HOW TO SECURE Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003 & EVEN Vista in 12 steps

By APK
in Essential Guides

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iZoom

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Posted (edited)

I think that the jargon used is a little confusing or over my head. I've taught myself along the way and know only what I can find through Google. I've considered some of the steps, but in reality, who is targeted towards? I do agree that while you seem very educated, opposition or inquiries to your guides aren't taken very well or lightly by you. I would assume, and I could be wrong here, that a guide towards security is always open to suggestions or improvements, whether they are in the form of presentation or the actual information within.

I have both a laptop and desktop that haven't had viruses and malware in a long time. While I likely will get some in the near future because it is inevitable, what is overall end result that one would gain by following these steps? I haven't ran anything third-party on either computer and recently used an antivirus program to scan both and nothing came up. I think that in addition to your steps, a lot of common sense, which isn't necessarily common, will help a lot of people too. I don't download programs I don't know, I rarely touch an e-mail unless I solicited it from somewhere or someone, and I stear clear of porn/warez sites as well. Good guide, just offering some more "simplified" suggestions in addition to your recommendations.

Edited by jzoom6
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APK

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Posted
I think that the jargon used is a little confusing or over my head. I've taught myself along the way and know only what I can find through Google.

Wikipedia &/or AltaVista may be others to use... & @ least YOU have the "common-sense" to lookup a term or phrase you did not understand. Kudos to you.

I've considered some of the steps, but in reality, who is targeted towards?

Anyone who is interested in securing their computer, really.

I do agree that while you seem very educated, opposition or inquiries to your guides aren't taken very well or lightly by you.

It's a serious topic, along the lines of securing your home, automoble, or any personal properties vs. theft/illegal ingress...

(& thank you.)

I would assume, and I could be wrong here, that a guide towards security is always open to suggestions or improvements, whether they are in the form of presentation or the actual information within.

Presentation? That's PURELY a matter of opinion, especially "writing style" - to that one, I can cite MANY others via quotes of their words who enjoyed this guide by way of opposing viewpoints & then, concretely show this material does help you stay safer online ...

Actual information, however, is usually not subject to "interpretation", but is instead based rather on actual fact - NOT PERSONAL BIAS.

I have both a laptop and desktop that haven't had viruses and malware in a long time. While I likely will get some in the near future because it is inevitable, what is overall end result that one would gain by following these steps?

Peace of mind, or additional peace of mind!

Question: Do you have locks on the doors of your home &/or automobile? If so, why??

(You'll answer YOUR question to ME, right there for me...)

I think that in addition to your steps, a lot of common sense, which isn't necessarily common, will help a lot of people too.

Agreed 110%...

I don't download programs I don't know, I rarely touch an e-mail unless I solicited it from somewhere or someone, and I stear clear of porn/warez sites as well.

Some of the best recommendations you could give are those... I agree.

Good guide, just offering some more "simplified" suggestions in addition to your recommendations.

Thanks, & you did contribute (especially last paragraph of yours I cite above this one)...

APK

  • 4 weeks later...
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APK

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Posted

More security tools/info. (04/28/2008), for APPLICATION LEVEL SECURITY:

(I.E.-> For checking for apps you have that may be security vulnerable OR have been patched vs. said vulnerabilities, etc.):

----

SECUNIA PSI (checks for outdated OR apps that are known to be insecure):

secunia_psi_screen.png

https://psi.secunia.com/

NEW VERSION (released very recently too).

A good program, by a trusted & WELL-KNOWN security-oriented website online (I tried version 1 earlier on last year, it needed work. This one is solid though, so far @ least, imo!)

(It works, & sometimes catches things FILEHIPPO UPDATE CHECKER below, won't - good "2nd Doctor's opinion" etc.)

----

FileHippo's Update Checker (checks for outdated OR apps that are known to be insecure, supplement's PSI above):

filehippo_update_checker.png

http://filehippo.com/updatechecker/

Decent program as well, & good to use as a supplement to the SECUNIA PSI Tool as well (from a well-known file downloads site also in filehippo).

(It works, & sometimes catches things SECUNIA PSI above, won't - good "2nd Doctor's opinion" etc.)

----

Windows Vulnerability Scanner:

Windows_Vulnerability_Scanner-43.gif

http://www.pspl.com/download/winvulscan.htm

Nice program for checking Microsoft Operating Systems &/or Ms-Office versions vs. missing security patches, & it works, very well!

----

APK Registry Cleaning Engine 2002++ SR-7:

389.jpg

http://www1.techpowerup.com//downloads/389...ooglehappy.html

:)

* Yes, "shameless plug" on MY part on the last one, but, it does have "security benefits"...

(& more than potentially useful forensics ones, because it shows you what files a user calls upon via its lists (it does check recently used filelists, but, will also list those files the user attempted to delete (this assumes he may have been attempting to hide them)))... it is 100% proven SAFE on all 32-bit versions of Windows (see its description & feedback by users on the download page) 9x-VISTA as well)).

APK

  • 2 weeks later...
Enthusiast

APK

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
Thread CleanedI'd suggest that the OP need to learn to take some constructive criticism instead of entering in to long arguments about his writing style...

IS THIS A FORUMS ON ENGLISH GRAMMAR, or COMPUTING? Also - if this posts' "so bad"/unreadable, then, why was it made an "ESSENTIAL GUIDE" here, & on quite a few other websites also, above all else?

Answer that for me, won't you?

QUESTION: Does criticism of "writing style" (coming from those minus PhD's in English no less, lol) even count (via helping make other folks' systems more secure (Especially when their "critique"'s based on a MERE OPINION of "writing style"))?

ANSWER: It doesn't... not @ all.

(In other words - How does that 'critique of writing style' (which may have been issued by someone with dyslexia or ADD for all we know, or just idiots period who have nothing better to do than create problems for others online) help secure someone's system further, or, find weaknesses in the points I noted??)

----

VERIFIABLE FACTS:

  • This post's material, here, is currently @ 13,000++ views now, here (& also around that number on 23 other websites online, to the tune of VERY NEARLY 100,000++ views in summation across them all & in only 4-5 months time online no less (that's what? Around 28 VIEWS PER HOUR?))

  • 9/10 times, they were rated well OR made a guide/sticky (as it was here) & won me the $100 prize @ PCPitstop for January 2008 no less!

  • This post also shows visible & verifiable concrete results others have gained on it (in photo proof no less from the sites they originated from) that are far superior to the "stock/oem' security setup Microsoft (or, even Linux/SeLinux distros) give you!

  • This post's material is now being cited (as "good stuff" no less) @ other SECURITY ORIENTED FORUMS online, from those who attend MOSTLY security related forums no less...

----

* Yea, ok - I guess it's just "bad stuff & unreadable", eh? NOT! Opinions vary - however, quantifiable & VERIFIABLE results do as well. albeit, to MY & this posts' favor! "Down rate it" in effete retaliation all you like, because apparently, my critics have nothing else to do or stand on, vs. verifiable facts, period...

APK

P.S.=> NOW - I also have an opinion: I see your forums posts the "pseudo articles" of a Jeremy Reimer of arstechnica on your "news pages":

New NEWS/NewsFlash: Jeremy Reimer of arstechnica has no degree or certification in computer sciences, much less years to decades of hands-on PROFESSIONAL experience in them (& can't do much more than spit back the findings of others) - I suggest (as "constructive criticism" no less) that you people find PROFESSIONALLY QUALIFIED people to cite, instead of charlatans/fakes who really aren't qualified in the least in this Art & Science/field in the least bit... apk

Edited by APK
Mentor

iZoom

Posted
Posted

While I think most people have tried to refrain from name calling or flaming, I think you stepped over the line in your most recent post in "possibly" referencing users here as "possible" idiots. I think your guide is fairly sound in its methods and suggestions, however, I think that as it has been pointed out numerous times, you don't seem to take plain and honest general criticism very well. I think that as the maker of a guide, the author would be open to helpful hints or suggestions in order to improve his work and expand its audience.

Granted, you may be MUCH more knowledgeable about security than myself, but I am still entitled to my opinion of your work, regardless if you agree or disagree with it. You seem to not like that part of Neowin forums or at least you seem to need to justify by quoting everyone's post line by line. That is your right to do so, but by focusing on people's feedback, it has deterred from your security guides original purpose. I don't think anyone here, or at least not myself, is against you in any hostile or unfriendly way, so I hope that is apparent too.

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APK

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Posted (edited)

IS THIS A FORUMS ON ENGLISH GRAMMAR. or. COMPUTING?

(ANSWER - I KNOW it's about computing, not "english writing style")

... & that mere OPINION of "writing style" is nearly the ONLY grounds I have seen this post put down on here!

(& yet many here liked it, & certainly did as well @ other forums & I cited that fact here as well + the fact it has been made an essential guide here & on 4 more forums today in fact, &/or rated @ 5/5 stars on many also))

While I think most people have tried to refrain from name calling or flaming

Some did though, even posting pictures & such (never myself either), OF MYSELF (& they did toss names my way etc.)

BUT, that's not the point:

Critiques based on 'writing style' opinions, especially from someone unable to produce a PhD in English (not that this is ENGLISH CLASS mind you)? Those ARE OFF-TOPIC + certainly do not help to secure a computer, no questions asked.

I think you stepped over the line in your most recent post in "possibly" referencing users here as "possible" idiots.

No, in my last paragraph above, I only told it how it is + face it: Downgrading this to 2 stars? Based on a "critique of writing style"?? From those MINUS A PHD IN ENGLISH, & WHO HAVE PROBABLY BEEN ALIVE FOR LESS TIME THAN I HAVE BEEN SPEAKING & WRITING IT???

Especially when many liked it here, & on other forums (where it now has 14 or so featuring it as either 5/5 star rated, OR, as a "sticky thread" , or "ESSENTIAL GUIDE" (as it is here in the latter as well)???

Come on...

(& face it, there are people online who "get their jollies" doing idiotic stuff, just as I outlined above - can you tell me a GOOD REASON to rate this post down to a 2 of 5 stars?)

How do I, or you, know their "bad writing style" opinion (which helps secure nothing mind you & many other individuals I quote here & elsewhere felt it's good no less) is not based upon them having "ADD" &/or DYSLEXIA?

Again - Too many others here & elsewhere felt totally different as well

I think your guide is fairly sound in its methods and suggestions, however, I think that as it has been pointed out numerous times, you don't seem to take plain and honest general criticism very well.

Critique, based on "writing style", in a COMPUTER SECURITY POST in a computer forums?? That's off topic for one thing, & does not secure a system further!

I think that as the maker of a guide, the author would be open to helpful hints or suggestions in order to improve his work and expand its audience.

I welcome them, absolutely, WHEN THEY ARE ON TOPIC:

HOWEVER/AGAIN - This is no forums on English writing style!

(& I have only been speaking + writing that for over 41 yrs. now, & the fact it was made an "ESSENTIAL GUIDE" here by your moderators, also says it's VERY readable (as well as testimonies from others here, and in other forums as well, that say its readable & accurate)).

4 more forums also made it a "sticky thread/essential guide" yesterday in fact, making the total now up to 14 of 20 forums its on (the rest have it rated 5/5 stars, or it is in their "Top viewed posts of all time" also).

No, something's OFF here, has to be...

Especially when that many people (here, & elsewhere also) rated it so well... & rating a post down to nothing (especially since me101 years ago (2001) here rated another post by myself to be "NEWS" & complimented it highly, & THAT POST ONLY TOOK A USER TO AROUND A 71.xxx/100 SCORE ON CIS TOOL NO LESS, & THIS WILL GET YOU TO 90/100, & yet it is rated lower???)

Again, come on...

APK

Edited by APK
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+mrbester MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

One possible reason that this thread has had so many views is that people want to see the latest in the long-running saga of snarly responses, much like any thread that has tripped down the shadowy path to the Circle Of Flame [tm]. It is also quite likely that it is the original post that gets the rating, not anything subsequent, and why it was put into Essential Guides.

Oh, and denigrating those with dyslexia or ADD doesn't help your cause one little bit. If they don't understand what has been written then the onus is on the writer (or someone affiliated to the writer) to aid them. Or are they not supposed to have secure computers because they have limited comprehension skills?

Rarely are technical authors also technical specialists (and vice versa). This is because the specialists (by necessity) usually deal with complexities and nomenclature outside of the experience of the readership. Take Prof. Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History Of Time" as an example. As a cosmology / astrophysics graduate I had no difficulty whatsoever in understanding the content, yet sales of the guide to the book were well over half the sales of the book. This is because a great number of people didn't understand the book and needed someone a bit closer to their level, rather than the Olympian heights that geniuses such as Prof. Hawking inhabit, to explain it to them.

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APK

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Posted (edited)
Oh, and denigrating those with dyslexia or ADD doesn't help your cause one little bit.

I'm not "denigrating anyone" (though I was actually called names here & had photos posted about me etc. here also): I am merely stating a possibility...

(& there were no PhD's in English here either, when I asked for proof of those, especially from those criticizing + "down-rating" this post to 2/5 stars (based on critiques about "writing style" (mere opinions which are off topic, this is NOT a grade in english - it's a post about securing a computer in a computer oriented forums, not English Grammar forums)))

Especially when your mods made it an "Essential Guide" no less, & many other forums have also (14/20 in total now, for over 100,000 views in summation across said forums, have also @ this point in time as well).

This is not a forums on "English Grammar", above all else, is it?

Does 'critique of writing style' help secure others more??

Do "writing style critiques" (from those minus a PhD in English no less) even STAY ON TOPIC???

APK

P.S.=> The funny part really is really this:

Years ago here (2001 in fact)

A member named me101 posted the ORIGINAL VERSION of this guide here on THIS FORUMS, in 2001 (the ancestor of this one, circa 1997-2002) & highly recommended it, which is fine... HOWEVER - That "highly rated one" version's points literally only get you to a 71/100 score on CIS TOOL, mind you - this post, downrated to 2/5 stars, gets you to 90++/100 on CIS Tool...

(I post the url link to it on the top of last page no less for your verification no less)

Do the math, & explain THAT to me & others please! apk

Edited by APK
Enthusiast

APK

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Posted (edited)
Wow, this thread really has become just a personal snyping ground, huh?

Yes, & it is not a forums on "English Grammar"!

(Which is about the only "criticism" offered here, & yet the mods here made it an "essential guide", & many other forums have as well, in addition to 5/5 star rating it + it being amongst their "top viewed of all time", etc. et al, also (in fact, 14/20 forums have done just what I wrote, by 100,000 total views in summation across them all, including THIS forums' version of this post)).

Now, THIS is sort of funny:

When this post's been downrated to 2/5 stars, based on BLATANTLY "off-topic critique of writing style" (how does this help secure someone? This is NOT an 'english grammar' section of this forum no less), & this version gets you 90++/100 CIS Tool scores

... & yet Another FAR OLDER VERSION OF THIS GUIDE was "highly rated" & a news posting by me101 here in 2001, & that model ONLY GOT YOU TO 71/100 CIS Tool scores, tops??

Honestly - you expect me to NOT question that 'down-rating' to 2/5 stars?

* Do the math, explain THAT...

Was coming here to read it, as the title interested me - but I have no desire to read 8 pages of argument.

Then, don't (nobody's twisting your arm to do so), & I did not toss names @ others here NOR did I post photos of them (as was done to myself here by betasp)...

APK

P.S.=> @ over 100,000++ views strong, across 20 forums (14 of them rating it 5/5 stars, or making it a "sticky thread" or as it was here, made an "essential guide"

no less) says otherwise, vs. this post's being "down-rated" to 2/5 stars alone - on which this posts' "down-rating" to 2/5 stars here was largely based on OUTRIGHT OFF-TOPIC opinions (based on "writing style, by those minus PhD's in English no less & who have been probably alive for less time than I have been speaking & writing it myself no less - & FAR MORE POSTERS ACROSS TONS OF OTHER FORUMS FELT OTHERWISE (plus, even folks here also vs. that 2/5 star 'down-rating'))??

Guys - come on...

(Again, this is a forums on computing, not "english grammar" no less - guys, does that help secure a system, in an OPINION-BASED critique of "what good writing style is"? Why again, was it rated so well on so many other forums then (14/20 as either 5/5 star rated, an "essential guide" as it is here, & finally a "sticky thread"), if it is 'bad writing style' - your own mods read it, & must have felt it was readable, else, why make it an "essential guide")?... apk

Edited by APK
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APK

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Posted (edited)
Well judging by your marriage to statistics, why do you feel as though they are proof of this guide's importance or popularity? Just a general, honest and sincere question.

Too easy: Those statistics simply & COMPLETELY disagree with the rating of THIS POST, on this forums - & far too many, from far too many other sources (some even SECURITY ORIENTED & SPECIALIZED TO THAT AREA NO LESS) to be ignored, for me to NOT cite them.

I.E.-> For me, to NOT use other forums & folks results + findings & opinions as noting this material as good & well written (& also as a proof of something "wrong" here in these forums), by citing their results & ratings (as well as that of their members & yours here too mind you)? OMITTING THAT, would be foolish... as it is VISIBLE concrete & verifiable information!

They are simply STATEMENTS OF FACT... visible, concrete, & completely verifiable.

(Especially since it is a forums on computing, not "english grammar")

PLUS, face it - Your own moderators here made it an "ESSENTIAL GUIDE", I guess they can't read it then, eh?

Plus - via the contradictory opinions of other forums & their members, to the tune of 100,000++ of them across 20 or so forums where it was "5/5 star rated", or made a "sticky/pinned" thread, OR lastly, an "ESSENTIAL GUIDE" as it was here?

Hey - that is a LOT stronger set of facts, not opinions (along with the fact gains possible are VISIBLY QUANTIFIED by the CIS Tool scoring gain possible as well).

ONCE MORE - How is a 'critique' on writing style going to help secure someone?? Won't anyone here answer that & my other questions (especially the ones bolded below)

Yes, what I use is, by far, proof that are solid - especially vs. the opinions of "writing style" of those minus a PhD in English (Who are again, also off topic, as this is NOT A FORUMS ON WRITING STYLE (much less from those, who odds are, having been writing & speaking this very language for only a fraction of the time I have))

---------------------------------

QUESTION #1:

How does a mere opinion of what good writing style is, from those minus a PhD in English & possibly affected by ADD or DYSLEXIA, help to secure someone further?

---------------------------------

QUESTION #2:

IS THIS A FORUMS ON COMPUTING, or ENGLISH GRAMMAR??? "Writing Style Critique"?? How's that helping secure folks more & what qualifications do these "critics" have in that area?? I saw no PhD's in English (nor, anyone who's been speaking + writing it longer than myself either).

---------------------------------

QUESTION #2:

When this post's been downrated to 2/5 stars, based on BLATANTLY "off-topic critique of writing style", & this NEWER + BETTER version gets you 90++/100 CIS Tool scores

... & yet Another FAR OLDER VERSION OF THIS GUIDE was "highly rated" & a news posting by me101 here in 2001, & that model ONLY GOT YOU TO 71/100 CIS Tool scores, tops??

---------------------------------

(Honestly - you expect me to NOT question that 'down-rating' to 2/5 stars?)

* Once more- do the math, & explain THAT last question/answer it, especially that one, to us all...

ABOVE ALL ELSE (except the concrete results of others on CIS TOOL scores & the fact this material's been rated so well on many other forums & even your members here liked it in many of them)?

This place, & this section - AGAIN: It's not an english class grade (it's not a legal document, nor is it my "last will & testament" either)... this is a forums on COMPUTING after all!

APK

P.S.=> Why won't ANY of you answer those 3 simple questions?

Also - do not the results on CIS Tool scores INCREASING also prove to be an indicator the tools & points + "tips/tricks/techniques" this thread/guide extolls, also not serve as better proof, via QUANTIFIED VISIBLE RESULTS of others (not just myself) + their findings & ratings (from security oriented forums @ times no less), help to show that something is "up/wrong" here, with this guide getting a 2/5 stars rating here?

Argue with the facts, & the numbers, & GOOD LUCK! apk

Edited by APK
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Before we dive in, you can view the different SKUs released so far since the 2025 series launched for Home and SMB users, with the most important specifications listed along with the MSRP listed below: SKU CPU Cores Memory Link Price F2-425 Intel N5095 4 4 GB DDR4 2.5 GbE x1 $249.99 F4-425 Intel N5095 4 4 GB DDR4 2.5 GbE x1 $369.99 F2-425 Plus Intel Core N150 4 8 GB DDR5 5 GbE x 2 $399.99 F4-425 Plus Intel Core N150 4 16 GB DDR5 5 GbE x 2 $569.99 F4-425 Pro Intel Core N305 8 8 GB DDR5 5 GbE x 2 $699.99 F4-425 Pro Intel Core N350 8 16 GB DDR5 5 GbE x 2 $799.99 The F2 in the product name means two 3.5-inch HDD bays, where F4 is four 2.5-inch bays. First impressions Like with the F8 SSD Plus packaging, the F4-425 Pro is using the upgraded box materials, which certainly look better than a plain cream colored box with TERRAMASTER stamped on the sides. The box gives off a premium feel and certainly adds a positive vibe to first impressions. In the box F4-425 Pro TNAS device Power adapter LAN cable (CAT 6) Quick guide [full online guide] Limited warranty notice Screws (for HDD bays) Stickers 2x rubber feet (spares) Design As has become kind of common with TerraMaster, certainly in the last three years, the 2025 F2- and F4-series have received a makeover that really adds to the premium feel of the NAS. Gone are the plastic shells, now replaced with an aluminum outer shell, with the front and back retaining the textured black plastic we saw on the 2024 models. Some key differences from the 2024 series include placing the power button back on the front, along with the addition of a Type A USB port. It's not much bigger or heavier either; in fact, it weighs 500 grams less than the F4-424 Pro. It's slightly shorter in height and depth (length), but only by a few millimeters. The front and back do retain a similar style to the 2024 series. On the front, you just have your four bays along with LED indicators for the HDDs and power. The welcomed change is having a USB port on the front for quick access, should you need to back up a USB drive, for example. Around the back, from top to bottom, you have a reset pin hole, an HDMI port, two 5 GbE Ethernet ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type A ports with a Type-C port below them, and a connector for the barrel port power source. Again, there's no Kensington Security Slot present, which is a bit of a shame considering it's a data storage device. Left side Right side On the left and right of the F4-425 Plus, it is completely smooth aluminum with a TERRAMASTER logo printed on both sides. On the bottom, there are some holes to assist ventilation. Unlike with the F4-425 Plus, the rubber feet did come unstuck during the teardown, which was also an issue on the 2023 series. It seems like other customers have lodged complaints about them, as TerraMaster now includes two spare rubber feet in the box, in case any of the preinstalled ones are lost; however, this seems more like a papering over the cracks solution rather than actually fixing the issue with better quality rubber stand-offs. There are also four screws that must be removed in order to access the internals. Teardown Upon removing the four screws, you can slide the device out of its shell to reveal the three NVMe M.2 slots (PCIe 3.0 X1) and single SODIMM slot connector, which is populated with a single 16GB DDR5 4800MT/s module. I added a couple of MP44Q M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSDs (2 x 4TB) that can be availed on Amazon for $492.99 that TEAMGROUP supplied us with, along with a 250GB 970 Evo Plus that my colleague Chris White sent me by accident and let me keep a few years ago. As I have said in previous reviews, TerraMaster support staff actually encourage installing whatever you want on their devices, and happily, the USB port for the bootloader is now easily accessible should you want to use it for your own flavor of NAS OS, such as TrueNAS, Unraid, or maybe Xpenology. Yes, because TerraMaster has now switched to a 256 GB NAND Flash card (3rd photo above) for the TOS bootloader. This is also replaceable, but you can also simply add a USB bootloader, access the BIOS, and tell the F4-425 Pro to boot from that instead of the Flash card. Unlike earlier iterations of TerraMaster NAS, you don't have to tear this down any further than the four screws on the outer shell in order to be able to access and manage the memory, NVMe slots, and USB bootloader. However, if you need to access the NAND Flash card or CMOS battery, then eight more screws (four on each side) need to be removed in order to take off the rear panel with the 120mm fan, and then the motherboard can be lifted off and removed from the SATA connector PCB. There's also no risk of threading the screw holes, because the four that hold the shell in place are metal on metal, while the screws that hold the rear panel on do screw into plastic. Either way, like last time when I reviewed the F4-425 plus, I was just happier to see larger screws being used. Overall, it follows some great improvements in build quality from the 2024 series and earlier. Setup BIOS The F4-425 Pro includes an Aptio BIOS from American Megatrends [1, 2], and you can setup pretty much everything here including the boot order, which is locked to the UEFI OS, however above that choice you can enable or disable booting to the USB bootloader so this would still allow you to switch to a USB stick with an alternative bootloader and boot from it, or disable it to instead always start from the first disk with an OS installed on it. Initial Setup Setup is roughly the same as the F4-425 Plus, along with the new TOS 7 setup dialogs, so there will be no surprises here. Upon connecting to the LAN and booting up, the F4-425 Pro can be reached by navigating to http://tnas.local. If that doesn't work, you can use the local address assigned via DHCP, which you can find using the TNAS PC desktop application, which is essentially a TerraMaster NAS finder. The setup process is pretty straightforward, through a wizard, and in full below: TOS 7 Initialization As you can see, TOS 7 received a new coat of paint, and the initialization requires fewer interactions. Happily, TOS no longer decides to throw all disks into the same Storage Pool; 2.5-inch HDDs are allocated into Storage Pool 1. This is because two of the HDDs are allocated to hold system files. Previously (with TOS 5 and 6), if you pre-installed HDDs and SSDs, they were all placed into Storage Pool 1, even if you did not select the SSDs for inclusion during the onboarding. TOS 7 Setup On first boot, there is a tutorial and some steps to take to harden the TNAS (or not), which includes an immediate update from TOS 7.0.0616 to 7.0.0706, of which the changelog screenshot is also included in the above gallery. It must be noted that the Security Advisor still contains (in my opinion) a pretty major bug in that if you enable SPC and then do the required rebooting, the Security Advisor still says that SPC is disabled. TerraMaster provided the following statement about it: It is disappointing that TOS 7 has been in beta since December, and this OOBE issue is still there. Shutdown option has moved Instead of a Taskbar option to manage the NAS, all of these options have been moved to the Control Panel, initially I did not see it and my contact had to show me how to power off the F4-425 Pro. To logout, reboot or power off you can find those controls at the top right of the Control Panel. It is also possible to power off through the TNAS mobile app beta. Storage setup Above, you can see the steps I took to create the Storage Pools and Volumes. I made a second Storage Pool using TRAID on two 4TB MP44Q SSDs (which, in this instance, is similar to RAID 5), and finally, I added the 250GB 970 Evo Plus drive as Hyper Cache on Storage Pool 1 in Balanced mode. Registering If you decide not to lock down the F4-425 Pro in Security Isolation Mode (blocking all external connections), then you could set up a TNAS device ID through the Remote Access setting in the Control Panel (which must be unique). This works in combination with an online TerraMaster account. TOS 7 TNAS Online Creating a TerraMaster account and linking the device online activates the warranty when you provide proof of purchase and the serial number, but it also gives you access through the TNAS mobile app, which allows you to complete certain operationsб including powering off and restarting the NAS remotely. A TNAS mobile update is required to gain access through TOS 7, and this is provided on the TerraMaster website, as it is not yet on Google Play. The app is evolving all the time and has made leaps and bounds since I first started reviewing TerraMaster devices almost three years ago. It is not quite there yet if you are comparing the likes of Synology, which, sadly, a lot of users online do all the time. OpenClaw setup One of the main selling points of the new F4-425 Pro is the inclusion of OpenClaw, with TerraMaster claiming that it is "powered by the world's first AI-native TOS 7 OS, supporting local-first smart workflows and independent data control." However, I immediately ran into problems trying to enable OpenClaw. After waiting 20 minutes at the "Enabling" message of the OpenClaw app following installation, I decided to do some searching online and discovered that it couldn't complete the installation process due to SPC being enabled, which is something TOS 7 immediately recommends to be enabled on first boot. SPC for NAS (TOS 7) is basically the same principle as UAC in Windows; it blocks executables from being launched by non-Super Users. After reaching out to my contact about these issues, I received the following response: Anyway, this only became clear when I closed the OpenClaw app screen and clicked on the OpenClaw icon in the taskbar; that is when I saw the message about disabling SPC. I think, due to the fact that this is a requirement, this should be a prompt during the installation process, not when closing the App Market and then trying to launch OpenClaw. There's also no 'Getting started' guide for people like me who have never used OpenClaw. I tried to add an LLM and discovered the tutorial led nowhere. That's when I started looking around the official TerraMaster forums, and I found a guide that helpfully explains that you won't get anywhere with OpenClaw unless you have a paid plan, which is disappointing because I imagined there would be an option to use a local LLM as I do in SubtitleEdit with Whisper-XXL. In addition, with the marketing imagery on the official site, it says that the OpenClaw feature is "all processed 100% locally for absolute privacy." which led me to believe that I could install a local LLM, not one that required paid tokens. In any case, TerraMaster does not provide guidance for this new feature, which was also a selling point of the F4-425 Pro! My contact also provided clarification about the above points I raised with TerraMaster Since it is not in the scope of the review to add paid services, I'll leave that to the people who are more qualified with OpenClaw. F4-425 Pro Surveillance App TOS also comes with a Surveillance app, which is not installed by default; it can be found in the App Market recommended section. In addition, after installing, it doesn't drop a shortcut on the Desktop or top taskbar, but you can "Send to Desktop" from the App Market listing for the app for a quick way to open it. Adding my Reolink POE doorbell camera was painless. TerraMaster doesn't appear to have a repository of preconfigured cameras; instead, the camera must be added using ONVIF or RTSP. No mobile Surveillance app TerraMaster still doesn't have a dedicated Surveillance app, although from searching online, Surveillance can be used and managed through the TNAS mobile app. I tried this with the updated TNAS mobile app beta in combination with TOS 7 and got a message that Surveillance was "Only accessible through web browser," so I reckon this must be limited to the stable versions of TOS 6 and the mobile app. More quirks In addition, whenever I minimized the Live View window in the browser Surveillance app, the feed appeared to switch to the Low-bandwidth stream, and there was no way to get the High-quality stream back. To get the High-quality stream back, I had to close Live View and then reopen it. Benchmarking A pretty cool feature of the TOS 7 is that it allows you to install directly to the NVMe M.2 SSD. In order to do that, you would have to leave out any HDDs during initialization, and even then, the system partitions are always written to two HDDs when they are eventually added. With three NVMe slots, this also gives an interesting scenario where you could build a TRAID storage Pool for installing all your apps and Docker on, and keep the third for SSD cache on the HDD pool. Limitless options! SATA PCIe 3.0 X1 A CrystalDiskMark test on a mapped network drive from within a Windows 11 25H2 PC (image above) connected over a 5 GbE hub was well within acceptable ranges. Although the read result on SATA was a little less than with the F4-425 Plus, for some reason, while writes were generally better. SATA PCIe 3.0 X1 I also ran the NAS Performance tester, which tests the link speed performance. As you can see, it pretty much maxes out the 5GbE connection. Of course, you can also opt to bond the two 5 GbE connections for a bit more umph, but I didn't do that. TOS 7, which, as of testing, is still in Beta, comes with an App Center that has a bunch of handy programs you can install right off the bat, such as Emby, Plex, Docker, as well as in-house Backup and Surveillance solutions. As you can imagine, any media streaming services you would want to host off the F4-425 Pro will work great, thanks to the Intel Core N350 CPU and its 16 GB of DDR5 memory. Accessing from mobile is only possible if Security Isolation Mode is disabled, which can put your NAS at risk from external sources, so there was no way to access it from the TNAS Mobile app. It's also quiet. I had this sat next to my computer on my work desk for the past week, and I did wonder if the noise I was accustomed to with NAS devices would annoy me, but all I could hear was a soft whirring of the rear fan (which was a little annoying) when the disks were not actively copying or reading data. Conclusion So what have I learned? Unfortunately, this release raises a few important questions and concerns that I feel haven't been adequately addressed. What I didn't like Our variant shipped with TOS 7 beta, and it's advised not to use it in a production environment. I feel that's a bit limiting on an $800 device. The mobile app is also still in beta and does not support some of the first-party apps, like Surveillance, and it still has quite a few bugs. I am a bit confused about the OpenClaw marketing along with the F4-425 Pro. I feel like that if it's going to be a main selling point, then offer official guidance on how to get started with it. TerraMaster recommends enabling SPC, but then markets the NAS for use with OpenClaw, which requires disabling SPC to be able to use it, opening up genuine security concerns for the NAS; and that's before you get into the security concerns of OpenClaw itself. Of course, the above issues won't be a problem if you decide to install something else on it, or even go back to the stable TOS 6. I wish TerraMaster had just given TOS 7 as opt-in rather than shipping with it. TOS 7 has been available as a preview since December 2025 (so well before my last TerraMaster review), and according to a thread on Reddit where a user shared a screenshot from the TerraMaster Facebook page, it is scheduled to launch today, June 23, but there's nothing about that in the TerraMaster news blog. My contact confirmed over email that TOS 7 exits beta today. The rubber feet also deserve a mention as they continue to be a problem, with them coming unstuck the moment you shift the F4-425 Pro anywhere on your desk. What I liked What it comes down to, though, aside from what I already mentioned, you are still getting a quality, affordable device here, so recommending it will depend on the individual's use case. If you're just looking for a relatively small NAS device to manage virtual machines on, backup your files, and take care of your home theater streaming, then it is a great device that will certainly futureproof you for some time. It provides good performance, takes up little space, and is, on the whole, very quiet. Four bays afford proper redundancy using TRAID or RAID 5, and you can even expand on storage capacity by adding the 2-bay D5, or 4-bay D8 Hybrid DAS over a USB 3.2 (10Gbps) link. Considering the 2024 releases were more about power, with the likes of an Intel Core i5-1235U high-end laptop CPU under the hood, I asked my contact last time if we could expect more of the same in higher-end models and was told: It makes a lot of sense to use Intel's N350 chip inside a NAS; it is more than capable of doing what the F4-425 Pro is intended for, media streaming and backup. The only downside is still the clear lack of community and even staff support on the official forums. In the past, I have had topics go unanswered for days, or there would be generic-type "we've noted this and passed it onto our developer team" type responses. Along with the other things I mentioned, it all ends up costing it a couple of points. If you are comfortable with the command line, Docker, and setting up TrueNAS or Unraid, you'll be fine. You can do great things with this hardware. In TOS, the apps are a bit lacking, and things don't always work as expected.\ AI NAS?! What has become clear to me this year is that we are going to start seeing all kinds of "AI NAS" come to market, and while that might be good for us consumers, be diligent and research these claims. Although the F4-425 Pro technically comes with AI, it is really using a cloud service that is externally sourced off-device through the third party OpenClaw app. My colleague did review a newcomer to the NAS space earlier this year, and it includes a local AI assistant inside the Zettlab D4 NAS, and they do not even use AI in the product name, check out Chris' review here. Where to buy and a discount coupon However, it does not change the fact that this is truly a great entry-level home media-class NAS that you can buy right now. TerraMaster is having a 20% off launch discount, plus you can also still apply our unique 10% off coupon on checkout, which only works on the official website. So here is a breakdown of the pricing that is only valid on the official TerraMaster website. TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N350) + 20% discount + 10% coupon = $575.99 TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N305) + 20% discount + 10% coupon = $503.99 TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N350) + 20% discount + 10% coupon = £525.59 TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N305) + 20% discount + 10% coupon = £460.79 Use NEOWIN coupon code during checkout for 10% discount Over on Amazon US and UK, the F4-425 Pro also gets a 20% launch discount, but here, the above 10% coupon cannot be applied. TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N350) for $639.99 at Amazon US (was $799.99) TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N305) for $559.99 at Amazon US (was $699.99) TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N350) for £583.99 at Amazon UK (was £729.99) TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N305) for £511.99 at Amazon UK (was £639.99) As an Amazon Associate, when you purchase through links on our site, we earn from qualifying purchases.
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