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Did you get a new computer recently? I wish I could say you're ready to go, but out of the box, no computer is perfect; Windows-based PCs especially need some adjustment before they're ready for everyday use.
You need to make your new system safe and personalize it with your own preferences. There are programs on the drive to get rid of, and other software you should add immediately. If you haven't yet been introduced to Windows, or it's been a while since you've set up a new PC, we'll walk you through it. If your new baby is a Mac, you've got a much shorter to-do list.
First Start
After you've made the basic initial connections (power, plus monitor, keyboard, and mouse as needed), Windows will ask you to do various things, like setting your language, time zone, and clock and calendar. Microsoft will push you to create a login—preferably by signing up for or using an existing Microsoft account. The upside is that by using the account, you can sync your wallpapers and settings among all the Windows PCs you own. It's linking your PC to the cloud.
You may not want that. So instead consider creating a local account. This isn't as easy as it should be, but the secret is to disconnect from the internet when setting up Windows. You may also want multiple accounts on the PC for use by the kids or other family. You don't have to set that up now, you can do that anytime.
De-Bloat the System
Big-name system vendors typically install software on their consumer PCs at the factory. These "extras" go by many names: bundleware, begware, bloatware, shovelware, and perhaps the most accurate, crapware. That's because a lot of it is just that: Useless crap.
Vendors install it under the guise of helping you out, but mostly they do it to get money from the software makers. The major system builders are reducing the amount of extra software (or at least making sure it doesn't appear all over your system), but there is a long way to go. You're pretty much guaranteed to find extra pre-loaded software on a retail-bought consumer system, less so on a business-oriented one.
Here's how to rid your PC of crapware, but on a new PC, it boils down to this: If it's got a lot of extra garbage software on it, use the built-in Windows Reset tool first to reset the operating system back to the basics. It will hopefully be free of all the extras (except the Microsoft-supplied stuff, but you can uninstall most of that).
Don't confuse crapware with trialware—a trial version of software you might actually want that is active for a limited time. It might be worth keeping, especially if it's a free trial of a solid security product, which leads us to...
Download Updates
At some point, your PC will tell you there are Windows updates available, probably about five minutes after you successfully boot up. Grab those updates. Check for them via Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. You may be behind, depending on when Windows was installed on the computer. You may have quite a few updates—large updates—to download. Let this process run its course. Walk away, eat some leftovers, watch an Adam Sandler movie. It's going to take a while, and the Sandler flick will seem to last forever.
When the downloads are done, run Windows Update again. At this stage, updates tend to beget updates. Three times should be sufficient. By now, you should have a truly pristine Windows system. Delay updates by seven days if they're getting to be a bit much. Or set active hours, so updates only happen overnight or on weekends.
Activate Shields
You should really pay to protect your system from malware. Our current Editors' Choice security packages include familiar names like Bitdefender Internet Security and Norton 360 Deluxe. Each contains more than anti-malware tools, like firewalls, antispam tools, and even parental controls to keep the kids who are online in line.
If you don't want to pay, you still need protection. There are plenty of decent free antivirus programs to be had. Our current recommendation is Avast One Essential.
While the Microsoft Defender antivirus built into Windows has made big strides in the last few years, it's better to get a third-party antivirus that does more. (When you install the third-party antivirus, Windows Defender goes dormant and only comes back to life if it detects that other antivirus isn't running. Running multiple antivirus products isn't always good for Windows.)
It used to be that you really needed personal firewall software to protect your PC from illicit access via the internet. You may even get one as part of a security suite. But that said, you don't really need an extra firewall these days. The tool integrated into Windows does the trick, along with the firewall you likely have running on your home networking router.
PCMag-Recommended Security Suites
Set Up Recovery
In the past, when something catastrophic happened to Windows, some techies preferred to reinstall an OS. That's not something you do in Windows 10 or 11. Instead, you'll use the Recovery utility to get a fresh start. Back up your pristine Windows system right now, so you can restore everything quickly after a disaster.
Here's the step-by-step on how to create a recovery drive for future use, plus the steps on using that drive for a full restore. Depending on the system, Windows will either ask you to hook up an external USB drive or use a local drive partition for backup purposes. If you're old-school, insert writeable DVDs (assuming you have a disc drive).
Windows can also help you create a System Image, which can help recover your baseline system in case it won't boot up. You will find it by typing Control Panel\System and Security\Backup and Restore (Windows 7) into Windows Explorer (yes, it says Windows 7, don't panic). Making an image is like taking a snapshot of your current system—we recommend doing it now, at the beginning of your new PC's life. Restoring from the backup won't bring back your apps and files to come, but using this as the basis will make recovery much faster.
Transfer Files
Windows used to make it simple to move files from your old computer to the new one with the Windows Easy Transfer utility. But that's not in Windows 10 or 11, so Microsoft recommends that you use Laplink's PCmover Express. You can use the free version, but to move your old programs over, you need the $19.95 commercial version.
You can always use old-school sneaker-net—copy files from the old PC to a USB drive, then copy them over to your new machine—but if you've got a lot of files, this could take a while. A better alternative is to use your home network to transfer files.
The easiest method, however, is to already have all your old PC files backed up to a cloud storage and file-sharing service like Dropbox, IDrive (PCMag's Editors' Choice), or Microsoft OneDrive (which is an Editors' Choice and integrated with Windows). Run it on all your PCs to back up all your files, then install the service on that new PC, then all the files across all your devices will appear. Once it's installed and files are transferred, you've also got your file backup system in place. It's a win/win.
Pick Out a Better Browser
You have your choice of web browser and shouldn't settle. At the very least, forget Internet Explorer ever existed.
Windows comes with Edge as its pre-installed primary web browser. In fact, you can't uninstall Edge, because, Microsoft claims, too many things rely on having at least one browser installed. Edge now uses the same underlying system as Google Chrome, so you know that web pages will most likely render the way they're supposed to, plus you can use Google Chrome extensions. You can always install Chrome, like 65.5% of people do, but when it comes to extensibility and supporting standards, Firefox wrote the book.
Place Your Programs
We can't tell you what software is most necessary for your needs. We can say generically that no PC is complete without at least an office suite, a photo-editing tool, and a web browser. There are free alternatives for almost any program you might need, many of which are web-based so you can use them right in the browser. See our no-cost favorites in The Best Free Software.
If you want the same setup as your previous machine, check the Program Files folder on the C: drive of your old Windows PC. Make a list of the programs there. You'll also want to carry over the settings and log-in info all your communications like emails and direct messages.
Two other key pieces of software to consider: a VPN to keep your internet traffic private; and a password manager to help you keep track of the hundreds of credentials you'll need to log in at services across the web and on your PC.
Some software is limited to a certain number of machines. For example, iTunes will only play songs you've bought online on up to five PCs (and seriously, you should update to a music streaming service). Anyway, check that the software is de-authorized on your old PC if you won't be using it there ever again.
Tune-Up Time
On the right hardware, Windows is impressively fast, but tweaks can help performance on any system. In the past, Windows could benefit a lot from using third-party tune-up software. You can still find plenty that allow a one-click optimize, but none of them are a game changer these days.
Many of the tools you need to optimize Windows 10 and 11 are built right in. They just lack that one-click option. You can read all about the best options in How to Tune Up Your Windows 10 PC for Free. That includes using the disk defragmenter, freeing up extra drive space, setting what apps launch at startup, and more.
We also have 12 Tips to Speed Up Windows with hardware options like adding more RAM (max it out!) and upgrading to a solid-state drive if you haven't put one in that new PC.
Maybe the best tip for performance is to go to Settings and type in "adjust appearance." Click the pop-up menu that says Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows. Under Visual Effects, turn off animations, fades, shadows, etc. Whatever you can live without. Windows may not look as pretty, but it'll be a bit faster.
Review Extra Hardware
Getting a new PC is the perfect opportunity to reassess the hardware peripherals attached to your old PC. Before you start plugging things from your ancient Windows 7 machine into that snazzy Windows 11 system, consider carefully. Do you really need that antique flatbed scanner now that the pictures you take are all on the phone? Old USB hubs, ink-jet printers, and low-capacity portable hard drives could probably all stand a refresh, if not outright dumping.
Old hardware moved to a new PC means you need the latest drivers—that's the software that lets peripherals work well with Windows. If you're hooking up old hardware, even if Windows recognizes it and all seems well, it behooves you to seek out the latest, greatest drivers. You can use a utility like Iobit Driver Booster or DriverPack Solution to assist in that.
Not everything new is automatically good. That mouse and keyboard that came with your new desktop PC system should be considered suspect. PC vendors aren't known for including highly ergonomic or well-built input devices. Consider instead something from our collection of best wireless keyboards, or best mechanical keyboards. For those still new to the work-at-home world, consider an ergonomic keyboard and mouse, even if your new PC is a laptop, especially one you don't move around much. Your wrists will thank you later.
Register Everything
It's no guarantee of great technical support, but if you register your PC with the manufacturer, as well as register the software and peripherals with their respective creators, you stand a better chance of being recognized when the time comes to call for help—and that time will come. Getting a vendor to honor a warranty frequently depends on knowing when you bought or received the product. It's smart to be registered in case there's a recall—you don't want to be the only person walking around with a laptop battery that might catch on fire, do you?
It's also smart to purchase your new PC with a credit card that offers its own extended warranty option, because the extended warranty from the reseller is typically not worth it.
Registering online is relatively painless. One downside is that registration can also put your name on endless mailing lists, so if that bothers you, deselect that option when signing up or create a special email address you can use to filter them. For example, Gmail users can stick a random period in the first part of their address (such as [email protected]) and it will still come to the account, but you can filter messages sent to it into special folders.
What to Do With Your Old PC
You can probably put your old PC to some kind of good use. Turn it into something new (a Linux workstation! A home server! A hotspot!), give it to someone in need, or recycle it (if you trust recyclers anymore). There are a slew of options; we list several in 15 Great Uses for an Old PC.
No matter what, sanitize that hard drive before you pass it on. At the very least, format the drive(s) before recycling the old PC. If you're sending it off with Windows 10, do the full factory reset to the original, out-of-the-box settings. If you're extra paranoid, formatting isn't enough to be 100% certain your old data on a drive is completely unrecoverable. Specialty software like Darik's Boot and Nuke or Active@ KillDisk - Hard Drive Eraser will do the job for free, but the job can take hours.
There's always the Swiss cheese option: Take the drive out to the workshop and drill holes through it. Bullet holes will accomplish the same thing, but that's overkill, even for your data.
Joel Santo Domingo contributed to this story.
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