Windows10-Privacy VS Windows11_Hardening

Two that I recall in those lists are https://github.com/adolfintel/Windows10-Privacy and https://github.com/Sycnex/Windows10Debloater

And/or do it the hard but most efficient way, https://github.com/adolfintel/Windows10-Privacy

You can disable it, without having another antivirus. Here: https://github.com/adolfintel/Windows10-Privacy#removing-windows-defender

I did the same thing and now it uses 2gb ram vs 4 at idle and cpu floats between 0-3% and doesn’t randomly spike when windows defender decides it’s scanning time. I followed the instructions Here but left out the stuff I want to keep.

A collection about Windows 11 security https://github.com/beerisgood/Windows11_Hardening

If you lack any real technical know-how, then look into the basics for securing your primarily used computer. You have a ton of options like proper internet security through ESET. Glasswire is one of my new favorites. There's hardening guides for Windows too.

This covers quite a lot here.

For a first look into Windows hardening, take a look at https://github.com/beerisgood/Windows11_Hardening . Good luck finding similar security features in Linux. Also recommended reading https://madaidans-insecurities.github.io/linux.html.

I was reading in this post that 7-zip is actually less secure option for compression.

That being said, with the right Windows edition and settings, you can make Windows quite private. Use Windows 11 Enterprise or Education. You can either buy a subscription for it or use an activator like "Massgravel". Be aware that the latter is illegal in most countries, but Microsoft hasn't cared so far. On both editions you can fully deactivate telemetry. Use group policy to do so. Also take care of Cortana. Think about hardening Windows for better security.

Here's a good starting point for the average user: https://github.com/beerisgood/Windows11_Hardening

MS Defender and proper configuration of Windows should be enough.