Do you have any new computer rituals?

tamara-for-intel · 2024-12-16T18:15:23.128Z

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Has anyone gotten a new personal device recently? You know the feeling – peeling off the protective screen and that fresh, out-of-the-box new computer scent!
After unwrapping that shiny new computer, what’s the first thing you do?

We all have our unique preferences when it comes to personal computers setup. Whether it’s installing must-have apps, adjusting default system settings, or checking hardware specs, perhaps there’s something you always do to set up your new device just right.

Share your best practices! Let’s share our tips and tricks of things you do when you fire up a brand new computer and perhaps help fellow Community members consider new tools.

Erick_Garcia · 2024-12-16T18:47:40.307Z

Tamara for Intel:

After unwrapping that shiny new computer, what’s the first thing you do?

Format it, uninstall bloatware, update all drivers, deactivate all other things i don’t need for “work” (gaming, actually)…

tamara-for-intel · 2024-12-16T20:15:25.489Z

Erick_Garcia:

Format it, uninstall bloatware, update all drivers, deactivate all other things i don’t need for “work” (gaming, actually)…

Thank you for sharing! Sounds like good practice!

matthew-martin · 2024-12-17T02:21:22.519Z

Backup the OEM installed drivers if first time purchasing the model and then reimage the computer with our image.

adrian_ych · 2024-12-17T03:12:22.932Z

Erick_Garcia:

Tamara for Intel:

After unwrapping that shiny new computer, what’s the first thing you do?

Format it, uninstall bloatware, update all drivers, deactivate all other things i don’t need for “work” (gaming, actually)…

I think I need to know what you mean by “format it” ??

adrian_ych · 2024-12-17T03:23:23.637Z

Tamara for Intel:

TryJIt99Twkesbh1h8sD--0--6bofg1024×1024 54.1 KB

Has anyone gotten a new personal device recently? You know the feeling – peeling off the protective screen and that fresh, out-of-the-box new computer scent!
After unwrapping that shiny new computer, what’s the first thing you do?

We all have our unique preferences when it comes to personal computers setup. Whether it’s installing must-have apps, adjusting default system settings, or checking hardware specs, perhaps there’s something you always do to set up your new device just right.

Share your best practices! Let’s share our tips and tricks of things you do when you fire up a brand new computer and perhaps help fellow Community members consider new tools.

First thing is to boot up and enable local administrator & create 2nd user for me to login. Then get Autologin from sysinternals so that I may never need to login ever again (unless to local administrator for worse case scenario).

I would install the games I play (dosbox, RTK2, Civ2, warcraft 2) and the applications I may need (MS Office 2016, Acrobat reader, Chrome).

Next is to run Windows update…and maybe update all the other software as well…

Then do a disk clean up, delete all the temp files, windows update files and log files & purge event logs (there is this win7 event log cleaner that wipes all the 100+ event logs).

Last step is to boot up using Clonezilla and clone the SSD into a file onto a USB storage. Then I would burn the file into a DVD for keepsakes.

general-tsao · 2024-12-17T13:14:17.464Z

I haven’t purchased a new PC for myself in…20 years? I usually take decent cast offs, install linux, and they last forever (some of the older Dell Precision models are works of art, even on the inside, they don’t make things like they used to).

Erick_Garcia · 2024-12-17T13:17:17.931Z

I don’t like to use my new pc with the pre-installed OS, so, i have an external drive, boot Windows from there and format disk, then re-install with Rufus, I realized that sometimes there are partitions that take away disk space, so I prefer to install windows from 0 and make the right partitions, I don’t need a partition of “HP Rescue, Winretools or Dell Support”, to give an example

jameswalker20 · 2024-12-17T13:39:50.463Z

I agree with @Erick_Garcia. Format and repartition with OS and Application partitions.

C: Install a clean OS and patch
D: Install applications and patch

PROFIT!

egp_dave · 2024-12-17T14:11:28.174Z

I just bought a new MacBook Air last Saturday

Since Apple doesn’t ship bloatware, that wasn’t a problem. Oh, you sad, sad Windows users.

Signed into iCloud, ran Migration Assistant to pull things from my old MacBook Pro, installed Creative Cloud (ok so maybe I added bloatware… LOL), installed my favorite apps plus my purchases from the Mac App Store, plugged in my spare Thunderbolt display and shiny new USB-C dock, connected my Bluetooth mouse, and started using it. I still have to sort through files on the MBP before I wipe it to sell.

mweed · 2024-12-17T14:38:49.954Z

After telling the setup scripts “NO!” to all their requests to share data, the first thing I do is download a real browser so I can use it as I wipe all the crap off the machine.

Josh-J-Spiceworks · 2024-12-17T15:05:52.315Z

I have spent too much of my life configuring new systems, both for previous jobs and for personal use.

I keep a folder of init scripts for Windows, MacOS, and Linux that will do my basic setup for me, though many of those scripts have gotten shorter and shorter over the past few years… Especially for Windows 11, as I’ve only done fresh installs of 11 a few times now, and I’ve learned to live with more of the default settings.

Win + R > Powershell > Ctrl + Shift + Enter

cd x:\initScripts\
./initWindows11.ps1

Some of my typical first steps if I’m not using an init script include:

(If Windows 11) Move start button to the edge
(If Windows 11 and I’m using my ultrawide monitor) Patch explorer.exe to allow moving the start bar to the sides of the monitor again.
Update/initialize package manager (or Winget on Windows)
Use package manager to install my browser(s) of choice and any media apps I expect to use
Setup dark mode
Turn off mouse accel
Set mouse to normal scroll and touchpad to “natural” scroll
Setup NumLock to always be on at boot
Install Tailscale and login to my tailnet
Sync my browser & other app settings to my private repo
Setup PowerShell/Bash/Zsh profiles
Setup/copy my SSH keys

tb33t · 2024-12-17T15:36:13.397Z

First thing I do is shrink the C: partition for the OS and create another partition for programs and data. I also turn off animations for Windows computers.

Slava · 2024-12-17T15:53:11.070Z

I use this to create an answer file.

https://schneegans.de/windows/unattend-generator/

josephtahan · 2024-12-17T15:59:48.316Z

As many others have said first and foremost…

nuclear explosion GIF

edrubin1718 · 2024-12-17T16:13:42.044Z

Light a candle and say shehecheyanu

Reform Judaism

Shehecheyanu

Recite this blessing the first time you do something each Jewish calendar year (e.g., the first night of Hanukkah when you light the menorah), and to mark joyous occasions.

Serious answer, my personal devices are usually secondhand so I start with a basic Windows install, make sure there’s a local admin account, then load Firefox, Chrome, Libre Office and some utilities.
For clients we mostly take the out of box image, firmly say no to using a Microsoft account to set up a local admin, install our RMM agent, remove bloatware and run a package manager to install utilities and browsers followed by a software load, then either AD or Entra join. Most clients use Office 365 so we can usually activate the preinstalled Office, if not we download and install.
For Windows 11 I set the taskbar to left aligned, shrink the search box and disable copilot. On my work machine I have run a registry hack to restor a W10 style context menu.

Slava · 2024-12-17T16:41:49.996Z

Amen.

pcase2 · 2024-12-17T16:47:20.636Z

Got to keep the gremlins out:

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alexfogerty · 2024-12-17T19:41:12.614Z

We build all of our workstations. This is one of our competitive advantages, cutting out the middle man who would have built it for us, giving our clients a great deal on new computers if they sign a contract with us.

cag16 · 2024-12-17T20:13:32.197Z

So, almost all of my computers are someone else’s throw-aways. I clean them (both physically and digitally) and use them for a while till I get bored with them.

The last “new” computer I purchased was an HP Elitebook 6930p. I purchased it earlier this year. (yep, you read that right). There was a whole lot of NOS units on ebay and purchased one out of impulse. They were cheap and I wanted the experience to open up a “brand new” 16 year-old laptop.

I left the preinstalled WinXP on it and use it only to play Sim City and some journaling. It’s never been connected to the Internet nor will it ever be.