I Got A New Computer, Now What?

So you just got a new computer and your not sure where to start.  Maybe you have had many computers or this is your first one.  Regardless of your situation, this guide will hopefully let you avoid some of the headaches of a new computer.  Thanks to Jeff for the idea for this blog post.

The majority of this guide will relate to Windows users but there may be some helpful hints for you Mac users as well.  Some of the steps are of my personal opinion and are optional (I’ll mark those with an asterisk).  Here we go.

1. PC Decrapifier – We covered this program on The Student Nerds Blog before and it is the first thing I would run on a new computer.  This program is capable of removing all of the crap that computer manufacturers install on you computer.  Most of the time they install a trial anti-virus program (we’ll get to this later) and a trial of Microsoft Office.  They also install a bunch of other junk that you’ll just never need.  If you missed the original article, click here to read up on how to use this simple product.
2. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition – If you did not uninstall your current anti-virus program with PC Decrapifier, go to the Control Panel and remove whatever anti-virus program that came pre-installed (I’ve been seeing some version of McAfee lately).  Do yourself a favor and never pay for anti-virus software and just get the free version of AVG.  It does a great job of keeping you safe at the best price possible ($0).
3. Firefox (/w Foxmarks*) – I recommend this browser to everyone I can.  It is stable, fast and more secure that Internet Explorer.  It also has a great library of extensions that can make it even more usable.  Foxmarks is one of those extensions and it allows you to sync your bookmarks (and passwords if you wish) to the Foxmarks server and to any other computer you use.  This extension is great even if you only use one computer because it will constantly backup your bookmarks so you’ll never worry about losing them again.
4. Copy files from your previous computer – If you are replacing a computer with a new one, you’ll probably want to have your files on your new computer.  These files will include your documents, pictures, music and videos.  There are a few ways to do this and I’ll just briefly touch on them. 
   1. External Hard drive – You can copy your files from your old computer to an external hard drive and then copy them to your new computer.
   2. Over a Network – If you are on a network (wired or wireless), you can share the files on your old computer and copy them to your new computer. You’ll need some technical know-how for this one.
   3. Burn the files to a CD or DVD – This is probably a very easy procedure if the files you have can easily fit on a CD or DVD.
      *If you want to move your iTunes over, here is a guide to do that.
5. An Office Suite – If you don’t plan on buying Microsoft Office, you can opt for the free (and very capable) Open Office.  It can open all of your Microsoft documents and is a great alternative to the expensive Microsoft product.
6. Mozy or Dropbox (*Optional) – I highly recommend backing up your documents and any other important files you couldn’t live without.  If you are backing up less than 2gb, I would get Dropbox as it allows you to sync your files between many computers and also has a great web interface.  If you have more than 2gb, Mozy is a great service (they also offer 2gb for free).  I pay $55/year for unlimited space to backup my files.  I currently have about 115gb of files backed up with them and I highly recommend their service.

This guide should get you started on using your new computer in the best way possible.  If you have any other recommendations, leave them in the comments below.