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

manhunter2826 said:

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.

manhunter2826 said:

logicearth said:

manhunter2826 said:

switch to a 'safer' browser.

No such thing as a "safer" browser.

I didn't say there was

electrotune1200 said:

manhunter2826 said:

logicearth said:

No such thing as a "safer" browser.

I didn't say there was

[in bold for even greater clarification] .

[in bold for even greater clarification] .

First thing you should do....

Image your HDD.

Then....feel free to tweak away (I don't really feel there's a need to, but it's your PC)

You can completely thrash your Windows install with tweaking mistakes... Re-Image and be back up and running in 10 minutes.

Bill2 said:

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.

For a new beginner I would recommend him keeping indexing on. If he has a second hard drive, he could always move the database to that which is a better option imo.

After downloading and running Defraggler and CCleaner, my used hard drive space went form 30.1 GB to 39.7? These are the only things I have done. What is the world could be going on? surely these two utilites are not using that much space ? Any ideas?
thanks,
Bill

Your PC probably created a system restore point.

billberry12 said:

After downloading and running Defraggler and CCleaner, my used hard drive space went form 30.1 GB to 39.7? These are the only things I have done. What is the world could be going on? surely these two utilites are not using that much space ? Any ideas?
thanks,
Bill

I too am beginning to think that defragging is pretty much passé in new clean machines, esp. with Windows 7 installed .

Give yourself a "grand tour" of Control Panel, Device Manager, Services etc. and learn where the various user settings are... If you are genuinely interested in a smooth running computer, the least you can do is learn how to adjust the simple things...

After 100+ installs, I suggest:

The state of the art tools to clean and order Win7 are CCleaner ("Run Cleaner" and Registry tab) and Auslogics Disk and Registry Defraggers - all free and flawless after ten years use here.

The best AV's are Avast or MSE. I don't use a anti-spyware any longer as they cover it.

Don't tweak your system at all except for normal system settings but be parsimonious about those. With any hanging or lag, up your memory instead or check cause in Advanced Tools by Generating a System Health Report or studying Performance log. Win7 should not hang or lag at all.

If you are a confident User then you can set up after install to Run As Administrator (google it) and delete your named account. Almost the same freedom is allowed by just turning down UAC all the way. This is for Users who know what they're doing - you know who you are.

Watch for optional Updates as there can be newer drivers. I am finding most installs now have all drivers provided by the installer with about 4-6 updated quickly via optional WUD. Any missing drivers can be found on your computer/hardware's Support Downloads webpage but drivers issued should not be changed unless performance dictates - this is not XP or even Vista, MS spent a fortune on drivers for Win7.

The best AV's are Avast or MSE. I don't use a anti-spyware any longer as they cover it.

^Interesting, and I'm beginning to think - correctly or incorrectly - the same: I 'only' have Avast and MS Defender at the moment.