There are few things in life as nice as getting a new computer. It’s the feeling of opening your brand new computer, removing it from the box and taking in that new computer smell that gets us. Before you actually use your new computer, though, there are several important things you should do to set it up and make it ready for everyday use. We’ve curated some of these things for you, so here are a couple of things you should do when you first get a new computer.
Update Your Operating System
If you’re buying a beginners PC for your child or a new computer user, there are some ways you can help them set it up. A common maintenance mistake new computer users make is to put off updates or not install them regularly, which leaves your system vulnerable to exploits from malicious software and the internet. Visit your computer’s update settings and make sure regular automatic updates are enabled, and then manually perform a system update before you do anything else.
Install Some Common Software
Out of the box, your system is lacking some important software applications, called runtime libraries, that many other applications use. It’s also a good time to install software like Microsoft Office, a PDF reader, media player and video conferencing options, amongst others. You can do this manually per application, or you save yourself some time and effort by making use of a bulk software installer like Ninite to do it for you. Simply visit their website, select the software you want to install, download your custom installer and away you go.
Install a New Web Browser
Depending on your system, a default web browser is included. For Windows computers, this is Microsoft Edge. It has come a long way in terms of usability since the internet Explorer days of old, but there are arguably still better options out there. Have a look at Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome as alternative options to the default browser. There are many compelling reasons to make the switch from Microsoft Edge, particularly to Google Chrome if you use a lot of Google’s services because it natively integrates and supports them.
Enable Cloud Storage
Cloud storage is an incredibly useful thing, providing not only a way to automatically back up your most important files to the cloud but also to sync them between your devices if you use more than one. Many cloud storage providers also give you some storage space for free, so there’s no reason not to use one. There are a plethora of cloud storage options and companies you can choose from, and each has its unique features and benefits. Microsoft OneDrive, for example, does a great job of integrating with Microsoft Office and enabling autosave on your documents. Dropbox and Google Drive are also both big names in the cloud storage space.
With these small tasks completed, your system is more usable, safer and getting backed up to the cloud. All of that and it only took you about an hour – that’s time well spent.
