Missing photos and text?

[tonym]

There seem to be photos missing and bits of text too from various posts that I'm sure used to be there, photos for sure and some of my posts seem to be shorter than I remember typing. Pete Beadle's are very odd sometimes

 

Anyone else noticed this or is it my browser and its various privacy addons.

[Austin]

15 hours ago, tonym said:

Anyone else noticed this or is it my browser and its various privacy addons.

Tony, what sort of privacy addons are you using.

9 hours ago, pete beadle said:

for example I was notified a while ago that I'd  be getting no more security updates for my operating system, Windows 7, but they are still getting through because I have set my system to allow automatic updates, and this seems to allow any and all security updates to be installed

Windows 7 support ended on January 14, 2020 so anyone still using it are opening themselves up to possible vulnerabilities. 

Your antivirus should not be blocking links unnecessarily on this website, it isn't doing its job properly. What is it your using?

[tonym]

Hi Austin

It was my over liberal use of element blocking in uBlock Origin. I removed a couple of the things I'd blocked and all is as it should be. Sorry to have troubled you.

OS = Linux Mint
Browser = Firefox
Browser addons = Privacy Badger, uBlock Origin, NoScript.
Extras = PiHole, VPN in ASUS router

[Austin]

I was about to say, yes that lot is well over the top. 

As long as you use a good anti malware product like the paid version of malwarebytes antimalware together with built in windows defender on windows 10 you will be fine. Malwarebytes checks malicious websites so if you click on anything untoward on the internet it will block it. The free version does not do live monitoring. You don't need those browser extensions and be careful they are not collecting your website data themselves!

VPN's only protect your privacy by encrypting data and obscuring  where your connecting from. I hope people don't think it will prevent you from getting a virus or malware because it won't.  What you need to be wary of is if the VPN provider is collecting your data. If its a free one then very likely it is. 

The internet is a minefield 

[Austin]

Hi Pete,

The following will speed up a windows 10 PC.

Remove McAfee completely, it could not catch a cold let alone malware. Remove any other antivirus. Install the paid version of Malwarebytes. Run a full scan and hopefully no malware/trojans.

Generally Windows 10 PC's are configured to allow Microsoft to pull tons of data and info from your PC.

Go to settings (just click the windows logo bottom left) and click on the Cog. 

Go to Privacy and do the following.

General - Turn off everything.
Speech - Turn off unless you use Cortana
Inking and Typing personalisation - Turn off
Diagnostics & Feedback - Set Diagnostic data to Basic, Tailored experiences off, Diagnostic data off, Feedback frequency Never(important)
Activity History - both off
Location - Turn everything off. If something needs to use location it will ask.
Camera - only set yes to things you use.
Microphone - same as above
Voice activation - off unless you use it
Notifications - on
Account Info - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Contacts - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Calendar - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Phone calls - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Call History - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Email - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Tasks - Leave on, no big impact
Messaging - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Radios - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Other devices - off
Background Apps - Turn off everything apart from windows security (This releases a lot of resources)
App diagnostics - off
Documents - turn off Voice recorder unless needed and any other apps not used
Pictures - turn off anything not used 
Videos - same as above
File System - on

Once done remove any unwanted apps and programs. Go to control panel, add and remove programs and have a look in there for stuff installed by the manufacturer that you just do not use/ Like games, ebay App, evernote app, etc etc.

If unsure send a screenshot of what's installed. 

[tonym]

Thanks Austin.

I don't put NoScript on my customer's machines - screws websites down so tight lots won't work without letting through a few bits - but Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin should be mandatory, though Mozilla is building in more privacy tools directly in to Firefox which should be good.

Malwarebytes is my go to program for disinfecting Windows machines, and keeping them clean, an excellent program. No version for Linux yet, most anti-virus software for Linux is to protect Windows machines where Linux is the server.  My VPN is a paid for version.

Shutup10 is also good for getting at the privacy settings in Win10, needs to be run again after Windows updates, as the update might turn stuff back on that we turned off - https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10 - remember kids, with Windows 10 your computer isn't your computer any more, it's Microsoft's.

And to get Win10 to look like Win7, Open-Shell (formerly Classic Shell) - https://open-shell.github.io/Open-Shell-Menu/

[tonym]

Hi Pete

Open Shell will give you back something similar to how the Win7 menu looked. It's a program like any other, install it, configure it, uninstall it if you don't like it. Classic Shell was extremely well thought of when Microsoft decided that tiles were the thing - on a phone or tablet yes, on a big screen not so good. Classic Shell became Classic Start and now Open Shell. Anyway, click this link to download the latest version (at 25th Feb 2020) - https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/releases/download/v4.4.142/OpenShellSetup_4_4_142.exe - go to your downloads folder and double click the OpenShellSetup_4_4_142.exe file.

This youtube video takes you through the install, choose 'Windows 7 style' and put a tick in the box to Replace Start Button and stick with Aero. Ignore the rest of the video, more than most people need but its there.

 

[Marc RC pilot]

21 hours ago, Austin said:

Hi Pete,

The following will speed up a windows 10 PC.

Remove McAfee completely, it could not catch a cold let alone malware. Remove any other antivirus. Install the paid version of Malwarebytes. Run a full scan and hopefully no malware/trojans.

Generally Windows 10 PC's are configured to allow Microsoft to pull tons of data and info from your PC.

Go to settings (just click the windows logo bottom left) and click on the Cog. 

Go to Privacy and do the following.

General - Turn off everything.
Speech - Turn off unless you use Cortana
Inking and Typing personalisation - Turn off
Diagnostics & Feedback - Set Diagnostic data to Basic, Tailored experiences off, Diagnostic data off, Feedback frequency Never(important)
Activity History - both off
Location - Turn everything off. If something needs to use location it will ask.
Camera - only set yes to things you use.
Microphone - same as above
Voice activation - off unless you use it
Notifications - on
Account Info - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Contacts - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Calendar - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Phone calls - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Call History - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Email - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Tasks - Leave on, no big impact
Messaging - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Radios - Turn off for any apps you don't use
Other devices - off
Background Apps - Turn off everything apart from windows security (This releases a lot of resources)
App diagnostics - off
Documents - turn off Voice recorder unless needed and any other apps not used
Pictures - turn off anything not used 
Videos - same as above
File System - on

Once done remove any unwanted apps and programs. Go to control panel, add and remove programs and have a look in there for stuff installed by the manufacturer that you just do not use/ Like games, ebay App, evernote app, etc etc.

If unsure send a screenshot of what's installed. 

Thanks for the comprehensive anti-bloatware list for Win10 Austin. Very useful.