My Recommended Setup and Software for a Brand-New Windows 11 Install


I've set up many Windows installs before, so I figured I'd share what I typically use to setup Windows 11 in 2024.

This isn't an exhaustive list, but what I'd consider my "minimum viable Windows 11 setup." Hope you find it useful!

Edit: I've updated this as of March 29, 2024.

  1. Clean install Windows 11.
  2. Use the "I don't have internet" method to pick the username of your choice that will be your User folder name.
    1. (You can use Rufus to skip the hardware check requirements and create a local user by default).
  3. Opt-out of all data collection.
  4. Enable Dark Theme.
  5. Open Edge, visit Ninite.
  6. Install the following programs from ninite.com:
    1. Firefox - primary browser.
    2. 7-Zip - archive software.
    3. Discord - communication software.
    4. VLC - media player.
    5. WinMerge - quickly compare files and folders.
    6. Malwarebytes - anti-malware software.
    7. WinDirStat - quickly see what folders/files are taking up the most space on your PC.
  7. Install additional software:
    1. WinAeroTweaker - make adjustments to Windows.
    2. FreeFileSync - backup your files in a straightforward way.
  8. Sign in with Microsoft Account. Now you have a custom-set User Folder name, and also the benefit of using the Windows Store / account sync etc.
  9. Sign into Firefox, confirm the following extensions are installed:
    1. Firefox Multi-Account Containers - manage multiple instances/accounts on one browser session.
    2. uBlock Origin - block ads.
    3. SponsorBlock - blocks out annoying segments in YouTube videos.
    4. Return YouTube Dislike - brings back the dislike button on YouTube.
    5. FireShot - capture an entire page in a screenshot.
    6. Bitwarden - password manager.
    7. Dark Reader - toggleable forced dark theme on any website.
  10. Malwarebytes: Enable Dark Theme + Disable Premium Free Trial + Turn off All Notifications.
    1. Open Malwarebytes.
    2. Click settings cog icon.
    3. Click Display.
    4. Select "Dark" under Theme.
    5. Click account.
    6. Click "Deactivate."
    7. malwarebytes.png
    8. Click "Notifications" tab, uncheck every option.
  11. Setup WinAeroTweaker
    1. Click "More info" and then "Run anyway" when the Windows protected your PC window pops up.
    2. More info.png
    3. tweaker.png
    4. Once installed, visit "Ads and Unwanted Apps" from the Behavior folder and check "Disable ads in Windows."
    5. 1660068051829.png
    6. Select "Disable Online & Video Tips in Settings."
    7. Select "Disable Cortana."
    8. Select "Disable Windows Ink Workspace."
    9. Select "Enable Classic Paint."
    10. Select "Disable Telemetry and Data Collection."
    11. Select "Disable Action Center."
  12. Disable Widgets.
  13. Enable Clipboard history (WinKey + V).
  14. Disable all Taskbar Items and Item Corner Overflow.
    1. Taskbar Buttons.png
  15. Left-align Taskbar.
  16. Set Communications Activity behavior to "Do nothing" in Windows.
    1. Settings > System > Sound > More sound settings
    2. Sound.png
  17. Turn on Network Discovery.
  18. Enable Ultimate Performance Power Plan.
  19. Disable most applications on startup.
  20. Pin Recycle Bin to Start, then remove it from the desktop.

Obviously everyone will have their own workflows and desired software/setup. I figured I'd share mine nonetheless in case it helps someone out!
 

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Last edited:
Click to expand...
More people use EDGE now rather than tired old Firefox.

Also, would not waste my dosh on malwarebytes - it just lives on its reputation now.

Recent statistics for desktops.


1660071884335.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14
    CPU
    I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB soldered
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop OLED screen
    Screen Resolution
    2880x1800 touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
    PSU
    Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
    Keyboard
    Built in UK keybd
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
    Internet Speed
    900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)

    Macrium Reflect Home V8
    Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
    Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)
cereberus said:
More people use EDGE now rather than tired old Firefox.

Also, would not waste my dosh on malwarebytes - it just lives on its reputation now.

Recent statistics for desktops.


View attachment 36041
Click to expand...
Fair enough, and thanks for sharing those statistics! I used Edge for a while but I recently decided I don't want to use a Chromium-based browser if I can help it. It's just too much of a resource hog. And Firefox is light and quick and way less resource intensive.

Curious what you mean about Malwarebytes - I mostly use the free version, but I have a premium license (about 2 years left) on my main machine I bought for $1. It's actually come in handy on numerous occasions for me in the last 10 years.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4790K Haswell Quad-Core 4.0GHz LGA 1150
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z97-A LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
    Memory
    16 GB: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce GTX 1660 (6GB)
    Sound Card
    NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VG248QE Black 24" 144Hz 1ms (GTG), ASUS VE278H 27", and 23" Dell UltraSharp U2311H
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 for all
    Hard Drives
    HP EX920 M.2 1TB (OS + apps + high performance files), WD Blue 3D NAND SSD 1TB (video editing + games), WD Blue 1 TB HDD: 3.5 Inch, 7200 RPM (rest of personal files), two WD My Book 3 TB drives (backup + games) and two 8TB Seagate Backup + Hub archive drives.
    PSU
    Antec HCG M Series HCG-620M 620W ATX12V
    Case
    AZZA Solano 1000 Black Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front MicroATX/ATX/Full ATX
    Cooling
    5 fans + Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120 mm PWM Fan Heat Sink for CPU
    Keyboard
    WASD V3 Custom Mechanical Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M720 Triathlon Mouse
    Internet Speed
    1,000 Mbps download, 25 Mbps upload
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes
    Other Info
    View full equipment here: http://davidvkimball.com/pc
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 3
    CPU
    Intel Core i5
    Memory
    4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    10.8” ClearType Full HD Plus Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1280
    Hard Drives
    128GB SSD
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes
    Other Info
    Originally shipped with Windows 8.1 Pro in 2014, upgraded to 10, and now Windows 11.
davidvkimball said:
Fair enough, and thanks for sharing those statistics! I used Edge for a while but I recently decided I don't want to use a Chromium-based browser if I can help it. It's just too much of a resource hog. And Firefox is light and quick and way less resource intensive.

Curious what you mean about Malwarebytes - I mostly use the free version, but I have a premium license (about 2 years left) on my main machine I bought for $1. It's actually come in handy on numerous occasions for me in the last 10 years.
Click to expand...
Edge does not hog resources these days in my experience.

I used to use free version of MB but frankly it has picked up nothing that Defender did not find. Defender has come on a long way in last few years, and is up there with the best of them (according to most reviews I read).

Sure in the past MB was a good tool, but now I do not see it has enough benefits to be worth paying for.

I have not had a single infection for years now with Defender.

I tried paid version of MB on a trial and got fed up with its nagging, so uninstalled it.

The only reason I hope tools like MB survive is to ensure MS have competition and do not get complacent with Defender.

I believe there was a major improvement with Windows 10 when they made AV packages compulsory. I was for ever fixing virus infections on sibling/friends pcs back in (seriously inferior now) W7 days. I hardly need to to that nowadays.

In fact, most infections now are self inflicted by click happy users. As @NavyLCDR says on another post Common Sense is a rarity!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14
    CPU
    I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB soldered
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop OLED screen
    Screen Resolution
    2880x1800 touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
    PSU
    Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
    Keyboard
    Built in UK keybd
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
    Internet Speed
    900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)

    Macrium Reflect Home V8
    Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
    Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core i9 9900K
    Motherboard
    MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32GB [ 4 x 8GB ] DDR4 3600MHz CL18
    Graphics Card(s)
    Zotac GeForce RTX 4070 Super Trinity
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung Odyssey G7 , 32" , 2560x1440 , VA , 240Hz , 1ms
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    SSD: Samsung 980 Pro 250GB
    HDD: 2x Western Digital Blue 4TB
    PSU
    MSI MPG A1000G PCIE5
    Case
    Cooler Master MasterCase H500P Mesh ARGB
    Cooling
    DeepCool Gammaxx L360 v2
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 RGB Platinum ( MX Speed ) [ SteelSeries PrismCaps ]
    Mouse
    Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro SE
    Internet Speed
    16 Mb/s ‌ ‌ | ‌ ‌ 1 Mb/s
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Security

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    i-7 10700k 3.8
    Motherboard
    PRIME Z-490 A
    Memory
    32gb DDR4 3200
    Graphics Card(s)
    RX 580
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    PSU
    750
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 RGB PLATINUM XT Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    G502 HERO
qbittorrent -> free download manager
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI MS-7D98
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-13490F
    Motherboard
    MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI
    Memory
    2 x 16 Patriot Memory (PDP Systems) PSD516G560081
    Graphics Card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G (GV-N4070WF3OC-12GD)
    Sound Card
    Bluetooth Аудио
    Monitor(s) Displays
    INNOCN 15K1F
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD_BLACK SN770 250GB
    KINGSTON SNV2S1000G (ELFK0S.6)
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1000W
    Case
    CG560 - DeepCool
    Cooling
    ID-COOLING SE-224-XTS / 2 x 140Mm Fan - rear and top; 3 x 120Mm - front
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 RGB TKL
    Mouse
    Corsair KATAR PRO XT
    Internet Speed
    100 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender Antivirus
    Other Info
    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/66553205

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4790K Haswell Quad-Core 4.0GHz LGA 1150
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z97-A LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
    Memory
    16 GB: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce GTX 1660 (6GB)
    Sound Card
    NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VG248QE Black 24" 144Hz 1ms (GTG), ASUS VE278H 27", and 23" Dell UltraSharp U2311H
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 for all
    Hard Drives
    HP EX920 M.2 1TB (OS + apps + high performance files), WD Blue 3D NAND SSD 1TB (video editing + games), WD Blue 1 TB HDD: 3.5 Inch, 7200 RPM (rest of personal files), two WD My Book 3 TB drives (backup + games) and two 8TB Seagate Backup + Hub archive drives.
    PSU
    Antec HCG M Series HCG-620M 620W ATX12V
    Case
    AZZA Solano 1000 Black Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front MicroATX/ATX/Full ATX
    Cooling
    5 fans + Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120 mm PWM Fan Heat Sink for CPU
    Keyboard
    WASD V3 Custom Mechanical Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M720 Triathlon Mouse
    Internet Speed
    1,000 Mbps download, 25 Mbps upload
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes
    Other Info
    View full equipment here: http://davidvkimball.com/pc
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 3
    CPU
    Intel Core i5
    Memory
    4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    10.8” ClearType Full HD Plus Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1280
    Hard Drives
    128GB SSD
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes
    Other Info
    Originally shipped with Windows 8.1 Pro in 2014, upgraded to 10, and now Windows 11.
If someone mentioned the "Classic Shell", I missed it. For me, it's a 'Must Have' for every OS after Win-7.
??? How could Firefox be old and tired, unless someone turned OFF updates???
Heck, they're up to level 104 now. Very few programs are so UP TO DATE! I've been with them since version 1.0..... I'll keep it!

There are more "Services" than ever, in Windows, and many can just be shut OFF to improve performance. I wrote a little program that shuts off a long list of "Services".
Kill WUDO and Cortana, for improved security!

In 'MSCONFIG' reduce the 30 sec. startup delay to 3 sec's for faster Startup. And, put my Quick Shutdown shortcut on the desktop or Task Tray for a five second shutdown.

These are all things I do to improve both performance and security....I've not even gotten into the software that I use, many of which I've used for Years. I also use several programs from Steve Gibson (Gibson Research) to increase system security.
Once you get past the GUI, there's really not a lot of difference between Windows 8.1, 10 and 11. Except it keeps getting less user friendly.

What I've mentioned here is just a brief overview, and not a detailed list, which would take too much time and space for this forum.

Sometimes, I've spent hours, just tweaking and tuning Windows (all versions) for peak performance and security. It's what I do!

Cheers mates, and Happy Computing,
TM :cool:
 

My Computer

System One

Nice list, but we all have our own preferences. For me it's the Brave browser; a combination of Defender, Hitman Pro, MRT, and mbar that run only when I start them; and Macrium Reflect. I did use WinAero Tweaker some time ago, but once those settings are set, is there any reason to keep Tweaker? I deleted it. I like Notepad++ for comparing text files (typically code files.)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    Intel i5-12600K 3700 MHz
    Motherboard
    Asus B660-M
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    none
    Sound Card
    none
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Primary: LG 4K; Secondary: Dell U2412M
    Screen Resolution
    Primary: 3860 x 2160; Secondary: 1200 x 1920
    Hard Drives
    C: Samsung NVme SSD970 256K
    E: 1 TB HDD
    F: 500K HDD
    W: Samsung SSD 840 128K
    Keyboard
    Logitech Lighted
    Mouse
    Kensington ExpertMouse trackball
    Internet Speed
    500/500
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Birk said:
Nice list, but we all have our own preferences. For me it's the Brave browser; a combination of Defender, Hitman Pro, MRT, and mbar that run only when I start them; and Macrium Reflect. I did use WinAero Tweaker some time ago, but once those settings are set, is there any reason to keep Tweaker? I deleted it. I like Notepad++ for comparing text files (typically code files.)
Click to expand...
Good point about Notepad++. I use it a lot also. Brave is excellent but I've never been able to make the switch.

I'm not familiar with Hitman Pro, MRT, mbar or Macrium Reflect - what are they?

And yeah the reason to keep Tweaker is when Windows updates and either messes with the registry or includes new, invasive features to shut off.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4790K Haswell Quad-Core 4.0GHz LGA 1150
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z97-A LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
    Memory
    16 GB: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce GTX 1660 (6GB)
    Sound Card
    NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VG248QE Black 24" 144Hz 1ms (GTG), ASUS VE278H 27", and 23" Dell UltraSharp U2311H
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 for all
    Hard Drives
    HP EX920 M.2 1TB (OS + apps + high performance files), WD Blue 3D NAND SSD 1TB (video editing + games), WD Blue 1 TB HDD: 3.5 Inch, 7200 RPM (rest of personal files), two WD My Book 3 TB drives (backup + games) and two 8TB Seagate Backup + Hub archive drives.
    PSU
    Antec HCG M Series HCG-620M 620W ATX12V
    Case
    AZZA Solano 1000 Black Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front MicroATX/ATX/Full ATX
    Cooling
    5 fans + Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120 mm PWM Fan Heat Sink for CPU
    Keyboard
    WASD V3 Custom Mechanical Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M720 Triathlon Mouse
    Internet Speed
    1,000 Mbps download, 25 Mbps upload
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes
    Other Info
    View full equipment here: http://davidvkimball.com/pc
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 3
    CPU
    Intel Core i5
    Memory
    4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    10.8” ClearType Full HD Plus Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1280
    Hard Drives
    128GB SSD
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes
    Other Info
    Originally shipped with Windows 8.1 Pro in 2014, upgraded to 10, and now Windows 11.
Hitman Pro is an anti-virus program the finds and fixes (so they say) rootkits: HitmanPro and HitmanPro.Alert. Advanced Malware Scanning, Detection and Removal Tools.

I had a rootkit once years ago and at the time my only solution was a Macrium boot disk image restore, followed by restoring all my data which was on a separate drive.

MRT is the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool: Download Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool 64-bit from Official Microsoft Download Center

mbar is the MalwareBytes rootkit scanner/remover: Free Rootkit Scanner & Remover | Malwarebytes Anti Rookit

Macrium Reflect is the world-wide standard for disk backups. It will do incremental and individual partition backups too, but I only use it for full disk image backups: Reflect Free Edition

I forgot to add SyincBack Free. It synchs all my data files to an offline drive that is only online when I'm synching (or restoring something I deleted by mistake): Detailed backup software comparison - SyncBackPro, SyncBackSE and SyncBackFree
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    Intel i5-12600K 3700 MHz
    Motherboard
    Asus B660-M
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    none
    Sound Card
    none
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Primary: LG 4K; Secondary: Dell U2412M
    Screen Resolution
    Primary: 3860 x 2160; Secondary: 1200 x 1920
    Hard Drives
    C: Samsung NVme SSD970 256K
    E: 1 TB HDD
    F: 500K HDD
    W: Samsung SSD 840 128K
    Keyboard
    Logitech Lighted
    Mouse
    Kensington ExpertMouse trackball
    Internet Speed
    500/500
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
My list is a bit different
  • Windows 10/11
  • Chrome
  • Microsoft Money
  • Microsoft Visual Studio Code
  • Hyper-V
  • Microsoft Office
  • 7-zip
  • Docker Desktop
  • Powershell 7
  • WSL2
  • Amazon Music
  • Discord
  • Tree Size Free
  • Notepad++
  • Whatever games I may be playing.

That's about it though.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI MS-7D98
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-13490F
    Motherboard
    MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI
    Memory
    2 x 16 Patriot Memory (PDP Systems) PSD516G560081
    Graphics Card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G (GV-N4070WF3OC-12GD)
    Sound Card
    Bluetooth Аудио
    Monitor(s) Displays
    INNOCN 15K1F
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD_BLACK SN770 250GB
    KINGSTON SNV2S1000G (ELFK0S.6)
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1000W
    Case
    CG560 - DeepCool
    Cooling
    ID-COOLING SE-224-XTS / 2 x 140Mm Fan - rear and top; 3 x 120Mm - front
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 RGB TKL
    Mouse
    Corsair KATAR PRO XT
    Internet Speed
    100 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender Antivirus
    Other Info
    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/66553205
cereberus said:
Edge does not hog resources these days in my experience.

I used to use free version of MB but frankly it has picked up nothing that Defender did not find. Defender has come on a long way in last few years, and is up there with the best of them (according to most reviews I read).

Sure in the past MB was a good tool, but now I do not see it has enough benefits to be worth paying for.

I have not had a single infection for years now with Defender.

I tried paid version of MB on a trial and got fed up with its nagging, so uninstalled it.

The only reason I hope tools like MB survive is to ensure MS have competition and do not get complacent with Defender.

I believe there was a major improvement with Windows 10 when they made AV packages compulsory. I was for ever fixing virus infections on sibling/friends pcs back in (seriously inferior now) W7 days. I hardly need to to that nowadays.

In fact, most infections now are self inflicted by click happy users. As @NavyLCDR says on another post Common Sense is a rarity!
Click to expand...
"Edge does not hog resources these days in my experience.".....

Well recently I just Uninstalled Edge and and am happily using Firefox now simply because Edge for me, again for me,
was a huge Hog. Firefox opens fast its UI is sleek and modern and the transition effects are great. Web pages load fast and
all my sites connect, using Edge it started blocking half the sites I visited...sad...anyway this is ONLY my opinion.
However, regarding this mans opinion of what to install on Windows 11. Well, I like the entire list actually of programs to install.
And I highly recommend Bitwarden, Love it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro Version 23H2(OS Build 22631.4317)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    AMD
    CPU
    12-Core AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, 4950 MHz (49.5 x 100)
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master
    Memory
    4 - G Skill Trident Z Neo F4-3600C16-16GTZNC
    Graphics Card(s)
    PCI Express 4.0 x16: PowerColor RX 6800
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220 @ AMD K19.2 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 - 27 inch Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    2 SSD - 2 TB each
    1 SSD - 4TB
    1 HDD - 2TB
    Keyboard
    logitech
    Mouse
    logitech
    Internet Speed
    1 GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Eset Endpoint Security
I just reinstalled Windows 11 on about 4 machines in the past couple of days. This list came in clutch, I hope it helps you, too.

Also updated this post because the Discord step is no longer necessary, and added a note about using Rufus, as well as a note about removing the annoying notifications in Malwarebytes. I removed the qBittorrent suggestion because I don't use that client anymore.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4790K Haswell Quad-Core 4.0GHz LGA 1150
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z97-A LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
    Memory
    16 GB: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce GTX 1660 (6GB)
    Sound Card
    NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VG248QE Black 24" 144Hz 1ms (GTG), ASUS VE278H 27", and 23" Dell UltraSharp U2311H
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 for all
    Hard Drives
    HP EX920 M.2 1TB (OS + apps + high performance files), WD Blue 3D NAND SSD 1TB (video editing + games), WD Blue 1 TB HDD: 3.5 Inch, 7200 RPM (rest of personal files), two WD My Book 3 TB drives (backup + games) and two 8TB Seagate Backup + Hub archive drives.
    PSU
    Antec HCG M Series HCG-620M 620W ATX12V
    Case
    AZZA Solano 1000 Black Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front MicroATX/ATX/Full ATX
    Cooling
    5 fans + Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120 mm PWM Fan Heat Sink for CPU
    Keyboard
    WASD V3 Custom Mechanical Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M720 Triathlon Mouse
    Internet Speed
    1,000 Mbps download, 25 Mbps upload
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes
    Other Info
    View full equipment here: http://davidvkimball.com/pc
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 3
    CPU
    Intel Core i5
    Memory
    4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    10.8” ClearType Full HD Plus Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1280
    Hard Drives
    128GB SSD
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes
    Other Info
    Originally shipped with Windows 8.1 Pro in 2014, upgraded to 10, and now Windows 11.
You missed installing Open Shell and effective system backup software like Macrium Reflect. Autoruns is useful to control what third party stuff loads.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self build
    CPU
    Core i7-13700K
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming Plus WiFi Z790
    Memory
    64 GB Kingston Fury Beast DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 Super Gaming OC 8G
    Sound Card
    Realtek S1200A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Viewsonic VP2770
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Kingston KC3000 2TB NVME SSD & SATA HDDs & SSD
    PSU
    EVGA SuperNova G2 850W
    Case
    Nanoxia Deep Silence 1
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D14
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Digital Media Pro
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    50 Mb / s
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender
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