Windows 7 - First Timer "must do" things/tips in Windows 7

Which are the things that a beginner in Windows 7 should do so that he will benefit from Windows 7's advantages?

One thing that comes to my mind is the backup upon each modification of a specified file.
In Windows XP, ApexDC++ used to crash a lot a while ago, and the Queue.xml file would have got corrupted easily.
Also, in emule, the .part.met files can get corrupted when the program is stopped due to a restart/crash/forced end task/etc.

I'm also thinking at security. A while ago I've installed by accident a fake Shareaza program. Luckily I had a System Restore point, but things could have gone wrong if the fake program had edited files on the computer.
How do I limit what a program can and can't do in Windows 7?

I'm also curious about your setups, how and what do you configure in order to make your life better in Windows 7. (multiple accounts with different privileges, 3rd party software, OS tweaks, etc)

Any other tips/things following the "improve your Windows 7 experience"principle are more than welcome.

Do not run as Administrator, do not change any file permissions, leave UAC on...etc. Learn how things are done in Windows 7 versus going against the grain will make things easier. Also leaving behind the thought processes you used with Windows XP, Windows 7 is not Windows XP.

Download the following programs:
If there are two choices, pick one except in the case of optimization and malware/spyware.

Anti Virus

Microsoft Security Essentials
http://www.microsoft.com/security_es...en-us#dlbutton

Avast 5 Free Edition
http://download.cnet.com/Avast-Free-...=dl&tag=button

Firewall

Comodo Firewall
http://www.comodo.com/home/download/...?prod=firewall

Malware/Spyware Removal

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
http://www.malwarebytes.org

SuperAntiSpyware
http://www.superantispyware.com/

Anti-Keylogger

KeyScrambler Personal
http://www.qfxsoftware.com/

Browser

Mozilla Firefox
http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

Google Chrome
http://www.google.com/chrome

Media Player

VLC Media Player
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Media Player Classic HomeCinema
http://mpc-hc.sourceforge.net/

Optimization

CCleaner
http://www.piriform.com

Defraggler
http://www.piriform.com

Uninstaller

Revo Uninstaller
http://www.revouninstaller.com/

Backup/System Imager

Macrium Reflect Free Edition
http://download.cnet.com/Macrium-Ref...=dl&tag=button

Partition Manager

Partition Wizard Home Edition
http://www.partitionwizard.com/

Make sure your virus/malware definitions are always up-to-date. keep a check on windows updates - don't let the updates run away from you, so to speak. Ensure you have a backup Administrator account. Create your system restore/image disks asap. Dump IE (IMO) and switch to a 'safer' browser.

No such thing as a "safer" browser.

There are ways to make your browser safer with add-ons, but most of safe browsing comes from common sense and avoiding illegal software.

In the area of safe browsing:

Safe Browsing Tool | WOT Web of Trust

Oh yeah, some of the things I do to keep a safe system:

Enable password requirement for UAC even when in Administrator Mode
Keep Multiple Malware/Spyware/Anti-Virus programs up to date and scan once a week.
Never download files you think could be infected.
Every time you download a file, scan it w/ your AV program.
Use both a hardware firewall (Router) and a software firewall (i.e. Comodo)
Turn UAC settings to high
Install Web of Trust and don't use websites that have bad ratings
Create and keep multiple system images, one using Windows Backup and one using a secondary program such as Macrium Reflect.
Create a System Recovery Disk and Create a Boot Disk for your Backup Software.
When sharing images online, make sure to edit out personal information such as cd-keys, computer names, ip addresses, and more.

I didn't say there was

Apart from the various things suggested above, decide a few things. Here goes:

1) Decide what power plan you want to keep. Go into control panel, then click on power options. There are several different on offer. Choose the one that suits you best.

2) Configure System Restore. Which drives you want it turned on, how much space should it reserve on the disk, scheduling of system restore jobs etc.

3) Do you use hibernation? I dont and it can be easily turned off. Run CMD, then type "powercfg -h off" without the quotes.

4) Will you be using Windows Search? I dont because i think it wastes resources and since all my folders are neatly organized, i dont need it either. You can disable Search if you dont want to use it.

5) I also turn off hard drive indexing and scheduled defrag because they cause a lot of hard disk thrashing. Make your own decision.

6) I am somewhat of a minimalist so i have disabled unneeded services. But beware, this can cause problem if you dont know what you are doing. So tread carefully if you want to go that way. Theres a good guide on Blackviper's site for that.

Whew! Cant think of anything more for the moment.

You might -- given how it hogs resources/memory -- wish to disable the Glass Transparency effect; and you can still do this without disabling Aero