Setting Up Your New Windows 10 PC
Class Description A session explaining how to configure a new Windows 10 computer (laptop, desktop, or Surface).
Class Length One to one and one‐half (1‐1½) hours
Introduction So you just bought a brand‐new Windows 10 computer — now what? We'll walk you through the setup: configuring Windows settings, removing seller‐added 'bloatware' (aka ‘crapware’1), and installing your own apps. Spending a little time setting up your computer properly, rather than diving straight in with default settings and unwanted extras, will make your PC run noticeably faster, protect your privacy, and keep your data more secure.
Objectives Set up Windows 10 Uninstall software Install software Set Windows 10 settings to a personally comfortable privacy level
This is a handout for you to keep. Please feel free to use it for taking notes.
1 Bob Rankin writes: “‘Crapware’ is a crude but apt term for unnecessary pre‐installed software loaded onto computers by hardware vendors. It may include trial versions of software that have limited functionality, unnecessary toolbars, dubious ‘shopping assistants’, and shareware utilities which duplicate functions already built into Windows.” http://askbobrankin.com/is_this_the_end_for_crapware.html It is the most frequently used term by computer techs. 1 * Windows 10 and Privacy There are two main statements from Microsoft which cover privacy issues: the Microsoft Services Agreement (https://www.microsoft.com/en‐us/servicesagreement/default.aspx) and the Microsoft Privacy Statement (https://privacy.microsoft.com/en‐us/privacystatement/). Microsoft claims these are ‘straightforward terms and policies that people can clearly understand’, but because there is so much text (45 pages by one estimate), most people won’t read them. Here are the main issues (from The Windows 10 privacy issues you should know about at http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2015/07/29/wind‐nos/)
Windows data syncing by default Sign into Windows with your Microsoft account and the operating system immediately syncs settings and data to the company’s servers. That includes your browser history, favorites and the websites you currently have open as well as saved app, website and mobile hotspot passwords and Wi‐Fi network names and passwords.
Cortana slurps a LOT of data According to Microsoft: To enable Cortana to provide personalized experiences and relevant suggestions, Microsoft collects and uses various types of data, such as your device location, data from your calendar, the apps you use, data from your emails and text messages, who you call, your contacts and how often you interact with them on your device. Cortana also learns about you by collecting data about how you use your device and other Microsoft services, such as your music, alarm settings, whether the lock screen is on, what you view and purchase, your browse and Bing search history, and more.
Lots of things can live in those two words ‘and more’. Also note that because Cortana analyzes speech data, Microsoft collects ‘your voice input, as well as your name and nickname, your recent calendar events and the names of people in your appointments, and information about your contacts including names and nicknames.’
Realistically, Cortana can’t work in the semi‐magical way it does without being able to gobble up all that information. But it’s worth being aware of just how wide‐ranging its access to your and your friends/contacts data is.
Whatever happens, Microsoft knows what you’re doing… The updated terms also state that Microsoft will collect information “from you and your devices, including for example ‘app use data for apps that run on Windows’ and ‘data about the networks you connect to.'”
Advertisers will know exactly who you are Windows 10 generates a unique advertising ID for each user on each device. That can be used by developers and ad networks to profile you.
Your encryption key is backed up to OneDrive Not necessarily a bad thing but something you should be aware of. When device encryption is turned on, Windows 10 automatically encrypts the drive it is installed on and generates a BitLocker recovery key. That’s backed up to your OneDrive account.
Microsoft can disclose your data when it feels like it This is the part you should be most concerned about: what the new privacy policy assigns to Microsoft is very loose when it comes to when it will or won’t access and disclose your personal data:
2 * We will access, disclose and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails, other private communications or files in private folders), when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary to protect our customers or enforce the terms governing the use of the services.
Windows 10 ‘Out of Box Experience’ The first time you turn on a new Windows 10 PC, Microsoft requires an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to have the ‘Out of Box Experience’. Here are some typical screens displayed during the ‘Out of Box Experience’. Depending on choices and changes by the OEM, the screens you see may vary.
A typical first screen:
If you want a time zone other than Pacific, change the time zone here. (It is a lot easier than doing it later.)
Make any other desired changes, then click the Next button.
The Here’s the legal stuff screen displays software licensing terms — which are subject to change. The most current version can be found here: https://www.microsoft.com/en‐ us/servicesagreement/default.aspx
3 * The Let’s get connected screen allows you to connect to a Wi‐Fi network.
Tip: If you select ‘Skip this step’ (small print towards lower-left), it is
easier to sign in with a local account (not registered with Microsoft).
The Get going fast screen, where Microsoft really wants you to click on the Use Express settings button.
If you don’t care about the amount of information Microsoft collects, click the Use Express settings button.
If you intend to go through all the individual privacy settings, click the Use Express settings button. There is no point in spending extra time changing a few settings here — most privacy settings cannot be controlled in the setup process and some of the things that can be changed during the setup process may not go far enough (e.g. changing the option labelled ‘Send error and diagnostic information to Microsoft’ from the default ‘On’ to ‘Off’ only changes it from ‘Full’ to ‘Enhanced’; to change it to ‘Basic’ it is necessary to get into Windows settings).
If you want to spend the least amount of time and/or only want to eliminate the most egregious privacy problems, find the link towards the lower‐left corner in small print Customize settings and click on it.
4 * If you use the Express settings, the next screen will typically be Make it yours (below). If you choose Customize settings, you will see screens similar to these:
Most people will want this off
Changing this to ‘off’ sets the amount of ‘device data’ (part of ‘Diagnostic and usage data’) sent to Microsoft from ‘Full’ to ‘Enhanced’. To change it to the lowest setting (‘Basic’) you need to use Windows settings.
5 * The Make it yours screen
If you select the No account? Create one! link, Microsoft will be able to track you via that account as well as via Windows 10 settings.
You can click on ‘Skip this step’ (small print!).
If you choose to skip logging in with an e‐mail address, you will see a screen like the one below:
This screen allows you to create a local account for the computer.
NOTE: the initial account is always an administrator.
6 * Dealing with Pre-installed Software
Once your Windows 10 computer is set up, you may find pre‐installed For years, ‘crapware’ was regarded as annoying: software (aka ‘bundled software’, ‘bloatware’, and ‘crapware’). Not it took up space on the hard drive and made all pre‐installed software is garbage; some are useful and make it the computer run more slowly but it was easier to operate the computer. generally seen as harmless. This changed with Lenovo’s addition of the ‘Superfish’ application which proved to be a major security risk (do an IMPORTANT: If you aren’t certain about whether pre‐ Internet search on Superfish Lenovo or just installed software is garbage, do not uninstall it. read this CNN story: http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/19/technology/ Pre‐installed software comes in two basic categories: Original security/lenovo-superfish/index.html ). Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) software and third‐party software.
Third‐party pre‐installed software is almost always garbage. OEMs install these apps because they are paid by the app’s maker for every computer which ships with the app. It is advertising for the app’s maker targeted to what might be the most likely‐to‐purchase‐software audience and it adds income to the OEMs who have razor‐thin margins on computers. Some OEMs add very little pre‐installed software (after their debacle with ‘Superfish’, Lenovo pledged to eliminate it); others install a lot.
If pre‐installed software is a ‘trial version’, it can be safely uninstalled.
If pre‐installed software is available for download from the Internet, it can be safely uninstalled. But, if you want to use the software leave it be.
Pre‐installed software from the OEM is more difficult to evaluate. If you are curious about the function/necessity of a pre‐installed app, do an Internet search. One site devoted to helping you decide whether software is necessary is http://www.shouldiremoveit.com – but there is no need to download their ‘Should I Remove It’ software (or other software promising to clean up your computer) which becomes one more piece of bloatware. The single exception to this is https://www.piriform.com/CCLEANER (the free version does a fine job; no need to spend money for CCleaner Pro). (Revo Uninstaller used to be okay to use, but the free version does not work on 64‐bit versions of Windows and almost all installations of Windows 10 are now the 64‐bit version.)
Pre‐installed software dealing with registration (TOSHIBARegistration, Acer Registration, Lenovo Registration, HP Registration Service, etc.) can be safely uninstalled.
HP’s Shop for HP Supplies has one purpose: to steer users into HP’s online store and make sure they buy only (overpriced) HP‐branded ink, paper, etc. It can be safely uninstalled.
Search App by Ask will hijack your web browsers search function. It can be safely uninstalled.
Uninstalling Software Windows settings are accessed by clicking on the Start button in the lower‐left corner (left) or on the Notifications area to the right of the time and date (right) and then on the (All) Settings icon.
Windows settings can also be accessed with i+I.
7 * Click on System.
Then click on ‘Apps & features’.
Use the scroll bar on the right to move down to the app you want to uninstall and click on its name to select it. (In the image below, the app 7‐Zip has been selected.)
Click the ‘Uninstall’ button to remove the application. (You may receive additional prompts before the uninstall process begins.)
That is all it takes to uninstall an app.
8 * Installing Software You can install software from the Microsoft Store: click the Store’s icon (shown at right, above) on the Taskbar (unless you removed it) or click on the Start Menu icon (shown at left). If you have removed both, either click the Start Button in the lower‐left corner (icon shown at right, lower) or press the i key and type store. Either click on ‘Store | Trusted Windows Store app’ or be sure it is highlighted and press J.
You can browse the Windows Store or use the Search feature towards the upper‐right to find an app. When an app is selected, the name of the will appear immediately beneath the title. Beneath that is the average rating (1‐5 stars) with the number of people giving a rating. Beneath that is the cost of the app. If the app contains ‘in‐app purchases’ (user/player can spend money with an associated credit card) or will require access to your Contacts or some other feature, there will be a comment.
Towards the upper‐right is a rating of the app, usually referring to ages.
Beneath all the above is a description with screenshots.
To install an app from the Microsoft Store, click the ‘Get’ button and the installation will begin.
9 * You can also install apps downloaded from websites. For instance, to install the VLC Media Player, an Internet search will lead to https://www.videolan.org/vlc/ with a ‘Download VLC’ button. When that button is clicked, either the file will be saved automatically or a prompt to save the file will appear (depends on web browser settings). Save the file (the usual place is your Downloads folder). Navigate to the Downloads folder with Windows Explorer and double‐click the file just downloaded (e.g. vlc‐2.2.4‐win32). Depending on settings, you may see a window looking something like this:
Click the ‘Yes’ button and follow the prompts (procedure varies by app).
Customizing Windows 10’s Privacy Settings Although you can reduce Windows 10’s intrusiveness by using a customized setup, there are many settings which are unaffected by the customized setup. What choices should you make? As a general rule, the more privacy you want, the less useful many apps will be; the more you want from Windows 10 apps and apps you may install, the more privacy you will need to sacrifice. Different people will have different appetites for personal information being collected by Microsoft. There are no right answers. One suggestion: if you need a feature, leave it enabled; otherwise, disable it. If you used the Express Setup, everything will be enabled.
Windows settings are accessed by clicking on the Start button in the lower‐left corner (left) or on the Notifications area to the right of the time and date (right) and then on the (All) Settings icon.
Windows settings can also be accessed with i+I.
The first (but not only) place to go is the ‘Privacy’ section:
10 * Work your way down each of the categories on the left. Be sure to use the scroll bar on the right (when present) to ensure you see all the options within a category.
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ General
11 *
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ Location
12 *
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ Camera
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ Microphone
13 *
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ Notifications
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ Speech, inking, & typing
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ Account info
14 *
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ Contacts
(The number of apps appearing in these lists depends on what apps are installed.)
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ Calendar
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ Call history
15 *
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ Email
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ Messaging
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ Radios
16 *
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ Other devices
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ Feedback & diagnostics
Windows Settings ⋙ Privacy ⋙ Background apps
17 * Another place to go is ‘Update & security’:
Clicking this icon opens the following screen:
Windows Settings ⋙ Update & security ⋙ Windows Update
Then click ‘Advanced options’ to open the screen at right. Next, click on ‘Choose how updates are delivered’.
Windows Settings ⋙ Update & security ⋙ Windows Update ⋙ Advanced options
18 *
Windows Settings ⋙ Update & security ⋙ Windows Update ⋙ Advanced options ⋙ Choose how updates are delivered
By default, Windows 10 will connect to other Windows 10 computers, even computers belonging to complete strangers, to receive and share updates. This is where you can change this.
19 *
Windows Settings ⋙ Update & security ⋙ Windows Defender
Then, back one screen (Update & security) and select ‘Windows Defender’ (the second item in the menu on left). This section is very long; you’ll need to use the scroll bar on the right.
20 * The third area in Windows settings to check is ‘Network & Internet’:
On this screen, look at ‘Sharing options’ to get to the screen below.
Windows Settings ⋙ Network & Internet ⋙ Status
Windows Settings ⋙ Network & Internet ⋙ Status ⋙ Sharing options
21 *
Windows Settings ⋙ Network & Internet ⋙ Wi‐Fi
Back one screen (Network & Internet) and select ‘Wi‐Fi’ (the second item in the menu on left). There are a lot of options here and some can leave your computer vulnerable to malware. Be sure to work through the options carefully.
22 * One more place to check for privacy settings is within Cortana. Those settings are not in the Windows Settings. Instead, click in side the Cortana window to launch the app (screen at right).
Next, click on the Settings icon (it looks just like the Windows Settings icon and is located in the same place, but here it is for configuring Cortana). The settings for Cortana are shown at left. There will be a scroll bar (edited out and settings shown in entirety). Again, there are a lot of options here.
Questions? Feel free to contact Ross Valentine at [email protected] or call the library at 630.232.0780 23 January 2017