Advanced Plus Security oldschool's laptop setup 2020

Last updated
Jan 4, 2020
Windows Edition
Pro
Operating system
macOS 15 Sequoia
Log-in security
Security updates
Allow security updates and latest features
User Access Control
Always notify
Real-time security
Windows Defender
VoodooShield Pro v5.57
OS hardening
Firewall security
Microsoft Defender Firewall
About custom security
ConfigureDefender @ modified High
Periodic malware scanners
Emsisoft Emergency Kit
Hitman Pro (paid)
Malware sample testing
I do not participate in malware testing
Browser(s) and extensions
Brave - hardened + built-in protection + WDBP + Netcraft
Edge Dev Chromium - hardened + µBO + Privacy Badger
Firefox - hardened + µBO + Privacy Badger + eTag Stoppa + MBBG
Maintenance tools
Windows built-in
BleachBit 3.0 - "Hilary uses it!"
RunBySmartscreen
File and Photo backup
Copy/Paste -> Free Agent Drive
System recovery
Windows built-in -> Free Agent drive (monthly)
Risk factors
    • Browsing to popular websites
    • Streaming audio/video content from shady sites
    • Browsing to unknown / untrusted / shady sites
    • Working from home
    • Streaming audio/video content from trusted sites or paid subscriptions
Computer specs
Lenovo L340 i3 8145U CPU @ 2.10 GHz 2.300 GHz 8GB DDR4 RAM 1 TB HDD

Thales

Level 15
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Nov 26, 2017
732
Changed search engine from StartPage -> Qwant due to privacy questions re: new ownership. Gibiru as another alternative. 👍

I will try them. Thanks.
It seems DDG gives the same results as Google which is a good thing. I hope they work as DDG.
 

oldschool

Level 85
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Mar 29, 2018
7,704
Installed Sophos 2.1.9 to check it out and my laptop slo-o-o-w-e-d down like I can't believe. Restarted several times to see if that helped, followed by uninstall. I used to like the old Sophos Free and was hoping for improvement. 😒 Windows Defender is just faster overall.

Cleaned up the leftovers with BleachBit and when I opened it was surprised to find :cool: new cleaners which you can read about here
https://github.com/bleachbit/winapp2.ini/blob/master/Winapp2-BleachBit.ini

and here Q&A - BleachBit winapp2.ini cleaners for Edge, Edge Insider, Windows, Chrome/Brave, etc.

(Edits in italics)
 
Last edited:

brambedkar59

Level 32
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Apr 16, 2017
2,125
Installed Sophos 2.1.9 to check it out and my laptop slo-o-o-w-e-d down like I can't believe. Restarted several times to see if that helped, followed by uninstall. I used to like the old Sophos Free and was hoping for improvement. 😒 Windows Defender is just faster overall.
I have always had the same experience with Sophos, very slow boot, laggy app launches (worse even than the old McAfee). I thought they hated me personally.
 

Gandalf_The_Grey

Level 84
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Apr 24, 2016
7,415
Replaced Cloudfare with Adguard DNS. (y)(y)

Replaced Edge built-in tracking protection with µBlock Origin @ medium mode.

(Edits in italics)
Let us know how Adguard DNS works out for you.
Why don't you use Edge built-in tracking protection together with uBlock Origin?
Don't see the need for turning it off.
 

oldschool

Level 85
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Mar 29, 2018
7,704
Added: VoodooShield Pro 5.54H Beta

Upgraded HitmanPro to paid with the Black Friday deal.

Removed: Emsisoft Emergency Kit --> It suddenly would not update and the driver continues running after closing app. I tried everything I can think of, including using TCPView but could not diagnose ( maybe above my pay grade? o_O) I contacted Emsi support and they helped me to get rid of the stuck driver and delete the app. They could not help with the updating issue. I don't know if it's related to using DOH or some OS hardening, etc.. I give up for now, but it bugs me due to OCDC.

Maybe a clean install is in my future when the next W10 feature update is released? 🤔
 

oldschool

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Mar 29, 2018
7,704
Re-added: Emsisoft Emergency Kit

Emsi support was fantastic helping me find and fix the "unable to connect to update server problem"! Definitely top-notch customer service!

My New Year resolution: keep the system lean and clean, and quit experimenting with different software. :LOL:

@Evjl's Rain you were correct about the nature of the problem being the firewall. The trouble was pinpointing it. (y)
 

blackice

Level 39
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Apr 1, 2019
2,868
Re-added: Emsisoft Emergency Kit

Emsi support was fantastic helping me find and fix the "unable to connect to update server problem"! Definitely top-notch customer service!

My New Year resolution: keep the system lean and clean, and quit experimenting with different software. :LOL:

@Evjl's Rain you were correct about the nature of the problem being the firewall. The trouble was pinpointing it. (y)
Lean and clean! Love it! Our daughter is getting out of the blob phase, so I think I’m planning the same. No time for tooling around with random security software. Just good CLEAN fun.
 

oldschool

Level 85
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Mar 29, 2018
7,704
Could you expand on that? I'm interested in hearing about your research.

In a nutshell: blend in with the herd. Privacy Possum creates a lot of noise doing what it does, which makes the browser stand out more. There is significant disagreement between those who consider high-entropy extensions less favorably and those who believe the opposite. This is precisely the difference in philosophy between devs of PP and PB. There are trade-offs with each of them.

Brave and Firefox offer options to block/reduce fingerprinting where most Chromium browsers don't (thus requiring extensions). The argument comes down to which built-in options and which extensions do best. The jury is still out and the battle between Trackers and Users is a never-ending seesaw.

You could start by searching canvas fingerprinting and Firefox privacy for more info.
 

oldschool

Level 85
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Mar 29, 2018
7,704
Updated configuration to show:

Firefox - hardened + µBO + Privacy Badger + Malwarebytes Browser Guard. (y)

Now that I've spent some time with it, I'm liking Firefox a lot more. Lots of good resources for tweaking it. I'll keep it to use for certain tasks.

All three browsers I use have their place, each capable in its own way! :cool:
 

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