New Windows laptop set up

Things you should do when you get a new Windows laptop

Make your own drivers disk

The first thing to do when you buy a new laptop is create you own drivers disk. Pretty much every manufacturer posts all the latest drivers on its Web site. You can take the time to download all these drivers and burn them to a DVD so that you have them on hand for later.

Take an inventory of your applications

The next thing to do is to take an inventory of the applications on your old laptop. Start by figuring out if there are any installed applications you don’t need anymore. Next, make sure that you still have the installation media for any remaining applications. If the new laptop is going to be running a different operating system from the old laptop, it’s a good idea to perform a compatibility check while you’re at it. You might even use this opportunity to upgrade to a new version of your applications. In any case, an application inventory is essential.

Determine how you will migrate any data from your old laptop

Assuming that your laptop contains data, you will need to come up with a plan for migrating it to the new machine. If you’re working in a Windows environment, you might be able to use the File And Settings Transfer Wizard to migrate your data. Regardless of the method you use, however, the important thing is to know what data needs to be moved and to have a plan for moving it. Bring it in to WLACS and we can do this for you  easily and fast.

Take the time to document your old configuration settings

This involves documenting all your configuration settings. Of course, there are utilities available that will transfer the majority of your configuration settings from one laptop to another. But recording your configuration settings is important because your documentation can act as a checklist when you go back to verify that the new laptop is configured correctly.

Blank the hard drive

This option is not for everyone and should not be done by someone who is not very good with computers. There are a couple of reasons why to do this. First, most manufacturers load up laptop hard drives with all kinds of unwanted software. It’s easier to simply blank the hard drive and start from scratch than to try to manually remove every piece of unwanted software. Second, manufacturers typically create a recovery partition containing all the files that are needed to restore the system to its factory defaults. When you blank the hard drive, you are given the opportunity to repartition the system, which means you can make use of the space that was previously locked away in the recovery partition. Call WLACS to help you do this if you are not sure how.

Install any available updates

This one kind of goes without saying, but once you have installed an operating system and any necessary applications on your new laptop, it is important to install any available software updates.

Activate Windows

It is important to take the time to activate Windows. You do not want to wait for your trial versions to run out. Take the proactive step of activating as soon as you get your new computer to avoid hassle later.

Perform a full security scan

Once everything is up and running, perform a full security scan on the laptop. If you have performed a clean installation, the odds are that you won’t have any problems with malware. However, this is far from being a guarantee, so a security scan is essential.

Secure your old laptop

The last step in the process is to secure your old laptop. This can mean different things depending upon what you plan to do with it. Sometimes, we will donate old computers to charity. But always remove the hard drives and replace them with brand-new drives. That way, no data will be recovered from the old laptop.

For professional help setting up your new computer please call WLACS today to set up and appointment, 310-839-1210 and visit our website for more tips! www.wlacs.com

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