One check I keep telling people on Windows: have a look at Task Manager’s Startup tab and turn off anything you don’t recognise or don’t need. I get plenty of machines where the slow boot and odd pop-ups are just a pile of junk starting with Windows. Simple fix, big difference.
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One check I keep telling people to do: in Windows, go into the browser settings and make sure site notifications are blocked for anything you don’t trust. A lot of fake virus alerts come in that way now, and they look like a Windows warning when they’re just a webpage shouting at you.
One simple check I tell people to do on Windows: make sure File name extensions are turned on in File Explorer. I see fake invoices and “photos” that are really .exe files all the time. If you can see the full extension, it’s much easier to spot a dodgy file before you open it.
