Yes I can lock down a windows machine to be safe even if I lose physical access.
You only think you can. There are keyboard key loggers that can be installed inside the keyboard. . . or even in the USB cable connector. They will record every keystroke, including passwords, etc., and transmit them to a remote location via bluetooth or other wireless system, independent of your computer. Once they have your username and password, they are in.
>Yes I can lock down a windows machine to be safe even if I lose physical access.
I don’t know enough about to computers, so this may be a really stupid question, or the answer might be so long/technical that it isn’t feasible.
But can you post a list of actions to take to do this (and things to not do to lose access), in such a way that somebody moderately tech savvy could use your answers and google to find the relevant tools to do it themselves, starting with the purchase of a sterile machine?
Did you ever think about writing a how-to manual?