New hp pavilion 15af131dx /checklist?

Hey everyone this is my first post, I recently purchased a hp pavilion 15af131dx and I just want to make sure I set it up correctly so it runs smoothly and serves me well over it's life, I use the computer for very basic stuff and do not use much hard drive space so there is nothing too technical about my setup, so far my checklist is..
*Install games, documents, applications on a USB flash drive.
*Set up private browsing window as default, (is the Edge browser good? I was eyeing of Vivaldi)

Some may find it weird I set my computer up this way but it's just how I do it.. other than that I'm not sure, I still don't know if it comes with some antivirus, although I'm pretty sure you can get a half decent anti virus as freeware these days? either way. (suggestions welcome just in case)
Lastly I don't know what to do about the plethora of ads and applications which I will never use in it's factory condition, do I just go through and delete them all? I don't want to mess it up and encounter issues down the track, so I am slightly skeptical of changing too much..
Any further advice and suggestions are welcome, it's been sitting in the box for a few days now so I will need to get around to opening and setting it up soon, cheers.

Perform baseline hardware and operating system checks
Make a backup image


1) Download and install the latest version of the HP UEFI diagnostics:
HP PC Hardware Diagnostics | HP® Official Site
2) Enter the bios by clicking the F2 or F10 key repetitively
3) navigate to the UEFI diagnostics
4) Run loop until failure testing overnight
5) The next day press the keyboard escape key to turn off the UEFI diagnostics.
6) view the UEFI log and confirm the pass
7) if there was a hardware fail it would have aborted the test with a code that only HP can decipher

Now that you have checked the hardware (memory, drive, MB, etc) check the operating system.
Open administrative command prompt and type or copy and paste:
1) sfc /scannow
2) dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
3) chkdsk /scan

Install Malwarebytes: Malwarebytes | Free Cyber Security & Anti-Malware Software

Use the computer in selective boot to have the least bloatware and the most efficient system

Windows 10 Performance and Install Integrity Checklist - Microsoft Community

Use Macrium to make a backup image of the drive: Macrium Software | Macrium Reflect Free