8 Tips to setup and start your New Windows 10 Laptop in right way

Remember to keep your laptop updated with the latest security patches and software updates to keep it running smoothly.

Got a new Windows 10 laptop, congratulations! A new laptop comes with a Standard warranty with basic Windows OS setup, and you must customize it for your personal use. Here we have collected some useful steps to Setup and start your New Windows 10 Laptop in the right way.

Here are a few steps to start a new laptop:

  1. Unbox the laptop and ensure that all the components are present.
  2. Connect the laptop to a power source and charge the battery fully.
  3. Press the power button to turn on the laptop.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to configure the initial settings such as language, time zone, and network connection.
  5. Install any necessary drivers and updates.
  6. Install the required software, such as web browsers, office applications, and media players.
  7. Create a user account and set up the password for security purposes.
  8. Set up a backup solution to protect your data in case of a system failure or other issues.

Run Windows update

The very first thing you should do when you launch a PC is run Windows Update. Your new laptop may come with the older version of Windows 10 installed – since then new big updates have been rolled out, the latest being the May 2020 update.

Windows 10 is set to download and install the latest updates automatically via Windows update but a good idea to make Windows check for any updates right away.

  • Press Windows + X select Settings,
  • Click on Update & Security than Windows Update,
  • Now click on Check for updates button,
  • Let Windows download and install the latest updates if available,
  • Restart Windows to apply the updates.

Check for Windows update

Install Antivirus

Ensure that everything is running in the Windows Defender Security Center, and then install some anti-virus software. Here best free antivirus for Windows 10.

Find Your Product Key

If your laptop came with Windows pre-installed, your product key is likely tied to the motherboard. In this case, it is extremely rare that you’d actually lose it. Every time you do a fresh Windows install, it will automatically detect the product key. That said, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Use an app called ProduKey to find your Windows product key. Copy it to a simple text file and back it up someplace. If your laptop came with the Office Suite, you can use this same app to find your license and back that up as well.

Remove bloatware

Laptop manufacturers are paid to install software from third parties, no matter how useful it is. This ‘pre-installed software’ (to use a polite term) can include anything from free trials of anti-malware applications to web browser toolbars that serve no useful purpose.

pre-installed software can slow a computer down and cause conflicts with other, more desirable, applications. So we recommend to get rid of anything you don’t recognize or want.

  1. Press Windows + R, type appwiz.cpl and ok
  2. This will open the Programs and Features window,
  3. select applications from the list one by one and click the Uninstall button to remove them.

Uninstall Applications on Windows 10

Optimize your power settings

Your laptop doesn’t need to run at full power all the time. If you want to longer battery life, you can choose the Power saver power plan. Or you can choose the High-performance plan when you’re engaged in serious graphics work. In the middle sits the Goldilocks-just-right Balanced plan.

To choose a plan, click the battery icon in the system tray in the lower-right corner of the desktop and click Power & sleep settings. Next, click Additional power settings to select a power plan.

Set Power plan High Performance

Change default browser

With its simple interface and few icons, Microsoft Edge (the default option for Windows 10 PCs) is good for those who want a more stripped-down experience. But experience with Microsoft Edge is that it doesn’t support a wide array of extensions. That’s why my default browser is Google Chrome.

  • To change the default browser on Windows 10
  • Press Windows + X, select Settings,
  • Click on Apps then select default apps,
  • Under web browser, Select your preferred webs browser.

Change default web browser windows 10

Turn on your Night Light

Night Light feature is designed to filter out harmful blue light from your computer display and replace it with warmer colors which reduce eye strain and help you sleep. It works just like Night Shift on the iPhone and Mac, Night Mode on Android, Blue Shade on Amazon’s Fire tablets.

On Windows 10 There’s a setting to lower the blue light of your PC during evening hours.

  • Head to Settings > System > Display and toggle on the Night Light.
  • You can schedule it to come on at sunset or manually set hours.
  • You’ll also find a Night light button in the Action Center to toggle the setting on and off.

Turn on Windows 10 Night light

Enable antitheft protection

Laptop theft is one of the worst things that can happen. Not only do you lose the device, but all the important data on it — and once it’s taken, a laptop can be near impossible to recover unless the thief is extremely stupid and reveals himself. Windows 10 has a built-in security feature called Find My Device that can locate your laptop if it’s ever stolen or misplaced.  Find My Device uses the Windows location service to track the whereabouts of your device. Should you ever misplace, lose, or have your computer stolen, you can look up its location under your Microsoft account.

  1. To set up this feature, first, enable the location service on Windows 10 (Settings > Privacy > Location) and sign in with your Microsoft account.
  2. Now head to Settings > Update & security > Find My Device, and follow the instructions.

Set Up Automated Backups

Imagine your laptop is now full of documents, projects, presentations, and all kinds of other personal data. And then your laptop crashes. All of those files are lost That’s why we recommend backup your laptop regularly. Windows 10 has several native backup methods including System Restore, Backup and Restore Recovery Drive Creator and more.

System Restore

System Restore is a long-time companion of Windows and a convenient method of backing up your system image along with regularly used files.

  1. Open the control panel, search for and select System.
  2. Click System Protection in the left pane.
  3. Select the option Turn on system protection and click the OK button.
  4. After System Protection is turned on, Windows 10 will create restores points automatically.

Read How to perform System restore on Windows 10.

Recovery Drive Creator

Windows 10 conveniently offers a program named Recovery Drive Creator, which creates backup system files of your OS. You can then use this recovery drive to install or re-install Windows in case anything tragic happens to the PC.

To access this tool, go to Start (press the Windows key), search for recovery drive, and select Create a recovery drive.

The process is straightforward and saves you the pain of dealing with less reputable third-party USB recovery software. Microsoft provides a clear, concise and official Wiki article on how to use the program.

Start Using a VPN

A virtual private network (VPN) secures your data and hides your IP address. You tend to transmit a lot of sensitive data when you go online, especially when you connect to the WiFi in airports or coffee shops. Using a VPN is simple, just download and run an app. The app encrypts your connection, protects against eavesdroppers, lets you access region-blocked content, and makes it harder to trace web activity back to you. If you’re looking to buy a VPN, we’d recommend ExpressVPN, as it’s good for streaming and is super easy to use.

Bonus:

Also, Ensure to Charge the laptop to full cycles twice or thrice then start using as you would normally use it. This is not mandatory but for good long battery life, it’s always suggested to charge Li-Ion or Li-Po batteries to 100% so non reactive chemical atoms stay active if in case you occasionally use the laptop and not an intense user.

Install a screen guard to protect the display from accidental scratches. This might be option to skip for non touch screen laptops but ok to have.

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