new with computers, need help with new dell laptop!!

[Brennen53]

I just purchased a new dell inspiron laptop with windows 7 home premium 64 bit. I have no idea what that means but im trying to be specific. Being very new at this, Im not very good with computers but ive been researching and looking at some of these posts. All I really know how to do is search the internet, and run word.
I am going to be a freshman in college, which is why I got this.
I already have virus and spyware services, thats about the only thing ive done to it.

I was wondering what programs I need to uninstall in order to get the most out of my computer without deleting something that could mess it up.

Also, being a student is there any helpful things i could install, or just anything fun and worth taking a look at. I'm apprehensive about installing anything and risking a virus being in it or something. Being new at this, I dont even know what I want, whats available, or even where to look.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

-Thanks!


Also, I didnt understand very many of the post I read here because y'all used a lot of computer slang. So any dumbing down so I can understand would be appreciated as well!

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Hello Brennen53, welcome to Seven Forums!



What antivirus are you using and is it a paid version or a free trial?

 

[Brennen53]

Im using Webroot and got a two year subscription. its what the dude at best buy recommended.
I installed spybot as well for spyware software.

 

[sandman]

What browser are you using Firefox is a big favorite.

Do you have your anti-virus ( what are you using)set to do daily scans and updates for definitions?

Do you have Windows set to do updates automatically on update Tuesday?

Practice safe browsing and don't click on the fake, make your system faster ads or do a scan now for faster Internet speed etc. Just make sure what you downloading is what you want on your system.

Defrag your drive monthly if needed.

Other than that if you have a problem try and post it her and someone will most likely be able to help you. Might want to put you full system specs in profile like model number of Laptop, your processor, amount of ram, hard drive capacity etc.

 

[Neutron16]

Most of the time, Dell preloads crapware and some other unnecessary software, because they are making money on it. That software can be individual too.

You can download this utility by Sysinternals/Microsoft to check for all software, which starts with you system.
Autoruns for Windows

If you want you can post screenshots of LOGON and Internet Explorer tabs from that utility, so we can help you with those other programs.

 

[Brennen53]

I updated my system specifications.

Also, how do I set windows to update on tuesdays? and how do I defrag my drive, and how do I know if it needs it?

Sorry, like I said I'm pretty green.

 

[TheReaper]

Hello there, welcome to Seven Forums.

I wouldn't uninstall anything just yet, take your time & see what you like and use on a daily basis.
As for programs to install, here's a list of useful freeware for Windows 7:
free great programs for windows 7.
Just a couple of my suggestions: battery care (optimize the usage and performance of the laptop battery),
defraggler (one of the best defrag programs),
fences(organizes your desktop & can hide your icons when not in use),
imgburn(a lightweight CD / DVD / HD DVD / Blu-ray burning application),
macrium(disk imaging solution - if you wont use Windows Back Up/Imaging),
malwarebytes(this one is a must - on demand scanner which helps keep your computer safe from becoming infected with viruses, worms, trojans, rootkits, dialers, spyware, and malware),
Nitro PDF reader(lightweight & fast PDF reader),
Panda USB vaccine(blocks malware spreading through USB drives),
Revo Uninstaller(the best uninstaller),
RocketDock or ObjectDock or Nexus(launcher dock station for your desktop),
utorrent(torrent client program used for file sharing),
virtual-clonedrive(a virtual drive for mounting ISO files),
VLC player (one of the best media players, which doesn't need any extra codecs),
Winamp(mp3 player),

I don't want to overwhelm you, but you might want to make back ups of your system, in case of trouble:
backup complete computer - create image backup.

 

[Brennen53]

So Reaper, whats the difference between some of the things you put on your list and whats already on my computer that seems similar?
Such as media and mp3 players on the list as opposed to windows media player?
or the virus, malware, or spyware protection you recommended as opposed to the webroot subscription I already have.
or the backup software that you recommended compared to the one on my computer that keeps poping up?

I dont want to have two or three programs that do the same thing, unless thats what youre trying to tell me.

 

[Heyyou]

So Reaper, whats the difference between some of the things you put on your list and whats already on my computer that seems similar?
Such as media and mp3 players on the list as opposed to windows media player?
or the virus, malware, or spyware protection you recommended as opposed to the webroot subscription I already have.
or the backup software that you recommended compared to the one on my computer that keeps poping up?

I dont want to have two or three programs that do the same thing, unless thats what youre trying to tell me.

If I understand you correctly, as you say you're green, I assume you mean you just got your first computer and want to stretch your legs by getting some good applications installed on it. Back in 1997 I bought my first computer and installed everything I saw that I thought was neat. The result is that you have a selection of applications on your computer and you have to learn how to use each one while trying to learn how to navigate your computer. This can get pretty confusing. I'd suggest that you just run what's on there and learn to understand what you have thoroughly. Then after reading posts on this forum every day, eventually you will begin to understand what a poster is talking about and you can make an intelligent decision as to what else to get or replace some of the applications you already have. Good luck with your computer and have fun.

 

[BriceH]

Welcome to the Seven Forums, Brennen53. As a student, I think that you might find Microsoft Mathematics to be useful in Math and Science classes. If you are going to take any Computer Science classes, you might want to try Microsoft Visual Studio. Both of these pieces of software are free if you sign up for a program that Microsoft runs for students called DreamSpark.

 

[JaidynM]

Do you want it to look good? Perhaps like this?



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[gregrocker]

Clean up factory bloatware

 

[huffman]

I am not going to software as that has been covered here.

As a new computer user here is some things help in the future that I learned the hard way:

1. Aways keep your User's Manual handy and any other information that came with your computer. It is a great source of information.

2. Record and keep handy all your computer information (Serial #, Model #, etc). Dell has one of the best support groups around and they will need this information to assist you.

3. Never throw away any disks that came with your computer. Keep them in a safe place.

4. Learn how to restore your computer to factory conditions. This may require making a restore disk.

These are just a few suggestions and others may add to this list.

Good luck

 

[theog]

How to use Dell Recovery, & how to order Recovery Disks.
Dell - Support

 

[marsmimar]

Just another opinion for your consideration. You've gotten some nice information from the other forum members. Maybe in a week or so you're going to have your computer set up to your liking. I'd strongly recommend you invest in an external hard drive that connects to your computer with a USB cable. (Your user's manual should point out where the USB ports are on the machine.)

Once you have that external hard drive, make a system image of your computer. A system image is like a snapshot of your entire machine. Update that system image every week or two. If something ever happens to your computer you can use that system image to restore your computer to the exact same condition it was in when the image was made. So instead of spending days reconfiguring everything you can be up and running in less than an hour. Lot of free programs available to make your system image and a lot of opinions on what's best. You can search this forum and find a lot of threads and discussions.

 

[TheReaper]

So Reaper, whats the difference between some of the things you put on your list and whats already on my computer that seems similar?
Such as media and mp3 players on the list as opposed to windows media player?
or the virus, malware, or spyware protection you recommended as opposed to the webroot subscription I already have.
or the backup software that you recommended compared to the one on my computer that keeps poping up?

I dont want to have two or three programs that do the same thing, unless thats what youre trying to tell me.

The difference is, that some of these work better than their Windows counterparts. I had even more suggestions, but seeing that you're new to computers, didn't want to overwhelm you with a lengthy post full of freeware choices.

VLC player is a great media player, I haven't found a media file type it can't play(as opposed to WMP) & doesn't need additional codecs to play them; MalwareBytes is an additional layer of security alongside your current AV, if you do get malware - it will help you clean it(even if your AV can't), I have it installed as an on demand scanner in addition to MSE.
As for the backup software, I said you can use Windows Back Up, it was just a suggestion, as Win back up (sometimes, although rarely) doesn't work as it should. For that reason I use more than one BackUp software, Macrium & Acronis True Image, in addition to Windows BackUp & keep multiple system images.

It would be useful if you tell us, what you intend to use the computer for, then we can make better suggestions.
As you're just getting started, take a look at the helpful tutorials on this site:
Seven Forums tutorials. It's a wealth of knowledge in one place.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Just another opinion for your consideration. You've gotten some nice information from the other forum members. Maybe in a week or so you're going to have your computer set up to your liking. I'd strongly recommend you invest in an external hard drive that connects to your computer with a USB cable. (Your user's manual should point out where the USB ports are on the machine.)

Once you have that external hard drive, make a system image of your computer. A system image is like a snapshot of your entire machine. Update that system image every week or two. If something ever happens to your computer you can use that system image to restore your computer to the exact same condition it was in when the image was made. So instead of spending days reconfiguring everything you can be up and running in less than an hour. Lot of free programs available to make your system image and a lot of opinions on what's best. You can search this forum and find a lot of threads and discussions.

Hello again.

This is the best suggestion so far, here's an excellent free image program, some feel is far superior to Windows backup, at the link below.

Imaging with free Macrium


No need to make any decisions (change anything) in a rush, as some have said, take your time and study threads/posts here and get 'informed' and then make decisions when you have grown in knowledge.

 

[Brennen53]

Hey, I just wanted to thank everybody who helped me out. Being that I will most likely have a few more questions in the upcoming months I apologize in advance, but will definitely add to everybody's reputation that helps me out!!
I already have more questions, but I'll try to find them in this forum first.

Thanks again!!

 

[marsmimar]

Hey, I just wanted to thank everybody who helped me out. Being that I will most likely have a few more questions in the upcoming months I apologize in advance, but will definitely add to everybody's reputation that helps me out!!
I already have more questions, but I'll try to find them in this forum first.

Thanks again!!

The forum members are from around the world so no matter what time it is where you are, you can always find people willing to help! Welcome to Seven Forums!

 

[Brennen53]

Well I appreciate it!!
Also, I'm from Texas too!! If you're familiar with Lone Star Conference schools (I know Texas A&M Kingsville plays in it), I'm going to be playing for MSU in the fall. So I'll be playing in a few games down that way in the upcoming years.