vrb93's Family-Shared PC config

[vrb93]

That's my shared desktop, just formatted last week to clean it up.
I love clean Windows install

2 accounts:
*Administrator with password, just for adding/removing programs and changing settings
*Standard Account, for everyday use.

Other Software:
*Ccleaner portable
*Infrarecorder Portable
*Microsoft Office 2007
*Skype
*Unchecky
*7zip
*Calibre
*PotPlayer
*SumatraPDF


Last infection: 2 months ago, some stupid adwares, easily removed with adwcleaner, bundled with setups that someone of my family didn't see

 

[Chromatinfish 123]

May I please suggest something?
Things To Remove: Ghostery, Skype (If you don't need it), Office 2007 (If you don't need Microsoft-only features)
Things To Add: Disconnect, Zemana AntiLogger, OpenOffice
I suggest to remove Office if you don't need the Microsoft-only features and Skype when you don't need it as these are more prone to being exploited than third-party alternatives.

 

[vrb93]

As it's a shared pc, i need a simple config with "well-known" software, to ensure usability especially for my parents, who have limited knowledges about PCs.
Skype and MSoffice are good choices this way
Anyway, i think Bitdef. Internet Security is enough about protection

Why should I uninstall ghostery?

 

[Cats-4_Owners-2]

Thanks for sharing this "Family Pack Configuration", vrb93. I imagine your family appreciates this computer's efficiency, speed, and fun factor when using it, all thanks to your maintaining all of the above with good software like CCleaner!!

If Firefox works well for you, as it does for our family's Windows 7, that's great.
..but if for some reason it doesn't (as on my Windows 8.1) maybe you can to try a secure and stable x64 bit browser like:

1. Pale Moon http://www.palemoon.org/palemoon-x64.shtml
2. or Cyberfox https://8pecxstudios.com

..and both are available as portable versions too.

Maybe they would like, and even benefit from, using a password manager like LastPass https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/lastpass-password-manager/
Everyone can have their own unique password while using the same add-on while still sharing the same browser!

One completely non-security add-on which I like, use, and then leave alone, is called Theme Font & Size Changer https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/theme-font-size-changer/?src=ss which can help any family member whom finds it hard to see small print by making it bigger!

 

[Chromatinfish 123]

--

As it's a shared pc, i need a simple config with "well-known" software, to ensure usability especially for my parents, who have limited knowledges about PCs.
Skype and MSoffice are good choices this way
Anyway, i think Bitdef. Internet Security is enough about protection

Why should I uninstall ghostery?

Never mind, don't unless you have accepted to use GhostRank. They sell your data.

 

[vrb93]

--

Never mind, don't unless you have accepted to use GhostRank. They sell your data.

That's a bad news, never heard that, I have to give a deeper look to this...

Thanks @Cats-4_Owners-2 my friend for your suggestions
I'm sticking with firefox to receive latest update and be more secure using the most updated browser engine...
I used to use comodo dragon / icedragon in the past but they were built over older engines which demonstrated to be weaker about protection. Are these browsers updated with latest browser builds?

 

[Rahadian Putra]

Thanks for sharing your "Shared computer" config, looks good to me, and since you are using 2 accounts I think that should be good. Especially if you and your family using standard account just for daily use and only use admin account for installing/removing stuff, just don't share your admin account then everything should be safe

I see you are using skype and ms office, I must agree with Chromatinfish123, if you don't use skype too often probably remove it would be the best, but if you use it often..then I suggest adding EMET for exploit protection, better safe than sorry

 

[Cats-4_Owners-2]

That's a bad news, never heard that, I have to give a deeper look to this...

Thanks @Cats-4_Owners-2 my friend for your suggestions
I'm sticking with firefox to receive latest update and be more secure using the most updated browser engine...
I used to use comodo dragon / icedragon in the past but they were built over older engines which demonstrated to be weaker about protection. Are these browsers updated with latest browser builds?

Hello my vrb93 friend. I agree with your decision preferring only to use browsers with the latest security patches too, and for this reason I have recently removed from our Windows 8.1 the comodo dragon browser which even sandboxed I'd used less & less since the curtain fell on XP. The first posts I read here were of Littlebits warning against clone browsers which don't keep up with such updates. This is not the case with either of those I've mentioned as they are patched often while keeping up with the latest updates. In fact, Pale Moon receives @Littlebits' most coveted prize conveyed by the very fact he uses it.

Btw, although I too use Ghostery, I do not activate "Ghost Rank" for the privacy reason mentioned. With Firefox, cookies can be set to be blocked, but not so in it's version for Chrome. For your parents it would be best, and less distracting, to set blocked items not to be displayed ...unless, of course, they'd enjoy seeing how it works!

Thanks for sharing your "Shared computer" config, looks good to me, and since you are using 2 accounts I think that should be good. Especially if you and your family using standard account just for daily use and only use admin account for installing/removing stuff, just don't share your admin account then everything should be safe

I see you are using skype and ms office, I must agree with Chromatinfish123, if you don't use skype too often probably remove it would be the best, but if you use it often..then I suggest adding EMET for exploit protection, better safe than sorry

As my good friend Rahadian Putra mentioned Microsoft's Enhanced Mitigation Toolkit, I began to wonder "What is that exactly?" and "Why don't I know of this already?". So, I decided to stop being lazy, for the time being, and I got to reading. (my glasses are actually clear..) Here's an explaination. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2458544 plus protecting on the kernel level sounds good to me too!

 

[Exterminator]

Looks good!! Thanks for sharing

 

[Rahadian Putra]

As my good friend Rahadian Putra mentioned Microsoft's Enhanced Mitigation Toolkit, I began to wonder "What is that exactly?" and "Why don't I know this already?". So, I decided to stop being lazy, for the time being, and I got to reading. (my glasses are actually clear..) Here's an explaination. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2458544 plus protecting on the kernel level sounds good to me too!

Hehe, it's a free tool from microsoft and can be used along with mbae (if you already have installed) it's an essential software for me like windows update (in my opinion ) It also provide protection for most major browsers and some programs as well (like skype) combine it with sandboxie like you used to then it would be great . You might want to read nice article about emet shared by our friend Venustus EMET can even help secure windows xp