New computer, what to do first?

[Fishrman]

I haven't got a new computer for about 10 years. My new machine is Win 10. It seems to me that we used to have to make a startup disc or something like that, in case the machine decides to have a problem and not boot. Is this something that still needs to be done and if so, can you remind me how to do it? Also, I understand Win 10 has some sort of Malware Program. Do I need to install another, like Malwarebytes? I have been putting off getting the new one up and running as I want to make sure I do the necessary before trying to copy over all my photos and data etc. from my old machine. Thanks for the help.

 

[Simon Garrett]

I haven't got a new computer for about 10 years. My new machine is Win 10. It seems to me that we used to have to make a startup disc or something like that, in case the machine decides to have a problem and not boot. Is this something that still needs to be done and if so, can you remind me how to do it?

No, but you could create a system repair disk (can be on a USB drive). Go to Control Panel -> Back up and Restore (Windows 7) and click "Create a system repair disc"

Also, I understand Win 10 has some sort of Malware Program. Do I need to install another, like Malwarebytes? I have been putting off getting the new one up and running as I want to make sure I do the necessary before trying to copy over all my photos and data etc. from my old machine. Thanks for the help.

You'll get as many opinions as people reply. Windows 10 has Windows Defender built in. This is Microsoft's virus etc protection, and may not be the best but is OK. It will be fine while you think about whether to pay for something else, and it will be configured to run without you having to do anything.

I use Kaspersky on some of my machines, and just Windows Defender on others. I'm thinking of just using Windows Defender next time the subscriptions expire.

 

[David Chien]

1. Update.
   Settings, windows update.
   The latest updates help protect the computer.
2. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4026852/windows-create-a-recovery-drive
3. Backups?
   Up to you if you use Integrated OneDrive online or your own hard drive.
   OneDrive backups occur automatically when files are faced to that folder and you're online.
   https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17143/windows-10-back-up-your-files
4. Uninstall junk apps. Never play games? Uninstall. Third party apps you never use? Uninstall.
5. -- at this point, full backup once.
6. Install apps, update.
7. Migrate data over.

 

[SC489]

I use the excellent Ten Forums - https://www.tenforums.com/ See the tutorials.

MS Backup is rubbish and is being deprecated. Use something like Macrium Reflect Free instead.

The built in Defender is fine for antivirus. Kaspersky is a good product but a risk too far for me being developed in Russia.

 

[nail33]

You may want to "de-crappifie" it eventually, as it's full of bloat that can be annoying:

Loading…

www.dedoimedo.com

IMHO the last decent version was Windows 7. Windows 10 can be "tamed", but it takes a bit of work.

 

[Fishrman]

I haven't got a new computer for about 10 years. My new machine is Win 10. It seems to me that we used to have to make a startup disc or something like that, in case the machine decides to have a problem and not boot. Is this something that still needs to be done and if so, can you remind me how to do it?

No, but you could create a system repair disk (can be on a USB drive). Go to Control Panel -> Back up and Restore (Windows 7) and click "Create a system repair disc"

Also, I understand Win 10 has some sort of Malware Program. Do I need to install another, like Malwarebytes? I have been putting off getting the new one up and running as I want to make sure I do the necessary before trying to copy over all my photos and data etc. from my old machine. Thanks for the help.

You'll get as many opinions as people reply. Windows 10 has Windows Defender built in. This is Microsoft's virus etc protection, and may not be the best but is OK. It will be fine while you think about whether to pay for something else, and it will be configured to run without you having to do anything.

I use Kaspersky on some of my machines, and just Windows Defender on others. I'm thinking of just using Windows Defender next time the subscriptions expire.

Finally getting around to try to get this new computer up and running. I note you refer to Win 7 relating to Creating a system repair disc. My new one is Win 10. I will try to figure out what if that is possible with Win 10.

 

[Simon Garrett]

I haven't got a new computer for about 10 years. My new machine is Win 10. It seems to me that we used to have to make a startup disc or something like that, in case the machine decides to have a problem and not boot. Is this something that still needs to be done and if so, can you remind me how to do it?

No, but you could create a system repair disk (can be on a USB drive). Go to Control Panel -> Back up and Restore (Windows 7) and click "Create a system repair disc"

Also, I understand Win 10 has some sort of Malware Program. Do I need to install another, like Malwarebytes? I have been putting off getting the new one up and running as I want to make sure I do the necessary before trying to copy over all my photos and data etc. from my old machine. Thanks for the help.

You'll get as many opinions as people reply. Windows 10 has Windows Defender built in. This is Microsoft's virus etc protection, and may not be the best but is OK. It will be fine while you think about whether to pay for something else, and it will be configured to run without you having to do anything.

I use Kaspersky on some of my machines, and just Windows Defender on others. I'm thinking of just using Windows Defender next time the subscriptions expire.

Finally getting around to try to get this new computer up and running. I note you refer to Win 7 relating to Creating a system repair disc. My new one is Win 10. I will try to figure out what if that is possible with Win 10.

No, I was referring to W10.

The control panel entry (in W10), rather oddly, is labelled "Back up and restore (Windows 7)". This is because the features in this control panel entry are inherited from Windows 7. The other backup entry in control panel is "File History", which wasn't in Windows 7.

Confusing, isn't it?

 

[Fishrman]

I haven't got a new computer for about 10 years. My new machine is Win 10. It seems to me that we used to have to make a startup disc or something like that, in case the machine decides to have a problem and not boot. Is this something that still needs to be done and if so, can you remind me how to do it?

No, but you could create a system repair disk (can be on a USB drive). Go to Control Panel -> Back up and Restore (Windows 7) and click "Create a system repair disc"

Also, I understand Win 10 has some sort of Malware Program. Do I need to install another, like Malwarebytes? I have been putting off getting the new one up and running as I want to make sure I do the necessary before trying to copy over all my photos and data etc. from my old machine. Thanks for the help.

You'll get as many opinions as people reply. Windows 10 has Windows Defender built in. This is Microsoft's virus etc protection, and may not be the best but is OK. It will be fine while you think about whether to pay for something else, and it will be configured to run without you having to do anything.

I use Kaspersky on some of my machines, and just Windows Defender on others. I'm thinking of just using Windows Defender next time the subscriptions expire.

Finally getting around to try to get this new computer up and running. I note you refer to Win 7 relating to Creating a system repair disc. My new one is Win 10. I will try to figure out what if that is possible with Win 10.

No, I was referring to W10.

The control panel entry (in W10), rather oddly, is labelled "Back up and restore (Windows 7)". This is because the features in this control panel entry are inherited from Windows 7. The other backup entry in control panel is "File History", which wasn't in Windows 7.

Confusing, isn't it?

Oh, I am easily confused! Therein lies the problem. I think I have it figured out enough now that I am currently creating a restore USB. Seems to be taking awhile but I still have my old computer up and running in case I need to ask or search for more answers. Thanks!

 

[Fishrman]

1. Update.
   Settings, windows update.
   The latest updates help protect the computer.
2. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4026852/windows-create-a-recovery-drive
3. Backups?
   Up to you if you use Integrated OneDrive online or your own hard drive.
   OneDrive backups occur automatically when files are faced to that folder and you're online.
   https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17143/windows-10-back-up-your-files
4. Uninstall junk apps. Never play games? Uninstall. Third party apps you never use? Uninstall.
5. -- at this point, full backup once.
6. Install apps, update.
7. Migrate data over.

Thanks! I got a new backup drive, Seagate Backup Hub. I am sure it has its own backup program on it but wondered if I might be better off letting Windows 10 back it up? If so, would you just delete the software that comes with that drive? Any suggestions on what is best?

 

[Mystery member]

1. Update.
   Settings, windows update.
   The latest updates help protect the computer.
2. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4026852/windows-create-a-recovery-drive
3. Backups?
   Up to you if you use Integrated OneDrive online or your own hard drive.
   OneDrive backups occur automatically when files are faced to that folder and you're online.
   https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17143/windows-10-back-up-your-files
4. Uninstall junk apps. Never play games? Uninstall. Third party apps you never use? Uninstall.
5. -- at this point, full backup once.
6. Install apps, update.
7. Migrate data over.

Thanks! I got a new backup drive, Seagate Backup Hub. I am sure it has its own backup program on it but wondered if I might be better off letting Windows 10 back it up? If so, would you just delete the software that comes with that drive? Any suggestions on what is best?

You will get many different recommendations for backup. The general opinion seems to be that there are better options than the Win10 offering.

If your computer is a name-brand, have a look for a utility that will write a system restore disk. Some OEMs only allow you to do this once, so delay that until you have done all the initial updates. Apart from that, there are programs that will take a snapshot of your system for rescue following a disaster. Macrium gets frequently mentioned in this context.

Data backup can be as straightforward as simply copying your stuff to an external USB drive.

One thing to note with Win10 is that many useful items in Control Panel are now "hidden" and using the search function will help.

 

[Fishrman]

1. Update.
   Settings, windows update.
   The latest updates help protect the computer.
2. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4026852/windows-create-a-recovery-drive
3. Backups?
   Up to you if you use Integrated OneDrive online or your own hard drive.
   OneDrive backups occur automatically when files are faced to that folder and you're online.
   https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17143/windows-10-back-up-your-files
4. Uninstall junk apps. Never play games? Uninstall. Third party apps you never use? Uninstall.
5. -- at this point, full backup once.
6. Install apps, update.
7. Migrate data over.

Thanks! I got a new backup drive, Seagate Backup Hub. I am sure it has its own backup program on it but wondered if I might be better off letting Windows 10 back it up? If so, would you just delete the software that comes with that drive? Any suggestions on what is best?

You will get many different recommendations for backup. The general opinion seems to be that there are better options than the Win10 offering.

If your computer is a name-brand, have a look for a utility that will write a system restore disk. Some OEMs only allow you to do this once, so delay that until you have done all the initial updates. Apart from that, there are programs that will take a snapshot of your system for rescue following a disaster. Macrium gets frequently mentioned in this context.

Data backup can be as straightforward as simply copying your stuff to an external USB drive.

One thing to note with Win10 is that many useful items in Control Panel are now "hidden" and using the search function will help.

Yes, I have noticed the hidden thing and already done the search to find this and that. I already saved to a USB for the system restore. Did that first thing. So, if you had a new backup drive, like mine, would you just use the Seagate backup or delete it and go with something like Macrium? I have used and currently use Seagate but not sure I like it that well. It seems like it keeps adding to the drive until it is full instead of copying over what is there??? Not sure if that is really what is going on or not.

 

[Gesture]

I like Macrium Reflect Free.

I keep both types of "backups."

- I clone my boot drive to an external drive. If the boot drive goes bad, you can install it and you are back in business. The Paid version of Macrium Reflect has incremental cloning. With the Free version, when you clone from a smaller drive to a larger one, there are a few tricks needed to reclaim that extra space.

-Whenever there are major changes, new software, a lot of data, system updates, then I create a Macrium Reflect image on an external drive. This is a compressed form, about half the size of the imaged drive, and it can be mounted and searched.

-I also make an emergency Macrium Reflect USB boot drive and install the Macrium Reflect boot option, which will allow you to restore the system without booting from an external drive.

Enjoy the new computer. Windows 10 is fantastic and actually makes it easier to get to all the "Windows 7" stuff. Just right-click on the Start button and it is so easy to get to Disk Management, Task Manager, Terminal, etc.

So what is the first thing I do when building a new system after installing Windows and maybe add some browsers—I download Macrium Reflect Free. Can't say enough good things about Macrium Reflect Free-has always worked for me.

 

[Mystery member]

1. Update.
   Settings, windows update.
   The latest updates help protect the computer.
2. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4026852/windows-create-a-recovery-drive
3. Backups?
   Up to you if you use Integrated OneDrive online or your own hard drive.
   OneDrive backups occur automatically when files are faced to that folder and you're online.
   https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17143/windows-10-back-up-your-files
4. Uninstall junk apps. Never play games? Uninstall. Third party apps you never use? Uninstall.
5. -- at this point, full backup once.
6. Install apps, update.
7. Migrate data over.

Thanks! I got a new backup drive, Seagate Backup Hub. I am sure it has its own backup program on it but wondered if I might be better off letting Windows 10 back it up? If so, would you just delete the software that comes with that drive? Any suggestions on what is best?

You will get many different recommendations for backup. The general opinion seems to be that there are better options than the Win10 offering.

If your computer is a name-brand, have a look for a utility that will write a system restore disk. Some OEMs only allow you to do this once, so delay that until you have done all the initial updates. Apart from that, there are programs that will take a snapshot of your system for rescue following a disaster. Macrium gets frequently mentioned in this context.

Data backup can be as straightforward as simply copying your stuff to an external USB drive.

One thing to note with Win10 is that many useful items in Control Panel are now "hidden" and using the search function will help.

Yes, I have noticed the hidden thing and already done the search to find this and that. I already saved to a USB for the system restore. Did that first thing. So, if you had a new backup drive, like mine, would you just use the Seagate backup or delete it and go with something like Macrium? I have used and currently use Seagate but not sure I like it that well. It seems like it keeps adding to the drive until it is full instead of copying over what is there??? Not sure if that is really what is going on or not.

The backup is probably "incremental", i.e. only adding new stuff.

For my main computers (used by myself and family members for Office applications), I have the data divided into "Old Files" and "Recent Files", so I only need to regularly save the recent files. (I think at the last count, there was about 10Gb of recent data). Backup is to external USB HDDs as well as to the HDDs of network computers. I have the Old Files (from 1990-2013) saved in multiple places.

My photographic stuff resides on one of the network computers and is again saved to external USB drives and one of the larger network HDDs. (400Gb).

As well as the convenience of being able to distribute peripherals over the network (e.g. one computer is mostly used for scanning and publishing), having distributed data backups and "spare" copies, means that any one of the four computers can act as a file server in the event of the main computer going down.

The system has to be easy to use because I often travel, and there's always the chance that I might get hit by the proverbial bus. I sometimes wonder if technically advanced backup systems will outlive their creator.

I don't "Image" or otherwise backup the operating system. Maybe I've been lucky, but I've never had a system failure in 30 years. If a HDD starts showing up errors, it's usually time for a rebuild or a new computer.

 

[Rock and Rollei]

Some good advice here.
Personally, I find Defender works as well as pretty much anything, and gives far less problems than most. I do run Malwarebytes as well; I find it perfect for picking up on unnecessary crap that gets installed with other programmes (not a big problem for me personally, but it is for my wife and kids!).
Cleaning Win 10 of unnecessary stuff is a bit of an effort, but once you have, the features and performance make it the best version of Windows IMHO.

 

[Fishrman]

I like Macrium Reflect Free.

I keep both types of "backups."

- I clone my boot drive to an external drive. If the boot drive goes bad, you can install it and you are back in business. The Paid version of Macrium Reflect has incremental cloning. With the Free version, when you clone from a smaller drive to a larger one, there are a few tricks needed to reclaim that extra space.

-Whenever there are major changes, new software, a lot of data, system updates, then I create a Macrium Reflect image on an external drive. This is a compressed form, about half the size of the imaged drive, and it can be mounted and searched.

-I also make an emergency Macrium Reflect USB boot drive and install the Macrium Reflect boot option, which will allow you to restore the system without booting from an external drive.

Enjoy the new computer. Windows 10 is fantastic and actually makes it easier to get to all the "Windows 7" stuff. Just right-click on the Start button and it is so easy to get to Disk Management, Task Manager, Terminal, etc.

So what is the first thing I do when building a new system after installing Windows and maybe add some browsers—I download Macrium Reflect Free. Can't say enough good things about Macrium Reflect Free-has always worked for me.

You make things sounds so easy and I am sure they are, for you. Doing things repeatedly helps me learn but I just don't do it enough to have my brain cells retain how to do this that and the other. So, do I understand that, in my case you would keep the software that is on the harddrive and as well, install Macrium?

 

[DonA2]

Some good advice here.
Personally, I find Defender works as well as pretty much anything, and gives far less problems than most. I do run Malwarebytes as well; I find it perfect for picking up on unnecessary crap that gets installed with other programmes (not a big problem for me personally, but it is for my wife and kids!).
Cleaning Win 10 of unnecessary stuff is a bit of an effort, but once you have, the features and performance make it the best version of Windows IMHO.

Agreed. I have relied on W-10 Defender plus Malwarebytes however MWB has never picked up a problem. Just clean living and no kids I guess. Defender does a lot of auto updates which is assuring. Also a monthly run with CCleaner and prior to backups works well, avoiding the big sell and add-ons. Can't complain with free services.

 

[Fishrman]

Some good advice here.
Personally, I find Defender works as well as pretty much anything, and gives far less problems than most. I do run Malwarebytes as well; I find it perfect for picking up on unnecessary crap that gets installed with other programmes (not a big problem for me personally, but it is for my wife and kids!).
Cleaning Win 10 of unnecessary stuff is a bit of an effort, but once you have, the features and performance make it the best version of Windows IMHO.

Agreed. I have relied on W-10 Defender plus Malwarebytes however MWB has never picked up a problem. Just clean living and no kids I guess. Defender does a lot of auto updates which is assuring. Also a monthly run with CCleaner and prior to backups works well, avoiding the big sell and add-ons. Can't complain with free services.

I have ran SuperAntispyware for years along with a lifetime subscription to Malwarebytes. Now, I have to transfer that license to the new computer. This should be another new adventure.

 

[Gesture]

Yes. It is one of my core utilities and it is amazing that there is still a Free version.

 

[Fishrman]

Not sure what this is or whether or not I should set it up on One Drive. Don't even know what One Drive is but see I have that option. Thanks!

 

[DonA2]

You will get many different recommendations for backup. The general opinion seems to be that there are better options than the Win10 offering.

If your computer is a name-brand, have a look for a utility that will write a system restore disk. Some OEMs only allow you to do this once, so delay that until you have done all the initial updates. Apart from that, there are programs that will take a snapshot of your system for rescue following a disaster. Macrium gets frequently mentioned in this context.

Data backup can be as straightforward as simply copying your stuff to an external USB drive.

One thing to note with Win10 is that many useful items in Control Panel are now "hidden" and using the search function will help.

Yes, I have noticed the hidden thing and already done the search to find this and that. I already saved to a USB for the system restore. Did that first thing. So, if you had a new backup drive, like mine, would you just use the Seagate backup or delete it and go with something like Macrium? I have used and currently use Seagate but not sure I like it that well. It seems like it keeps adding to the drive until it is full instead of copying over what is there??? Not sure if that is really what is going on or not.

Seagate USB drive will not include the operating system in backups. Macrium Reflect does as it is a mirror copy of C drive. Whether that is desired or not is up to you. I use MR for full backups on my main desktop. It has a second1gb HD for backups. That's ok in that my second computer has all the info of the main. Fire and theft just isn't a worry.

I use a 2tb Seagate external drive on my secondary AIO computer. It's a bit easier to work with and you can delete older backups although the space used is barely showing with 3 backups.

MR replaced a purchased Acronis system and works very much the same. I do like free.