If you have purchased a brand-name PC/laptop (dell/gateway/hp/acer/toshiba), before you start consulting tweak guides and stuff like that, i strongly recommend that you immediately go into add/remove programs listing in windows and start removing the junk that comes with the computers. Stuff like "Vongo", "modem helper", "customer enhancements", "optimizers", "quick help" blah blah all that junk. you would be surprised how much faster it runs when you do that properly. also dump Norton and if its vista disable the UAC. then install your favorite AV that actually works, like AVG, kaspersky, NOD32 (my fav), or even OneCare does alright. its better than norton, thats for sure. mcafee is alright too, it comes with comcast at least

then you need the usual installs:
winrar, adobe reader, flash, shockwave, java, firefox, etc

elislider

Am I the only one that finds it unlikely that anyone who reads LH cant do this already

Digital_Pirate

This is a great list. I don't have a new computer, but I decided that I have enough free time to do a clean install of Windows. For those of you who aren't getting a new computer, this is a great time to clean up your old one!

Merry Christmas!

taybay

It went pretty smoothly for the GF's nephews. After hooking things up and a very minimal amount of instruction they were off an running in the world of Linux using XUbuntu that I installed on an old computer I had laying around gathering dust. I mean, it's not the speediest computer around (Celeron 533 w/ 256MB of RAM) but it's good enough for them to write papers on and (maybe) surf the web with. (It's set up for it, but not currently connected to, the internet because we didn't have a long enough cable to reach the router.) Plus I installed a bunch of educational apps and small games from the Synaptic archives.

Adam Chernow

Oi, Trapani, stop blogging and go and enjoy Xmas day!! ;-)

inbetweener

@elislider:

PC Decrapifier should take care of most of that!

[www.yorkspace.com]

I think it's even been posted here on LH

hobnob

hey thanks for this article/list of links, i'm about 3 hours away from my first mac (mac mini) and am really looking forward to jumping in

hobnob

yes, get rid of the "bloatware",but be careful cause you could take off something the system needs....i didn't get a new one, but when i do i'm gonna go for xp...vista is still too shakey for me,,,,,

HOP

"So Santa left a brand new computer under the tree this year, eh? Lucky you!"

Yeah right...

tangledweb16

When I fixed my parents' computer last week, TeraCopy was instrumental (as were both uninstaller programs documented in this article). These programs are literally must-haves.

cphillips51

@Digital_Pirate: I read LH daily and I find this post extremely helpful.

SA

@HOP: You can't uninstall things from the add/remove that the system needs.

holymogwai

Hey, I've got a question. I have a Blue & White Mac G3 (400Mhz) laying around. Would it be worth installing Linux on? And if so, how would I get started? And which distro should I use? A little guidance would be appreciated.

- Alaska Jack

Alaska Jack

Surprised not to see "thirteen things to to after installing ubuntu" in the linux list. it's been updated for 7.10 too.

BackDoorAngel

Alaska Jack: yellow dog linux was originally made for the old powerpc architecture; you won't have all that much luck with other distros because a lot of them are only set up for x86? I think? This might be a useful guide (it's even installed on the same color g3): [user.cyberlink.ch]

@CEOself: you might find [www.bit-tech.net]

OR

[nerdica.com]

to be useful guides, depending on what you're after. They both recommend xubuntu, although I think they also set it so that the window manager isn't actually functional when you don't log in as a certain type of remote user(iirc?) so it ends up coming closer to a JeOSubuntu than xubuntu

Merry Christmas, everyone!

jonnydover

@Alaska Jack: I'm with you. I have an old P4 box with 160 gb hard drive. I want to make a file server out of it. Which Linux distro? Thanks for asking Alaska Jack

CEOself

May I suggest the Tweakguides Tweaking Companion? [www.tweakguides.com]

sigloiv

@holymogwai:

Actually, you can. Quite frequently.

nVidia and ATI drivers can both be removed through add/remove, as can the drivers for any number of wireless adapters, TV tuners, sound cards, and other devices.

There are also manufacturer-installed packages required for things such as HD-DVD and Blu-Ray playback, should your new system include said features. Many HP laptops with HD-DVD drives will ONLY allow playback of HD-DVD content through the "QuickPlay" app.

RvLeshrac

@CEOSELF:

Wow, a P4? That doesn't seem that old to me. ;) You can run pretty much anything. You should try Ubuntu. It's very easy to install and use.

On the other hand, a P4 and a 160GB hard drive would be a good start for a file server where you can store all your music, movies, and pictures. Previous LH article.

greenbot

I'm not sure ANY linuxii run on the B&W's PPc chipset, Jack. Researching that would be your first order of business.

CEOself, on the otherhand, has an amazing array of choices. Personally, I'd go with one of the ubuntus if you're a relative linux noob -- xubuntu is an iteration that's lighter on the resources than the others but still has the same ease of use.

If you're more skilled or daring, I'd go with something REALLY tiny like DamnSmallLinux or Puppy (or feather, I suppose...), anything that'll leave as much RAM as possible for system purposes and take of as little of your 160 as possible.

gyffes

@elislider: I find Avast! is a good AV, every time I dumped someone's Norton and installed that, it found viruses that Norton missed.

theblackdog

I would have to agree with some of the posters. About a week or two ago. I decided to make an annual tradition and backup all my information. The entire process took about twenty something DVD's that's about ninety something gigs of information. Have a happy holiday and a wonderful new year in '08.

john.f.reynolds

I just went through this process myself, spending two days installing programs and cleaning up my mess of files. Here's my musical tribute to the laborious process of transferring your digital life to a new computer, to the tune of "We didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel.

[tcmtechnologyblog.blogspot.com]

wyandersen

"A merry happy day to all of you, whatever you're celebrating. Back tomorrow!"

Um. There's only one holiday today. That's Christmas. There is no other holiday that people are celebrating today. Thanks.

Merry Christmas.

stinkyboy

Great list. Here's a few other apps I find very useful if you're lucky enough to get a Mac over the holidays: [scribblesandwords.com]

Happy Holidays :)

J.F.H.

Thanks for the list. Now I have something useful to give all my friends who get in trouble.

SmallBusinessMarketing

What, no article on how to hide the body of anybody who gave you a Vista-based computer? :)

HeartBurnKid

For Mac I would start here [www.macnewsonline.com]

A good solid list of must have apps.

MacNewsOnline

May I suggest processlibrary's ProcessScanner, it tells you exactly what's running on a Windows PC. It takes a couple of minutes and tells you if each process is dangerous, and if it can be removed, therefore you can remove junk files from a new PC .
[www.processlibrary.com]

franky158vt

new pc? here's what you need to do:

1. grab the gparted livecd, wipe the hard drive.
2. create a 20-40gb system partition, and use the remaining space as a data partition.
3. install windows, map your 'my documents' folder to the data partition.
4. install all drivers, updates.
5. install firefox, vlc, foobar2k, ms office or openoffice, any other essential software.
6. use the ultimate boot cd to image your system partition. burn that image to dvd.
7. install nonessential software, games.
8. enjoy.

notatoad

If you have a Windows Vista PC, you can find lots of tutorials, tips & tricks, tweaks at www.vista4beginners.com

shogunro

I wrote this lil bit for my ezine subscribers last month. Thought it might be useful here.
Check your list twice, for Spyware

This season, if you have receive a new computer or new software, check em for the gifts you might not know about. Many computers come with bundled software that includes Adware, Malware and even Spyware. You may not find it until you launch the software program. It may give you a message that says it needs to connect to a site to complete the registration. Make sure you read the entire license agreement.
I know of many stories about how a user had to do a complete restore on their new computer just days after getting it. These stories involve the user spending hours on the phone with customer support trying to resolve the problem. In previous years, Dells customer support has been swamped after the holidays with calls from new users asking for help. Before you get online with the new computer, insure the AntiVirus and Firewall is functioning. The computer will probably prompt you that it needs to get updates. Check what the update is before agreeing to the install. Make sure you get the MS updates needed too.
If after all this, you still don't know which updates or installs to agree to, there are help sites that provide assistance.
Check the products site first, they may have customer support or even a Forum.
Visit Spyware Warrior for a list of rogue/suspect Anti-Spyware products and web sites.

[www.spywarewarrior.com]

Test your Firewall at Hacker Watch to make sure you're able to block attacks.

[www.hackerwatch.org]

If you're unsure of a process thats running, check it at UniBlues process library.

[www.liutilities.com]

These are just a few of the help sites out there, there are many excellent sites that can help you.
If after all the searching, you still need help, I recommend the Major Geeks Help Forum.

[forums.majorgeeks.com]

It will involve you registering and downloading the Hijack This program, running it and then uploading the log results to the Malware Forum there. They are good people there and will help you get your computer happy.
Think you've got it covered? Do the "How safe are you" quiz at Stay Safe Online.

[staysafeonline.org]

Also a point to ponder. If you're giving instead of receiving, make sure what you give is safe and reliable.
Don't forget to create a restore point and maintain backups of important data is my last bit of advice.
So after the gift giving, after the clean up, after the nap on the couch, check your computer to insure your online safety.
Happy Holidays to you and yours.

douchrti