually run some current games like Apex Legends and others even if on low settings i5 1235U | Intel Iris Xe Graphics | Test in 14 Games in 2022 | HP Pavilion 15 . There was a RTX Acer Aspire 7 I saw but thinking the Asus will serve my needs best even if it won't run high fps but early days :)

I've got some stuff on this week so it'll probably be new year when I get around to getting it. Thanks again for the info!
 
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And of course, that laptop now out of stock but we'll see what's available next week when I'm likely to get the upgrade. Just other priorities right this minute and stocks can/will replenish. After all, 13th gen chips will start to be more affordable soon.

Still wanting a H or P chip. Lots of U's around I just think the H's in particular are a bit more future proof and can handle things like games better. (Ryzen equivelant also applies).

EDIT: Found a Ryzen equivalent. It's a 12/2021 released chip but ASUS Vivobook 16X 16in R5 16GB 512GB AMD Ryzen 5 5600H as a good possibile alternative ;) Anything will be better than my 4th gen i3 laptop just hunting for the best in my budget :D

On the mend, albeit slowly.
 
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ErzCrz said:
My 2023 Configuration and laptop specs are pending upgrade in coming weeks.

This is the laptop I'm planning to get: ASUS Vivobook 16X X1603ZA 16" Laptop - Intel® Core™ i5, 512 GB SSD has a i5-12500H Processor that just beats most of the others in the price range ;)

Happy New Year!
Click to expand...
Back in stock again which is great :D Hoping that holds out until late next week but may get it sooner depending on something else IRL, not money related. Anyway, good to see it's back in stock.

The alternative I'd though about was the MSI Modern 15 15.6in i7 8GB 512GB with i7-1255U chip which has the Intel Iris Xe Graphics (96EU) instead of the (80EU) as it has slightly more shading, tmus, rops and execution units but negligible considering i5 has 2 more cores and other factors. Oh and a H-chip more for performance. Not like I'll be doing heavy stuff, this is more future proofing and some casual gaming.

Now I know I could aim for a gaming machine but not a huge fan of some of the designs but I am considering the LENOVO IdeaPad Gaming 3 15.6" Gaming Laptop - AMD Ryzen™ 5, GTX 1650, 512 GB SSD which is fairly normal looking but I'll get more out of the Asus in general I think.

All else okay, on the mend :)
 
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ErzCrz said:
The alternative I'd though about was the MSI Modern 15 15.6in i7 8GB 512GB with i7-1255U chip
Click to expand...
Good alternative to the VivoBook, I rate MSI as well as ASUS as the best laptop manufacturers. I would personally still go for VivoBook since I think the i5-12500H CPU is slightly better than the AMD 5600U and ASUS supports their lower range laptops better than MSI with BIOS/Firmware updates, unless it's the latest or greatest gaming laptop MSI support ends soon after launch for some of their range.

ErzCrz said:
but I am considering the LENOVO IdeaPad Gaming 3 15.6" Gaming Laptop - AMD Ryzen™ 5, GTX 1650, 512 GB SSD
Click to expand...
The only Lenovo gaming laptop you should consider is the Legion 5i or Legion 7i. Anything else is not very good.

If you can wait a month or two and look to CES which is very soon new laptop GPU's and CPUs are going to be announced/showed/demonstrated. It will probably be March when they start to see them in stores, but they will offer a large performance boost to current hardware,
 
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Zero Knowledge said:
Good alternative to the VivoBook, I rate MSI as well as ASUS as the best laptop manufacturers. I would personally still go for VivoBook since I think the i5-12500H CPU is slightly better than the AMD 5600U and ASUS supports their lower range laptops better than MSI with BIOS/Firmware updates, unless it's the latest or greatest gaming laptop MSI support ends soon after launch for some of their range.


The only Lenovo gaming laptop you should consider is the Legion 5i or Legion 7i. Anything else is not very good.

If you can wait a month or two and look to CES which is very soon new laptop GPU's and CPUs are going to be announced/showed/demonstrated. It will probably be March when they start to see them in stores, but they will offer a large performance boost to current hardware,
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info!!

Yeah, the 12500H is a decent chip so more than likely going with that one :)

Thanks for this info. Points me in the right direction towards the ASUS. It'll be so much better than what have now.

This laptop is on it's last legs so hoping for sooner rather than later but we'll see. Thanks again for the info!
 
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Excited for my new laptop, hopefully tomorrow.

On a different note, after searching some stuff on Win 11 so I can set it up properly, I found a TPM Fix for those who have PCs that are compatible with Win 11 but have that TPM compatibility error. . I found this simple BIOS fix on YouTube but most of you I expect already are aware of it. Windows 11 TPM on ASUS Motherboards *DIY FIRST FIX* in English.

Anyway, with an luck I can get my new machine tomorrow :D
 
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Screen wouldn't turn on after sleep. No related log entry just Emsisoft Update happened at that moment. Ended up having to do a hard restart. Interesting product I'll evaluate further but just checking with it uninstalled to see if issue repeats. Will probably do CD and FWH in the meantime.

May just have been a memory priority thing but hybernating and waking a few times didn't work /shrug. Anyway, we'll see if it happens again with it uninstalled.
 
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No issue yet with it uninstalled. I think this sort of thing happened before on the old machine with some 3rd party AVs. Probably just a one off and bad timing or something. Keyboard lit up and SSD drive usage and power lights worked fine, just screen was black and it sort of caught me off guard.

Anyway, will play around with it later and try that memory usage optimization in Emsisoft itself ;)
 
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Liking Emsisoft but noticing some lag here and there so reverted to MD for a bit. ConfigureDefender - High & Enabled CFA following @oldschool 's example. Maybe I should use MAX instead of HIGH? FWHardening - Recommended, Added NPE to scanner, Edge exploit tweaks.

Really after a free disk imaging software compatible with exFAT as my external drive came in that format.

H_C works on my Windows 11 and I have SAC disabled so thinking I should just use it and then adapt when there's another big update.
 
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CD on max and lower it to high if any problems exist

ErzCrz said:
H_C works on my Windows 11 and I have SAC disabled so thinking I should just use it and then adapt when there's another big update.
Click to expand...
May update probably coming next , thats like half year to go and of course theres no need to rush with such big update

Did SAC cause u any problems? Mostly my RGB lightnings were turning off because of SAC, so i disabled it for now
 
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Moonhorse said:
CD on max and lower it to high if any problems exist


May update probably coming next , thats like half year to go and of course theres no need to rush with such big update

Did SAC cause u any problems? Mostly my RGB lightnings were turning off because of SAC, so i disabled it for now
Click to expand...
Thanks :)

No, not tried SAC, was disabled on this new laptop by default.
 
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