I have questions about my new computer

[JackieLikesVariety]

It isn't here yet, but delivery is next Thursday. I know I will have lots of questions and the first one is how do I know what is bloatwear and needs removing?

[What Exit?]

Excellent chance it will come with a preinstalled Anti-virus that is free for 1-3 months. I would uninstall it and either use Microsoft's native antivirus or load AVG or AVAST for free. This is the biggest & worst bloatware typically on new computers.

There will be pre-loaded games that will likely nuisance you and be in-app purchases. I would probably delete those.


A refurbished Lenovo hopefully has less preinstalled software than a new one. I found that true with a pair of refurb Dells I bought years ago.

[JackieLikesVariety]

that's good info, Jim but I didn't get a Lenovo I got an EliteBook

or, what would you call it?

HP Grade A Laptop EliteBook 840 G3 Intel Core i5 6th Gen 6300U (2.50 GHz) 16 GB Memory 256 GB SSD Intel HD Graphics 520 14.0" Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Multi-language

ETA anyway, I'm stoked - it's in Illinois, having shipped from Canada.

[What Exit?]

OK, so HP likes to load a lot of extra crap. But a refurb is often different. Hopefully less crap. 6 years ago my HP came with WildTangent installed and a bunch of cycle stealing HP software.

[SmartAleq]

Once you get everything up and running, you can go into the control panel and uninstall stuff. Don't uninstall anything that says "Windows" but anything that says "HP" is fair game, generally speaking. When you get to that point, you can use the native snipping tool to cut a screenshot of your programs list and we can help you figure out what's safe to dump.

[Detroit Hoser]

Okay, whoever wrote that "Aunt Loulou" tag...

[C2H5OH]

Originally Posted by Detroit Hoser

Okay, whoever wrote that "Aunt Loulou" tag...

If it's supposed to be a joke, I doan geddit.

[JackieLikesVariety]

that sounds like a good plan, Smartie.

THANK YOU, Radical Ed, an excellent list

Originally Posted by Detroit Hoser

Okay, whoever wrote that "Aunt Loulou" tag...

just me saying hi to a lurker. LouLou but I think of her as Aunt Lou Lou

[Radical Edward]

Things I delete immediately:

- anything that's a free trial
- games
- unwanted apps like Netflix, Hulu, etc. I open those in a web browser. I do not need extra shit taking up space tyvm.
- Anything that's name begins with the manufacturer. In your case, shit like HP Support Assistant and the like.
- Antivirus. There are plenty of free antivirus, don't fuck around with McAffee or whatever they've got pre installed.
- Microsoft office junk
- Skype
- media players. I use VLC and Winamp (lol because I'm stuck in 1999) and everything else is trash.


Things I install:

- OpenOffice, for editing documents and spreadsheets
- Chrome, and set it as default (also uBlock Origin, Ghostery and Backspace to Go Back extensions)
- Gimp, for editing images
- Thunderbird
- AVG or Avast (or Webroot if I feel like paying moneys)
- Malwarebytes free edition (there is a paid one if you like)

[Radical Edward]

www.shouldiremoveit.com

[Oxirane]

That's a good one, Ed. I'm thinking about a new computer, so I've been following this thread.

[SmartAleq]

VLC is okay but I infinitely prefer installing the K-Lite Codec pack because with that onboard you can play EVERYTHING and it includes Media Player Classic which is bulletproof and low profile. Been using that for well over 15 years and like eight computers now, never steers me wrong. I like Foobar for music. I'm very open source oriented.

[C2H5OH]

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

VLC is okay but I infinitely prefer installing the K-Lite Codec pack because with that onboard you can play EVERYTHING and it includes Media Player Classic which is bulletproof and low profile. Been using that for well over 15 years and like eight computers now, never steers me wrong. I like Foobar for music. I'm very open source oriented.

linky please!

[Helena]

I got rid of Wild Tangent and the HP crapware with no problem on my new laptop.

[Oxirane]

https://codecguide.com/download_kl.htm

I downloaded the standard version.

[JackieLikesVariety]

Originally Posted by Oxirane

https://codecguide.com/download_kl.htm

I downloaded the standard version.

I am attempting to do that - having trouble finding the button to actually download.

ETA: I guess it worked, but it's not obvious where to click - "server 1" is what worked, WTH.

OK it's downloaded!

there are a ton of decisions to make but I mostly went with whatever looked like the default.

should the preferred video player be Media Player Classic? that was the first option.

I downloaded foobar, too so will atempt to use that as well. big Saturday night for me!


IT WORKS!


I can play a music CD on foobar and a DVD on Media Player Classic. well! I'm very excited.

[JackieLikesVariety]

I found "my pc" and this is helpful! I see I didn't finish with malwarebytes so I'm installing it now.

aha! I figured out how to unpin shit from the start menu, YAY

[mjmlabs]

My 2¢ (other than "+1" for most of the above):

-- LibreOffice is the more prevalent fork of OpenOffice, and with good reason; it's far more actively supported (and thus far less likely to have unpatched vulnerabilities for very long), and it can do things OpenOffice cannot.
-- Me, I keep both VLC and Media Player Classic Home Cinema around, along with foobar2000. YMMV.
-- Sometimes, things on your computer that start with the manufacturer's name can turn out to be not useless "user experience" bloatware, but rather very important drivers. Found that out the hard way once. Exercise caution and the advice at shouldiremoveit.com .
-- Ninite is a wonderful thing that all PC users should use. Ad-free, junk-free, worry-free installation of pretty much everything on this list.

[JackieLikesVariety]

lots of good info, thank you mjmlabs.

I JUST noticed my computer - due to arrive on Thursday - says "signature required"!! fuck, that won't work for me, I won't be home. FUCK.

I'm on the UPS website and the bot says I need to sign up for something to change this. I don't want to sign up for anything. not ONE more thing, dammit.

[JackieLikesVariety]

the only security is Windows Security so I am downloading Avast as Jim suggested. It was free but had suggestions about how some threats require me to buy stuff.

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

Once you get everything up and running, you can go into the control panel and uninstall stuff. Don't uninstall anything that says "Windows" but anything that says "HP" is fair game, generally speaking. When you get to that point, you can use the native snipping tool to cut a screenshot of your programs list and we can help you figure out what's safe to dump.

I went to control panel > programs and there are only 4

Bang & Olufsen Audio
Microsoft OneDrive*
Microsoft Update Health Tools
Synaptics Pointing Device Driver

*on start up it wanted me to choose "back up your files with OneDrive" but I chose not to and "only save files to this PC". I searched on OneDrive at the link Radical Edward posted but only learned most people don't delete it

The browser is Bing but I have an icon on the desktop for Microsoft Edge and the computer really wants me to get that.
But since I am used to Chrome, I installed that. I am Google's Bitch.

it's hard to search on the machine - it keeps giving me answers on the web. like right now? I can't get back to the control panel.

there was NO paperwork in the box with the laptop - so any user manual is on the HP website?????

[mjmlabs]

Originally Posted by JackieLikesVariety

I went to control panel > programs and there are only 4

Bang & Olufsen Audio
Microsoft OneDrive*
Microsoft Update Health Tools
Synaptics Pointing Device Driver

*on start up it wanted me to choose "back up your files with OneDrive" but I chose not to and "only save files to this PC". I searched on OneDrive at the link Radical Edward posted but only learned most people don't delete it

The browser is Bing but I have an icon on the desktop for Microsoft Edge and the computer really wants me to get that.
But since I am used to Chrome, I installed that. I am Google's Bitch.

it's hard to search on the machine - it keeps giving me answers on the web. like right now? I can't get back to the control panel.

there was NO paperwork in the box with the laptop - so any user manual is on the HP website?????

All four of those preinstalled apps are things you want to keep.

Bang & Olufsen Audio -- Drivers and settings for making sounds happen. Keep it; it's tiny, low-impact, and somewhere between "useful" and "necessary" depending upon how strongly you feel about sound.

Microsoft OneDrive* -- Online backup for your personal files. Free. If you have lots of files and need more online storage, you can buy more storage, which is why they give it away free to everyone. I've not needed more than my freebie allotment ever, and I've used OneDrive for ... shit, lots of years.

Microsoft Update Health Tools -- Part of the nuts-and-bolts of keeping things updated. If Microsoft Update stops working correctly, these are here to (help) fix it.

Synaptics Pointing Device Driver -- This is what makes your laptop's touchpad work. Don't delete it!

There's surely tons of info about your particular laptop model online, at hp.com and elsewhere. There should be a sticker on the bottom with model number (google that!) and serial number (ignore that!). Or post the model number here and somebody who's up all night and bored might track down a link or three for ya.

[JackieLikesVariety]

mjmlabs!

All four of those preinstalled apps are things you want to keep.

I was wrong to expect bloatwear, I guess because it was refurbished.

I think I also have a bunch of apps - are they different from the 4 programs I listed? I haven't been able to get back to the place where I saw them. for some reason I have trouble finding things on the computer. finding things on the web is what the device wants to do.


I see the model number Model 840 G3 and can sure look it up on the HP webstite, which wants me to create an account and sign in - not sure if that's justified.

I think I will buy the laptop cooling pad Oxi recommended, too.

this morning I figured out how to get back to the tutorial I'd dismissed: create a new user name and it is offered.

WHEEEEEE! soon I can have beluga whales and buy them stuff!

[Rock]

I have Avast free anti-virus on this laptop and I'm happy with it, however I catch more issues with the free version of Malwarebytes. But I think the best thing to do is use Adblock Plus to avoid infected ads. They have a version for Chrome or whatever browser you use.

[SmartAleq]

AdBlock Plus has gone to the dark side and has agreements to allow SOME ads through--go with uBlock Origin, it's much closer to the real original thing and allows nothing.

I've never used Avast, I use AVG and it's been quite good at keeping things clean. Wants you to buy stuff but that's easily avoided, stick with the free version. Keeps putting a shortcut on the desktop but that's easily deleted.

If you're going to use the computer to play media files, K-Lite Codec pack Standard gives you Media Player Classic and the ability to play basically every type of video file that exists, and it's free.

If you want to play music, I suggest Foobar 2000, it's free and open source and it's a very low resource music player.

If you don't like the annoying start "menu" that Win10 defaults to, which is those annoying alphabetical icon tiles, there's a fix for that--OpenShell, which lets you tweak the heck out of the Win10 interface but that's a little bit more advanced, if you're interested let me know and I'll walk you through it. I infinitely prefer the classic Start menu with the words and better ability to pin what you want to it and also it allows a one step process to get to the Control Panel, which Win10 doesn't want you to use because it thinks you are stupid and should only be given access to the Settings, which has its nuts cut off. I hate Settings, it's dumb.

[mjmlabs]

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

AdBlock Plus has gone to the dark side and has agreements to allow SOME ads through--go with uBlock Origin, it's much closer to the real original thing and allows nothing.

True; I use uBlock Origin myself ... along with Ghostery, Disconnect, Privacy Badger, real-time (paid) Malwarebytes, and HTTPS Everywhere. Overkill? Maybe. But I sometimes investigate some sketchy side alleys of the Intertubez. (I do keep a less-heavily-armored browser on hand for trusted sites with lots of third-party content, and/or sites that I actually want to support by clicking on a few of their ads; think Daily Beast or Alternet or Digby's Hullabaloo.) But anyway, I digress ... the philosophical choice AdBlock Plus has made, to allow vetted, "non-intrusive" ads through, in order to support content creators and promote the use of non-intrusive ads, isn't an unreasonable one per se, and if all online advertising went away, every site would become paywalled, and nobody wants that. And IIRC, there's a one-click setting in AdBlock's options to go back to blocking everything again, if that's what ya want. But this is a tangent better suited for its own thread, and Jackie should feel free to ignore it.

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

I've never used Avast, I use AVG and it's been quite good at keeping things clean. Wants you to buy stuff but that's easily avoided, stick with the free version. Keeps putting a shortcut on the desktop but that's easily deleted.

ICYDK, Avast bought AVG a little while back (18 months, maybe? I forget [ETA: Jeez, back in 2016, now that I've researched. Time flies!]) and both brand names now use exactly the same AV engine and database under the hood. Avast offers more whistles and bells and utilities and freebie addons than AVG, for their respective free versions, though. So if you [ETA: anyone, not Smartie specifically] like AVG, be advised that it became a rebadged Avast but the Avast version has some other stuff you might find worth switching for. Again, this is a tangent ... and I should really drink more coffee before I do any more typing.

[Rock]

Originally Posted by mjmlabs

True; I use uBlock Origin myself ... along with Ghostery, Disconnect, Privacy Badger, real-time (paid) Malwarebytes, and HTTPS Everywhere. Overkill? Maybe. But I sometimes investigate some sketchy side alleys of the Intertubez. (I do keep a less-heavily-armored browser on hand for trusted sites with lots of third-party content, and/or sites that I actually want to support by clicking on a few of their ads; think Daily Beast or Alternet or Digby's Hullabaloo.) But anyway, I digress ... the philosophical choice AdBlock Plus has made, to allow vetted, "non-intrusive" ads through, in order to support content creators and promote the use of non-intrusive ads, isn't an unreasonable one per se, and if all online advertising went away, every site would become paywalled, and nobody wants that. And IIRC, there's a one-click setting in AdBlock's options to go back to blocking everything again, if that's what ya want. But this is a tangent better suited for its own thread, and Jackie should feel free to ignore it.

...

AdBlock does have the option to block "non-intrusive" ads (WTF? All ads are intrusive) and since I already had it, the easiest option for me was to simply check that box. But yes, uBlock Origin is probably a better option these days.

[Helena]

I pin "settings" to the taskbar. That way if I need to adjust something on the computer it's all right there. I also use OneDrive because it's free, easy, and helpful to have things backed up automatically.

[stormie]

Your computer is named Edwin, or possibly Edwina, it is difficult to tell the gender of computers until they lay eggs. It needs cookies to survive, but not the third-party type that pretend to be chocolate chip but are really extra-dry raisin. To find out what type of cookies it likes best, put one down on the computer desk/stand when you are using it, and see how long the cookie stays there. Best not to consider how the cookie disappears.

Remember that it lives vicariously through you. If you are too boring, it will reach out to other computers. This is OK if it goes the respectable route of SETA or even the MIT Coffeepot Cam. It can be difficult if it is distracted by computer porn, by which I mean Apple and Windows sites.

[SmartAleq]

I do recall hearing about the Avast/AVG acquisition a while back, so by this point it's just long exposure to AVG's particular brand of annoying that keeps me from switching lol. It all works, I don't visit many dodgy places and my VPN helps keep things from biting my ass too so I don't worry about it all that much. I also use NoScript, which can be a giant PITA when you go to a new website but I find it worthwhile when I DO go to dodgy places. I don't recommend it for anyone who isn't persistent though because after a fairly short time you'll just disable it and what's the point then?

[JackieLikesVariety]

I have played Zoo Tycoon 2 until I'm sick of it ready to move on and am now studying this thread. plan to download Malware Bytes, Adblock Plus, and U Block origin and then follow all the other links folks provided.

@mjmlabs is Ninite free for as long as I don't upgrade or is it just a free trial?

I always thought "apps" were for phones and "extensions" for the computer but I apparently don't understand the whole thing.

my (old, cheap) phone keeps saying I am running out of space and wants me to delete apps but most of the apps on there it came with and it says you can't remove them without fucking up ...something. I wonder if all the millions of photos friends and I have texted each other should be deleted for more room??

Originally Posted by helena330

I pin "settings" to the taskbar. That way if I need to adjust something on the computer it's all right there. I also use OneDrive because it's free, easy, and helpful to have things backed up automatically.

I'm going to do that when I figure out how. I'm on my chromebook for the geeb until I do the adbock/anti virus things (next on the list).

If you don't like the annoying start "menu" that Win10 defaults to, which is those annoying alphabetical icon tiles, there's a fix for that--OpenShell, which lets you tweak the heck out of the Win10 interface but that's a little bit more advanced, if you're interested let me know and I'll walk you through it.

I might be interested in that when I catch up with the other stuff. stand by!


THANK YOU to all who posted advice!

[mjmlabs]

Ninite is always free for home users. It's used by IT professionals to deal with the dozens/hundreds/thousands of computers they're responsible for at their companies, and their companies pay for "Pro" licenses so that they're able to install/update on dozens/hundreds/thousands of computers remotely, from their IT Desks. (Or as they say, offering the Pro version: "Manage all your machines on the web with Ninite Pro.") But a Regular Ol' Person at home can use the free version forever.

Or as the Ninite website says:

Our website is free for home use (money-wise, but also free of ads and junkware) because Pro users keep Ninite running.

"Apps" (or "applications") are also called "programs" on computers. When smartphones came around, the term "app" started to mean "the tiny programs that only run on smartphones, not on computers" but now, as the lines between those blur, we're starting to use "apps" for both again. Also, "apps" can mean "appetizers," like wings or mozz sticks or 'tater skins, but not in your computer. "Extensions" are little programs that are upgrades to web browsers, nothing more and nothing less. They're ways to customize your web browser, and for a Chromebook user, they can be pretty helpful. But like everything else on the Web, they might be malicious, so only use ones that are very popular and well-regarded.

If your phone is yelling at you that you need more space, then yeah, you should probably scrub some photos/videos from it. Back up the ones you wanna keep, though. There's likely a button on the screen that's yelling at you to free up some space that will, if pushed, free up some space. Be sure to back up any photos you don't already have copies of elsewhere before pushing that button, if you wanna be sure you don't lose them. Once you get a smidge more room on your phone, you might think about downloading CCleaner (or something like it) from your app store; even the free version will be helpful in reclaiming free space.

And here's a quick-and-easy one, for pinning Settings to the Taskbar: (Left-)Click the "Start" icon (Windows logo, lower left corner) to call up the Start Menu; Right-Click the "Settings" icon (little eight-toothed gear on the left side of the pop-up menu, just above the "Power" icon), select "More >", select "Pin to Taskbar." If you wanna slide it around to a new position in your Taskbar lineup, click-and-drag it there. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy.

[JackieLikesVariety]

thanks, mjmlabs.

this morning I did a bunch of stuff and not sure which exactly got done. on my chromebook I can look at history and it's all pretty clear what I've been doing.
where would I look to see what I just added? I see "recently added" on the start menu and it doesn't include anything I just did.

Originally Posted by helena330

I pin "settings" to the taskbar. That way if I need to adjust something on the computer it's all right there. I also use OneDrive because it's free, easy, and helpful to have things backed up automatically.

I'm getting better at pinning/unpinning things, YAY.

back when I first set this puppy up I chose NOT to have OneDrive save info to the cloud and now I can't figure out how to change that.


I have to go to work now and will try again later.

one thing I can tell you for sure: a Chromebook is EASIER and BETTER IMHO!

for one thing, Windows will not let me make any other default browser than bing (or Edge, probably) when I open a new window. I put Chrome on the desk top and just click there, but it still makes me mad.


ETA this is my first post from Hewie, my refurbished HP laptop!

[What Exit?]

On your computer, click the Start menu .
Click Control Panel.
Click Programs Default Programs. Set your default programs.
On the left, select Google Chrome.
Click Set this program as default.
Click OK.

[SmartAleq]

And AdBlock Plus and uBlock Origin are different forks of the same extension--you only need one of the two. I suggest uBlock Origin because it's truer to the original concept of NO ADS AT ALL DAMMIT whereas AdBlock Plus has caved and now allows certain targeted ads through, which I find absolutely antithetical to the idea of an AD BLOCKER. YMMV, but I'm right.

Another way to make Chrome your default browser is through the settings menu in the browser itself. One of the first things that comes up is to check whenever you open it that it's the default browser. You can also specify in those settings which search engine you prefer. Personally, I get rid of any and all reminders that Edge and Bing even exist because fuck those fucking fucks who think that their OS is license to control people's experience.

[JackieLikesVariety]

Originally Posted by What Exit?

On your computer, click the Start menu .
Click Control Panel.
Click Programs Default Programs. Set your default programs.
On the left, select Google Chrome.
Click Set this program as default.
Click OK.

I did set Chrome as my default browser back when I first set up the laptop and I know I saw it done from the control planel.

just so you know it isn't always as easy as you think - my start menu doesn't have "control panel" but the next time I find the control panel I will pin it there. it does have a huge list of things off to the right most of which I don't have like an Xbox - I can't seem to get rid of these.

it's the big "type here to search" box at the bottom of my screen right next to where the start menu is that automatically opens up in Edge no matter what.

[JackieLikesVariety]

I have the $20 external CD/DVD drive pluged in and I got it to play a CD on Windows Media Player because I haven't downloaded the other option/s yet.

should I be able to play it with the Bang & Olufsen Audio or if not, what is that for?

I haven't figured out how to play a DVD yet but very hopeful.

and I have sucessfully zoomed twice with it now, and have a friend chat scheduled for tonight. (note to self: remember to look in the mirror first)

I actually have a long list of questions but trying to post them slowly.

is this weird? since I downloaded Avast on the new HP laptop, I appear to have it on my chromebook, too: I "see" avast saying things on an email and now I can't get back to the old facebook anymore.

[mjmlabs]

Originally Posted by JackieLikesVariety

I have the $20 external CD/DVD drive pluged in and I got it to play a CD on Windows Media Player because I haven't downloaded the other option/s yet.

should I be able to play it with the Bang & Olufsen Audio or if not, what is that for?

The Bang & Olufsen app is just a fancy-schmancy group of settings to adjust the sound your computer plays. You can set up presets for speakers vs. headphones, futz with the bass/treble/etc., tell it to listen for background noise when you're using the microphone (like on a Zoom call) and cancel the background noise out, etc.

Here's the HP Guide: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c05299856

And here's the B&O guide: https://corporate.bang-olufsen.com/en/partners/hp

Keep in mind, settings in the B&O app and settings in any app that actually produces sound (foobar, Media Player Classic, your web browser, Zoom, even Windows when it makes its little noises, whatever) will combine (or, if you're a D&D nerd, "stack"), so if you boost the bass in one and then boost the bass in the other, it'll be extra-boomy. Most folks would fiddle with the system-wide sound (B&O), set-it-and-forget-it, and leave the settings in individual playback apps alone ... but YMMV. No wrong answers, it's all a matter of taste.

[JackieLikesVariety]

thanks for the links, mjmlabs.

Originally Posted by Oxirane

A lot more useful than a Chromebook, IMHO. Did you get the laptop cooler? Mrs. White loves hers, but more importantly, heat is the killer of electronics. We like all of our fast stuff, but pushing electrons around (not the way @Solfy and I had to do in class and sometimes in work) creates heats. Heat kills electronics.

a Chromebook is very useful and less annoying - easier!

I am ordering the cooler today as I have a bunch of stuff in my cart and need to pull the trigger.

I've been so focused on thrift it's hard to make myself spend. (but I know I could slip back into credit card debt much too easily!)

[Oxirane]

A lot more useful than a Chromebook, IMHO. Did you get the laptop cooler? Mrs. White loves hers, but more importantly, heat is the killer of electronics. We like all of our fast stuff, but pushing electrons around (not the way @Solfy and I had to do in class and sometimes in work) creates heats. Heat kills electronics.

[SmartAleq]

The built in equalizer in Foobar works well and I have a big file of downloaded presets to monkey around with. Many of them are apparently joke ones that make things sound like shit but I found a couple that sound great with the different playback options (laptop uses a Bluetooth speaker behind my head while the media computer uses a small powered subwoofer and two satellite speakers so the equalizer settings are different for each one) and once I get things the way I like them I just tend to leave it alone.

Windows 10 has done its level best to hide the fuck outta the control panel because they want you to use the useless neutered "settings" menu instead. Fuck that--I use OpenShell to restore the old school start menu and control panel is one of the right column links and I have it set to list all the CP options on mouseover. Because I am old and have been using Windows since before it was GUI so they can blow me with their incessant nannying!

[Solfy]

I wanted to bump this thread to thank Jackie for talking about how much fun Zoo Tycoon is. Santa brought the xbox version for Swimmy for Christmas, and she loves it. I like how she can play it in creative mode, but it can be super detailed and challenging if you want it to be. (I don't mean to imply that it's a game for 8yr olds, it seems to be good for ages 8-80)

Maybe if she quits getting in trouble at school, some day she'll get to play again.