I second NinjaNerd56, Most "power users" do things on their pc and they are the only people controlling it, and based the replu of their commenting on this.
But if you set you pc the way the article says and hand it to your son, daughter etc., Il wager you will be reformatting and reinstall windows in no time.
the article is silly at best, here are my thoughs on each step suggested;
Unhide files extensions or hidden files, I personally use the first not the second, but I work with images and videos files a lot and there are reasons why I would want to rename a file .old or .bak myself. all in all most users (not power users) have no use for this option, nor does it make it run better.
Preforming a "Disabling of UAC" is asking to get malware or worst installed on your system without asking permission, personally if UAC wasn't needed as many state, then I wonder why UAC with Password is a requirement for those secure linux workstation. Again this is telling people, go forth and get your information robbed.
Force Windows to Close Apps at Shutdown, again a useful perhaps but I beg to ask if your apps are not consistently closing normally and require a force close, I would be more in line of recommending at the reasons why those apps are not closing properly. malware comes to mind. patching ti with a force close isn't solving or address the issue is it ? a bad band aid at best.
Get Rid of the Useless Lock Screen, so if someone steal your laptop you want them to boot directly into your OS start your browser get online and purchase with your saved information something expensive and get stuck to pay for it later ? sarcastically "Brilliant idea" dear writer.
Switch Default Browsers, I see no benefits either in Edge, IE, Chrome (add your favorite browser here) over another is question of ketchup or mayo with your fries. as long as they are properly updated regularly they are kept safe for any online browsing, as a matter of fact plenty of articles and bench testing that have been done on the subject go forth and use the internet for what it is for... educate yourself.
Prevent Windows From Re-Opening Apps On Restart, surprising enough I agree with this bit of the article, but I prefer to have some application restart on reboot and some I dont, why I would suggest instead of using a nuclear device for a tactical attack to use CCLEANER >> TOOLS >> STARTUP and disable the programs that are unwanted on start Like Discord or such memory mongers
Protect Your Privacy, well one that is not harmful in any way and if you so concerned with your privacy I would suggest a product that locks down all the "snooping options windows has" by getting O&O Shut Up Windows 10, at least all the choices are centralized in one point and easily changed if needed on the fly.
https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10
Enable System Protection / Restore Points another one of those "tomatoes versus toMAtoes" choices of life, either having it on or not all depends on your level of confort with your OS, I personally turn it off on my systems, but make sure its enabled on clients computers. Neither bad or Good, it is a practical programs.
Enable Storage Sense to Save Space, another useful options, I dont use it, I believe in not saving the deleted files but ask me once if I want to delete them, Have I regretted it in the past?... perhaps once or twice and nothing I could not recover from a USB or downloading again from the web.. this again doesn't make your system faster or safer either using or not.
Adjust Your Display Scaling, yes windows seems to think the whole world is blind and pumps itself to 125% off the start in most installations I have done. suggestion to restore it to 100% comes to mind and for the ones with harder abilities to read small print hell use it to make it easier on your eyes.
I would in fact suggest advising people to make use of the Windows back up function found in windows 10, it permits to have a secure copy of your complete system in a safe place, having it on a usb drive, or network driver, and scheduling it to happen on a Friday @ 2am is usually sufficient, but so many options out there regarding backups, including better programs like CODE42 systems that keeps multiple backups of your system (monthly and daily changes) for you to restore from.
Lastly I would suggest as well to make sure you have at the very least an anti virus on your system if you havent bought one or do not intent to at very least enable windows defender to ensure a certain level or protection for your system.
sincerely, The Paladin, a Computer user since 1978, and System Administrator since 1986