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%Start The First 5 Things You Should Do With Your New Computer GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Software & Apps &gt; Windows 321 321 people found this article helpful <h1> The First 5 Things You Should Do With Your New Computer</h1> <h2> Installing updates, configuring backups, and other first steps</h2> By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years&#39; of professional technology experience. He&#39;s been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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%Start The First 5 Things You Should Do With Your New Computer GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Software & Apps > Windows 321 321 people found this article helpful

The First 5 Things You Should Do With Your New Computer

Installing updates, configuring backups, and other first steps

By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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Victoria Lopez 4 minutes ago
lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on August 4, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

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lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on August 4, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email <h3> In This Article</h3> Expand Jump to a Section Update Your Antimalware Program Install Available Windows Updates Install a File Recovery Program Sign Up for an Online Backup Service Uninstall Programs You Don't Want Frequently Asked Questions As compelling as it is to jump right into using your new computer, there are a few things you need to do first when setting it up. No matter if it's a snazzy new Microsoft Surface Book, some other Windows 11&nbsp;laptop, or a traditional desktop computer...don't worry about your computer skills or where specific keyboard keys are. Instead, here are five things to address before you do anything else:<br/> Have a laptop or tablet instead?
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lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on August 4, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

In This Article

Expand Jump to a Section Update Your Antimalware Program Install Available Windows Updates Install a File Recovery Program Sign Up for an Online Backup Service Uninstall Programs You Don't Want Frequently Asked Questions As compelling as it is to jump right into using your new computer, there are a few things you need to do first when setting it up. No matter if it's a snazzy new Microsoft Surface Book, some other Windows 11 laptop, or a traditional desktop computer...don't worry about your computer skills or where specific keyboard keys are. Instead, here are five things to address before you do anything else:
Have a laptop or tablet instead?
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Joseph Kim 1 minutes ago
Your first steps look a little different.

Update Your Antimalware Program

The last thing ...
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Your first steps look a little different. <h2> Update Your Antimalware Program </h2> The last thing you want to do is get your new computer infected with malware.
Oliver Taylor Member
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Your first steps look a little different.

Update Your Antimalware Program

The last thing you want to do is get your new computer infected with malware.
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Who wants that? We considered calling this "install an antimalware program" but almost all computers come with one preinstalled. Windows has Microsoft's own tool built-in, so most PCs are ready to go.
Natalie Lopez Member
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Who wants that? We considered calling this "install an antimalware program" but almost all computers come with one preinstalled. Windows has Microsoft's own tool built-in, so most PCs are ready to go.
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Nathan Chen 9 minutes ago
How to Tell if You Have a Virus on Windows Here's the thing, though: it won't be updated. Pr...
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Ella Rodriguez 8 minutes ago
So, after setting it up, head to the scanner's settings and update the "definitions"—t...
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How to Tell if You Have a Virus on Windows Here&#39;s the thing, though: it won&#39;t be updated. Probably not, anyway.
Joseph Kim Member
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How to Tell if You Have a Virus on Windows Here's the thing, though: it won't be updated. Probably not, anyway.
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Christopher Lee 7 minutes ago
So, after setting it up, head to the scanner's settings and update the "definitions"—t...
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Kevin Wang 23 minutes ago
Microsoft releases security and non-security updates to Windows on at least a monthly basis, oftenti...
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So, after setting it up, head to the scanner&#39;s settings and update the &#34;definitions&#34;—the instructions that teach the program how to identify and remove new viruses, Trojans, worms, etc. As mentioned above, new Windows computers typically have basic antivirus protection, but it's not the best.&nbsp;There are plenty of antivirus programs for Windows that you can get for free; you can also remove viruses on your Mac. <h2> Install Available Windows Updates </h2> Yes, you&#39;d think your brand-new computer would be fully updated, but chances are it won&#39;t be.
Victoria Lopez Member
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So, after setting it up, head to the scanner's settings and update the "definitions"—the instructions that teach the program how to identify and remove new viruses, Trojans, worms, etc. As mentioned above, new Windows computers typically have basic antivirus protection, but it's not the best. There are plenty of antivirus programs for Windows that you can get for free; you can also remove viruses on your Mac.

Install Available Windows Updates

Yes, you'd think your brand-new computer would be fully updated, but chances are it won't be.
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Chloe Santos 19 minutes ago
Microsoft releases security and non-security updates to Windows on at least a monthly basis, oftenti...
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Microsoft releases security and non-security updates to Windows on at least a monthly basis, oftentimes more frequently than that! See How to Install Windows Updates if you've never done this and need help.
Alexander Wang Member
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Microsoft releases security and non-security updates to Windows on at least a monthly basis, oftentimes more frequently than that! See How to Install Windows Updates if you've never done this and need help.
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The Windows Update tool is preconfigured to download and install updates automatically. While this is generally a good thing, it can be a bit overwhelming of a thing to happen in the background during the first few hours of using your new computer.
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The Windows Update tool is preconfigured to download and install updates automatically. While this is generally a good thing, it can be a bit overwhelming of a thing to happen in the background during the first few hours of using your new computer.
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Emma Wilson 6 minutes ago
Fortunately, it's easy to change Windows Update settings—this is something we usually recommend pe...
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Victoria Lopez 26 minutes ago
However, Microsoft only provides basic drivers for some hardware, and will not install a driver for ...
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Fortunately, it's easy to change Windows Update settings—this is something we usually recommend people do. Windows Update might install driver updates for you, too, which are needed for your hardware to work properly.
Julia Zhang Member
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Fortunately, it's easy to change Windows Update settings—this is something we usually recommend people do. Windows Update might install driver updates for you, too, which are needed for your hardware to work properly.
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Amelia Singh 4 minutes ago
However, Microsoft only provides basic drivers for some hardware, and will not install a driver for ...
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Kevin Wang 4 minutes ago
Keep one of those programs on your computer to make sure you always have quick access to these updat...
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However, Microsoft only provides basic drivers for some hardware, and will not install a driver for some gaming mice, USB microphones, and other devices you might plug into your new computer, like a webcam, drawing tablet, etc. Fortunately, there are several options when it comes to using a free driver updater tool, which is a program that can check for missing or outdated drivers and, oftentimes, download and install them for you, sometimes even automatically.
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However, Microsoft only provides basic drivers for some hardware, and will not install a driver for some gaming mice, USB microphones, and other devices you might plug into your new computer, like a webcam, drawing tablet, etc. Fortunately, there are several options when it comes to using a free driver updater tool, which is a program that can check for missing or outdated drivers and, oftentimes, download and install them for you, sometimes even automatically.
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Isabella Johnson 9 minutes ago
Keep one of those programs on your computer to make sure you always have quick access to these updat...
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Sebastian Silva 33 minutes ago
This might be a scenario if you've installed Windows manually.

Install a File Recovery Program ...

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Keep one of those programs on your computer to make sure you always have quick access to these updates. They're especially helpful if your network adapter doesn't work and you need a network driver but don't have an internet connection.
Victoria Lopez Member
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Keep one of those programs on your computer to make sure you always have quick access to these updates. They're especially helpful if your network adapter doesn't work and you need a network driver but don't have an internet connection.
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Ethan Thomas 6 minutes ago
This might be a scenario if you've installed Windows manually.

Install a File Recovery Program ...

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Scarlett Brown 6 minutes ago
Here's why: the big catch-22 about file recovery programs is that you're better off installing one b...
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This might be a scenario if you've installed Windows manually. <h2> Install a File Recovery Program </h2> This one might surprise you. Why install a program to help recover accidentally deleted files if you haven't even used your computer yet, let alone lost something?
David Cohen Member
access_time 24 minutes ago
This might be a scenario if you've installed Windows manually.

Install a File Recovery Program

This one might surprise you. Why install a program to help recover accidentally deleted files if you haven't even used your computer yet, let alone lost something?
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Victoria Lopez 12 minutes ago
Here's why: the big catch-22 about file recovery programs is that you're better off installing one b...
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Ella Rodriguez 4 minutes ago
See our Free File Recovery Software Programs list for a number of excellent and completely free unde...
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Here's why: the big catch-22 about file recovery programs is that you're better off installing one before you actually need it. Waiting until the file has been deleted to install the program, might overwrite that same space on the hard drive where your deleted file is sitting, preventing you from undeleting it. That's not a risk you want to take.
Kevin Wang Member
access_time 52 minutes ago
Here's why: the big catch-22 about file recovery programs is that you're better off installing one before you actually need it. Waiting until the file has been deleted to install the program, might overwrite that same space on the hard drive where your deleted file is sitting, preventing you from undeleting it. That's not a risk you want to take.
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Ryan Garcia 21 minutes ago
See our Free File Recovery Software Programs list for a number of excellent and completely free unde...
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See our Free File Recovery Software Programs list for a number of excellent and completely free undelete tools. Just install one and forget it.
David Cohen Member
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See our Free File Recovery Software Programs list for a number of excellent and completely free undelete tools. Just install one and forget it.
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James Smith 16 minutes ago
If you need it in the future, it'll be there.

Sign Up for an Online Backup Service

Yep, a...
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Nathan Chen 12 minutes ago
Online backup services are combination software tools and subscription services that automatically k...
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If you need it in the future, it'll be there. <h2> Sign Up for an Online Backup Service </h2> Yep, another proactive step here, one you&#39;ll be thanking us for someday.
Andrew Wilson Member
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If you need it in the future, it'll be there.

Sign Up for an Online Backup Service

Yep, another proactive step here, one you'll be thanking us for someday.
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David Cohen 56 minutes ago
Online backup services are combination software tools and subscription services that automatically k...
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The better-rated ones in our list are inexpensive, let you back up as much as you want, and are real...
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Online backup services are combination software tools and subscription services that automatically keep what data you want to be protected on secure servers away from your home or business. An online backup service is the best and most cost-effective long term solution to keeping your data safe.
Sophie Martin Member
access_time 80 minutes ago
Online backup services are combination software tools and subscription services that automatically keep what data you want to be protected on secure servers away from your home or business. An online backup service is the best and most cost-effective long term solution to keeping your data safe.
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The better-rated ones in our list are inexpensive, let you back up as much as you want, and are really easy to download and install. However, if buying a new computer is the last big purchase you want to make for a while, consider using a free backup service or, at the very least, a local backup tool. <h2> Uninstall Programs You Don&#39 t Want </h2> You may already have noticed that your computer came with a lot of...well, let&#39;s just say &#34;extra&#34; software.
Daniel Kumar Member
access_time 85 minutes ago
The better-rated ones in our list are inexpensive, let you back up as much as you want, and are really easy to download and install. However, if buying a new computer is the last big purchase you want to make for a while, consider using a free backup service or, at the very least, a local backup tool.

Uninstall Programs You Don' t Want

You may already have noticed that your computer came with a lot of...well, let's just say "extra" software.
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Kevin Wang 7 minutes ago
In theory, leaving these programs installed won't hurt much if anything, aside from taking up a bit ...
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In theory, leaving these programs installed won't hurt much if anything, aside from taking up a bit of hard drive space. In reality, many of these preinstalled programs run in the background, hogging up memory and processor power that you'd rather use for other things. Our advice?
Scarlett Brown Member
access_time 36 minutes ago
In theory, leaving these programs installed won't hurt much if anything, aside from taking up a bit of hard drive space. In reality, many of these preinstalled programs run in the background, hogging up memory and processor power that you'd rather use for other things. Our advice?
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Head into Settings of Control Panel, depending on your Windows version, and uninstall those programs...
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See our Free Uninstaller Software Tools list for our favorites. One of those tools is even called PC...
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Head into Settings of Control Panel, depending on your Windows version, and uninstall those programs. An easier option, if you'd like, is to use a dedicated program for just this purpose. They're called uninstallers, and we've reviewed a number of them.
Christopher Lee Member
access_time 57 minutes ago
Head into Settings of Control Panel, depending on your Windows version, and uninstall those programs. An easier option, if you'd like, is to use a dedicated program for just this purpose. They're called uninstallers, and we've reviewed a number of them.
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See our Free Uninstaller Software Tools list for our favorites. One of those tools is even called PC...
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FAQ How do I transfer files to a new computer? If you're replacing an older computer, the two ea...
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See our Free Uninstaller Software Tools list for our favorites. One of those tools is even called PC Decrapifier. You can guess why.
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See our Free Uninstaller Software Tools list for our favorites. One of those tools is even called PC Decrapifier. You can guess why.
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FAQ How do I transfer files to a new computer? If you're replacing an older computer, the two ea...
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Alternatively, put files from your old computer to a hard drive, and then connect it to the new one ...
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FAQ How do I transfer files to a new computer? If you&#39;re replacing an older computer, the two easiest ways to move files between them are via backups or with an external drive. For example, you can restore a new Mac from a Time Machine backup of the old one; PCs have the similar File History feature.
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FAQ How do I transfer files to a new computer? If you're replacing an older computer, the two easiest ways to move files between them are via backups or with an external drive. For example, you can restore a new Mac from a Time Machine backup of the old one; PCs have the similar File History feature.
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Alternatively, put files from your old computer to a hard drive, and then connect it to the new one and move them over. How do I move software licenses to a new computer? Generally, you&#39;ll install the software on your new Mac or PC, and then sign in with your credentials.
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Alternatively, put files from your old computer to a hard drive, and then connect it to the new one and move them over. How do I move software licenses to a new computer? Generally, you'll install the software on your new Mac or PC, and then sign in with your credentials.
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