My sons will be receiving a Windows 11 gaming PC for Christmas. It has been a very long time since I’ve dealt with Windows so I am completely out of the loop.
Is malware still a concern with Windows 11? If so, what would you recommend we do about it?
Are there any other recommendations you’d like to offer?
Thank you for your time and expertise.
Use Linux instead. ProtonDB can tell you what games run well.
Is malware still a concern with Windows 11? If so, what would you recommend we do about it?
You can enable Defender controlled folder access. Do automatic backups of user files with Duplicati. Use a password manager.
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Thank you!
I’d also recommend installing Linux on it, although with the caveat that if the hardware is very new, you might want to postpone that decision for half a year or so. Then again, these days it’s not that clear – my gaming laptop (Asus Zephyrus G14) keeps hard crashing on Windows, and works just fine on Linux. And these days Linux/Proton plays all Windows games almost as well as Windows, some even better.
Fedora or Ubuntu are both rather easy distros.
Set up WSL. Just for the convenience of a Linux terminal
Antivirus software nowadays just slows your machine down, even Windows Defender is a pain in the ass – Especially if you pirate things. Sometimes I feel it’s more like a DRM measure masquerading as a security feature, since it only seems to pop when I’m trying to install pirated games.
Instead pack your browser with adblocking and other such security extensions. Or block malicious things through your hosts-file if you’re thus inclined – blocking fake download buttons and such is usually enough to avoid trouble. That and not falling for scam-links. Teach your kids about avoiding scams.
Windows 11 is full of lil’ annoyances that can be removed or altered with third party tools, which is something I’d do on a machine for me, but if it’s for someone else… Enh?
That said what the peeps said here about Linux is true – A lot of Steam games now work out of box. Just install and run. Proton is lovely. Games outside Steam need tinkering, though. And some games require additional setup anyway. But that might imply you having to help your kids set up games, probably. Extra work for you. Also I’ve had shitty experiences with gaming on Linux laptops. But that might be outdated news.
i used to run some free/libre software for removing spyware, … on windows 10 at least. there might be something for windows 11 as well. search for it.
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