Hi and thank you for reading my message. Hope you won't mind helping with this question. I recently bought a new Dell Inspiron 14 5410 laptop and after a week, realized system resources had grown to 46 GB. Turns out they set default max disk usage for system protection to 100%. I set back down to 5% (22.9 GB). However, I noticed that system restore had been turned off by default. When I click turn on system protection it gives a warning notice "using system protection on a drive that contains system image backups will cause other shadow copies to be deleted faster than normal". I have no idea what this means as all my previous laptops always had system protection enabled.

Should I turn it back on or leave system protection disabled? I'm also unaware what they mean by a drive that contains system image backups. Is Windows 10 automatically saving image backups somewhere on my drive because I have no idea where that's being stored? I always thought you needed t

Please advise on this matter. Any help is much appreciated! Thank you in advance!

PS Do all light weight and thin laptops get warm easily when using chrome with lots of tabs open?

 

Last edited: Oct 12, 2024 at 8:33 PM

I disable everything on my internet browsing windows PC except the firewall. Browsers have adblockers, noscrypt and I use keyscrambler. My host file has the "someonewhocares" entries. For banking & PII, I'll use a VM with Linux mint. Always using a paid VPN, too.

For audio production PC, absolutely everything is disabled and stripped. Internet has an on/off button if I need to quickly do something online, and even that browser will be portable version.

Been rollin' like this for over a decade. Just don't click shadey emails or websites. Use freeware utilities whenever possible. ....Just my experience.

edit : I'm way off topic. Didn't read entire post. :-/ (beer)

 

Last edited: Oct 12, 2024 at 10:51 PM

All laptops get warm, some warmer and some almost hot. Warm is actually normal. There are also cooling pads for laptops.
https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Laptop-Cooling-Pads/b?ie=UTF8&node=430112031

From the Dell Manual:
Lithium-ion batteries can swell for a variety of reasons, including age, number of charges, or exposure to high heat. For more information on improving laptop battery performance and life and minimizing the risk of this issue occurring, see https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-in/000175212/dell-laptop-battery-frequently-asked-questions

The Dell has built-in system backup, which means it makes daily backups so that you can restore your system after a crash etc.!
Windows 10 doesn't back up anything - that's a Dell feature! I would leave it turned on.

Restoring the operating system ( From the Dell Manual)

If your computer fails to start the operating system after several attempts, Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery starts automatically. Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery is a standalone tool that is preinstalled on all Dell computers that run Windows. It consists of tools for diagnosing and resolving errors that may occur before the operating system starts. You can use the tool to diagnose hardware problems, repair your computer, back up files, or reset your computer to factory settings. You can also download the tool from the Dell Support website to troubleshoot your computer if the primary operating system on the computer fails to start due to software or hardware problems. For more information about Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery, see the Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery User's Guide at www.dell.com/serviceabilitytools. Click SupportAssist, and then click SupportAssist OS Recovery.

Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery User’s Guide
www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-in/support-assist-os-recovery/saosrug/backup-von-dateien?guid=guid-5e177266-ba4f-4ee9-808e-ba953ae660ee&lang=en-us

And this information about Dell Recovery including how to uninstall.
Dell Backup and Recovery 1.8: Overview and Install
Summary: This article provides information about Dell Backup and Recovery 1.8
/www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-th/000132038/dell-backup-and-recovery-1-8-overview-and-install

 

Last edited: Oct 12, 2024 at 10:20 PM

Personally, I have found those "automated" gizmos for windows like "system restore" or Dell "backup" things quite lacking for any real use. Most of the the time the "setting a restore point" and actually using it will cause more issues than whatever prompted the use of a restore point in the first place. I would turn all that junk OFF and leave it off. Pilfer yourself some good disk image backup wares (acronis, or something similar) and simply do a complete system backup image and keep up with it every 3-6 months, or whenever you make major changes to your machine. Then and only then will you be completely protected by something that actually works.

...and just fyi, windows 10 does have "windows backup" which has been included in every windows version since around XP or Vista. Does it work? meh... It's rudimentary and doesn't do a complete "disk image" that can restore a complete system in 15-30 minutes with everything intact as it was right down to the attributes, permissions on files, symlinks etc...

 

Last edited: Oct 13, 2024 at 12:02 AM

Thank you so much for the help! That detailed info was a great help as the laptop didn't include much details outside of the box. I had no idea Dell incorporated their own built-in system back up tool. I'm guessing this back up is strictly related with Windows system files as the Dell Support Assist system repair settings have an 18 GB maximum setting for hard drive space to keep available for file backups. I wonder if changing the disk space usage settings for system protection in system properties would affect this in any way.

Definitely agree with saccamano and going to get some software to make my own disk image backup of the full laptop.

Getting a cooling pad sounds like a good idea. Not sure why using chrome causes the laptop to sometimes get temp spikes above 44 Celsius causing the fan to activate even though I only use the laptop plugged in. Apparently chrome is a memory hog and maybe that has something to do with it...

Thank you to everyone who answered! Much appreciated!

 

Chrome: High CPU usage - this could be the reason
30.07.2024 | von Dominic Schmidt

There are several possible reasons for Google Chrome to use a lot of CPU power. It is usually due to too many open tabs or active extensions.

If you notice a high CPU usage by Chrome , there may be various reasons . The following solutions will help you resolve the problem:

- High CPU usage can be caused by videos , animations and websites with a large amount of advertising. Closing the relevant pages helps.
- Additionally, unused add-ons can consume memory in the background. Therefore, uninstall any add-ons and associated apps that you rarely use or no longer need.

- Make sure you have the latest version of Chrome installed. Outdated versions can lead to increased RAM and CPU usage. Unnecessary memory usage is especially common when too many tabs are open. Close the tabs you no longer need to free up memory .

- It can help to use Chrome via incognito mode . This will prevent unnecessary extensions and scripts from running, allowing you to reduce CPU usage.

- You should also check whether you have disabled Chrome hardware acceleration . If this is the case, the browser will not make increased use of the GPU and will instead redirect the processing power to the CPU.

- If these solutions do not help, you should reset Google Chrome to the default settings . This will fix any errors in the browser software.

Source: https://praxistipps-chip-de.transla...l=auto&_x_tr_tl=de&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp


Enable or disable the automatic start of SupportAssist OS Recovery (Please disable)
www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-th/support-assist-os-recovery/saosrug/aktivieren-oder-deaktivieren-des-automatischen-starts-von-supportassist-os-recovery?guid=guid-afa4fbfb-924b-4b4a-b183-4117e91ada90&lang=en-us

 

Last edited: Oct 13, 2024 at 10:43 AM

When it comes to shadow copies ( I use Shadow Defender) it immediately makes me think you have some kind of backup protection on there. Deleting things/ turning things off can cause chaos with a hard drive if you are unaware of how these backups work..

For example. You could install something and when you reboot your machine it might no longer be there, or you could remove something that suddenly comes back.

If there is a way of contacting who you bought it from to ask them what backup device(s) you have on there, I would do that first thing.

Sorry @Radio, I hadn't seen your advice before typing this

 

both system restore and shadow copy features are legacy from Windows 7, I wouldn't bother using those in W10/W11

 

yea, mostly because using AdBlock or using Ambient Mode at YouTube

 

That might be the case as I have both adblock and adguard on as well as bitdefender trafficlight and WOT extensions. Oddly, CPU in task manager for chrome hovers between 2-5% though memory can range to 2400 MB for some reason even though I use chrome task manager to end the process of any tabs I am not using.

 

I only use the one to block ads.
uBlock Origin Version 1.59.0 by gorhill
Finally an efficient blocker that uses little processor power and memory.

 

I have found chrome to be way more malleable than ms edge as far as the browser you use and keep on your system, but only if it's kept on a leash. In addition to all of the excellent points mentioned, making certain all the google updater junk is turned OFF helps a lot as well. I have noticed that those google updater processes fire off all the time and will attempt to change the browser right out from under you in the blink of an eye.

One more thing about ms edge - get rid of it completely. Do the uninstall and then remove all the residual system fingers that it has (there are many). It has more annoying updater and autonomous processes kicking off every other minute (even when it's not being used) enough for three browsers instead of just the one.

 

So true. All of a sudden, some major chrome update will remove your extensions and change all your settings. Microsoft updates can drive you crazy. My dad bought a new ASUS laptop with Windows 11 and it fought like crazy to prevent me from installing chrome and firefox. Tried to claim they were viruses. Then slowed the download to a crawl. Then it took several tries before allowing me to make chrome the default browser. All the time there were endless windows pop up ads regarding their apps, games, Skype etc. as well as Windows advertisements masquerading as Windows Notifications about their cloud service. That and annoying McAfee popups which are extremely irritating. Though I am addicted to collecting those awesome Windows Spotlight images they have in the desktop wallpaper.

 

You can recommend this tool to your father: O&O ShutUp10++: The free antispy tool for Windows 10 and 11

 

Yes, there are still tools out there that will attempt to give you back control of your machine and secure win10/11 22H2+ from mickeysoft corporation. Shutup10 is one tool, and W10Privacy is another. W10privacy has better penetration into the hardened 22H2+ "fuck you" security level that mickeysoft now puts on all its garbage, crap and spyware. However I have found that even with the latest versions of these tools win10 22H2 and later versions have radically altered a lot of the junk-ware and either shifted it to SVCHOST or hardened it with extremely insidious security that even local administrator level won't be able to touch without "help". Fear not though, the tools like "takeown"ership and icacls will still remove the hardening so that one can get access to things that you need to get access to. Luckily those tools are still included with the OS to facilitate the massive amounts of reverse engineering that it takes to keep mickeysofts' ugly snout out of your business...

At this point, for win11 at least there is too much junk that is embedded into winblows anymore to make it worth the time to reverse an OEM build. If you want a secure system free of the mal/spy/adware garbage that comes with an OEM install image you would be better pressed to nuke the OEM version off your machine altogether and install a ghostspectre or tinyOS build. Much less work to do with those builds to make a secure system free from the OEM junkware and garbage.

 

Last edited: Oct 14, 2024 at 9:59 PM

Man you guys are totally awesome!! I had no idea there was software out there that was specifically made for the purpose of combatting these crazy invasive MS bloatware/spyware. GREATLY APPRECIATED!! The depths of which Microsoft and other companies are willing to go to control your computer never ceases to amaze/terrify me. I'm expecting them to use an invasive hidden form of AI to embed in your system somewhere down the line...