\"Neutering\" Win10 (Running in Parallels VM)

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I have converted almost all my work to Macs – but I have kept a Windows PC because it was required for my job.  I am now retired, and my only Windows use has been for Steam Games and (very rare) use of Office.  I am going to donate the PC to charity – but have created a Win 10 Pro instance running in a Parallels VM on my iMac 27 Retina system to keep the Windows platform available.  It is running very well and the graphics are actually substantially better than what I have on the AOC monitor connected to the PC.  I want to make the Win 10 instance low maintenance and safe.  I would be interested in hearing recommendations for reducing risk for the Parallels Win 10 installation.

Currently, the Win 10 VM is running Win 10 Pro Version 1709.  I have a local account and Windows Defender is running.  I have updates set to the “Semi-annual Channel”, and Feature Updates delayed by 30 days and quality updates delayed by 7 days.  Location is turned off.

Is there anything critical that I am missing – settings required to maintain privacy and administer updates?

David

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We have a Forum for MacOS at MacOS for Windows Wonks.

I am running all versions of Windows (XP, Win7, Win8.1, Win10 Pro 1703 and 1709 and an Insiders Preview) in Parallels VMs on iMac, MacMini, and 13″ and 15″ MacBook Pros. I have posted several topics there. Feel free to add your comments and post any questions you have.

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HiFlyer

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David Redfearn wrote:

I would be interested in hearing recommendations for reducing risk for the Parallels Win 10 installation.

Whatever you do for Win installed on hardware, do the same thing to the VM. Personally, I run Bitdefender Free on my Win10 installations. If you want to run a firewall other than Windows Firewall, Zone Alarm Free runs on Win10.

David Redfearn wrote:

Currently, the Win 10 VM is running Win 10 Pro Version 1709. I have a local account and Windows Defender is running. I have updates set to the “Semi-annual Channel”, and Feature Updates delayed by 30 days and quality updates delayed by 7 days. Location is turned off.

Win10 updates are often the source of problems. New versions can be somewhat unstable for around four months before the kinks are ironed out. I would recommend you increase your defer settings to 120 days (at least, you can actually do the install when you want) for feature updates (version changes) and 30 days for quality updates (Cumulatives). You can read information here about the versions as they mature and the problems with the monthly updates.

Have you tried Classic Shell to give the Win7 look to the desktop and tame the menu?
Also, it’s a good idea to go through the settings and turn off some of the things MS runs by default. All the tile Apps are set to run in the background and have access to all your information (whether you use them or not). There are ways to turn off Cortana and block Edge if you do not use them. Also, you can block the ads and unwanted bloatware that MS provides.
There is also information on the site to help reduce the telemetry (MS snooping) if you desire.

The VMs are easy to backup – just copy the .pvm file off onto an external HDD.

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HiFlyer

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Thanks – I’ll change the OS updates schedules to postpone them more.

I have been using Start10 on my Dell PC – and when I saw the horror of the default Windows setup when I installed on Parallels, I installed Start10 on the VM too.

I wonder if I can just uninstall the stupid default apps – I certainly don’t need them.  I tried to remove the X-Box software, but it wouldn’t let me.  The Win 10 install also had some games which I uninstalled.

David

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You can uninstall quite a few using PowerShell. However there are some that won’t go even so. You can search this site for some of the commands, but also Google how to remove UWP (win10, tile) apps.

Noel Carboni (one of the MVPs) does a major removal job. You can look through his comments.

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