what to do after a clean install of windows 10

The first thing I do is create my first disk image. Protection against many forms of disaster, including self-inflicted.

E.g. Macrium Reflect (free) + its boot disk + external storage for disk images.

Against ransomware etc:
Cryptoprevent, Cybereason Ransomfree, Bitdefender Anti-Ransomware (all free)

Browser add-ons such as WOT indicate site trustworthiness. (Edge extensions are very limited - from Store only).

What is disk image? - Definition from WhatIs.com
Disk image - Wikipedia

In practice the version we use is a compressed copy of the used part of one or more disks and/or partitions, written to external storage.

Here's my write-up on the value of disk imaging.

Creating disk images lets you restore Windows and all your imaged disks and partitions to a previous working state from compressed copies you have created and kept updated on external storage media, quickly and probably without technical help.

You can recover from:
- a failed disk drive (restore to a new one)
- ransomware (which encrypts your disk)
- user error
- unrecoverable problems from failed updates to problem programs
- unbootable PC (hardware faults aside)

Images also act as a full backup- you can extract files too.

You can even use images to help you move more easily and quickly to a new PC.
Can be used with Laplink software to transfer your build automatically to another PC

Imaging can even help you sleep at night knowing you have a second chance.

Many here recommend Macrium Reflect (free) as a good robust solution and more reliable than some others. It’s
- more feature rich
- more flexible
- more reliable
than Windows Backup and Restore system images.

It's well supported with videos, help and a responsive forum.

There are other such programs, free/commercial, some with simpler interfaces, but Macrium R is one of the most robust and reliable.

How long does it take?
SSD+ USB3 - maybe 15 mins for the first system image, less thereafter
HDD + USB2 - maybe 40-50 mins
That’s with little personal data, few programs installed.
- of course, depends how much you have on C:
(You can and should image all your partitions and disks)

Once you've created your first image, keep it updated with e.g. differential imaging- which images just changes from the first image, more quickly, and creates a smaller image file.

You need a backup medium - say- twice as large as the total amount of data you are imaging to keep a reasonable number of differential images. This will vary dependent on the number of images you keep, so is only a rough practical guide.

Some comment that system restore isn't always reliable; if it works and solves the problem, great. But sometimes restores won't work or fail. And of course a restore point only covers a limited number of aspects of the system. That’s where disk imaging comes in.

(There's a tutorial on Macrium in the Tutorials section, and a couple of videos in the user videos section on this forum)
Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect - Windows 10 Backup Restore Tutorials
https://www.tenforums.com/general-su...tml#post355809

Add your software, customize windows to how you want it and enjoy. :)

I don`t go crazy adding software to W10, only what I need/want because sooner or later you`re gonna clean install again anyway.

I just got a 960 Evo so I`ll be clean installing the CU when ever I get around to it.

Your plan should be basically the same each time you reinstall windows, and don`t forget to make disk images when you have windows how you want it

I'd say the free Avast is good enough actually. No need to pay if you don't have to. Or Windows Defender if you don't go to many "iffy" sites.

Get a decent Malware cleaner, Malwarebytes , SuperAntiSpyware etc. , Avast free or Defender and practice a little safe surfing and you should be ok.

Tsw88 said:

Free version of Avast is good enough??

The difference between free and paid version is usually zero, nada. Paid version offers features, you do not need or can be replaced with free alternatives. When I install install Avast, I pick Minimal Setup.


Portable antimalware scanners are preferable, because malware can not block them.

10 Free and Portable Offline Antivirus Scanners • Raymond.CC