We know that when a new computer arrives everyone acts like a kid in a candy store. Usually the typical person is in such a hurry to open it and set it up they forgot about the importance of taking care of some important tasks that will help save you tons of time later on.
Plan to set aside about three or four hours to properly set the new computer up.
First you need to figure out where the computer will go. Does the room have enough space to allow you to work comfortly and not have to move things around?
Most people will decide to just use the smallest room in the house and convert it in to a computer room and then others choose to just place the computer in to an existing room like a kitchen or den. The next thing to do is save all paperwork when unboxing your computer. This includes any receipts.
This helps later on when you are in trouble and need to find out if you have a warranty or not. When you have all the paperwork together I would recommend, if you have a scanner, scanning these in to the computer so you have copies.
Also I would recommend to keep the box through the duration of the return policy, since most retailers require the original packaging to return or exchange the computer.
Next, all the disks you get with the computer need to be kept in a CD case or stored away in a file cabinet.
These disks are vital for your computer. Most disks will need to used at least once in the computers lifetime.
Technicians needs these disks if you ever have a problem with your operating system, and have to do a system restore.
Now you need to actually set up the computer and connect all of the cables. Take your time and make sure you hide all cables and make everything is neat.
This will save your time in the long run when you try to add hardware. No need to turn the computer on yet just get everything plugged in to a surge protector or a backup power supply(UPS).
Now is the big moment where you get to turn on the computer.
This part is very vital to setting up the computer. Make sure you complete the setup wizard for the computer so that no issues arise later on.
Normal setups will ask for registration information. Make sure you fill this out to protect your warranty. These are usually just a few questions about you, where the computer was purchased, and how you use the computer.
Next you will be asked to create a username and password. The username will be required, but the password is going to be optional. If you use a password I would suggest using a password hint to help you, in case you forget the password in the future.
After this, the computer is properly setup based on a typical computer setup. From here, you’ll just need to set up the Internet, and run any Windows updates that are needed. Be sure you install an anti-virus program before connecting to the Internet.