To start up a new PC, follow these steps:
Connect the power cable:
- Connect the power cable to the PC and plug the other end into an electrical outlet.
Connect peripherals:
- If you have a desktop PC, connect the keyboard, mouse and monitor. Make sure all cables are properly connected.
Switch on your PC:
- Press the power button on the PC case or, for a laptop, open it and press the power button. Windows processing may take a long time for the first time. Do not restart your computer during this process.
Follow the on-screen instructions:
- When the PC starts up for the first time, a setup wizard will be launched. Follow the instructions to choose your language, region and keyboard layout.
Connect to the Internet :
- Select your Wi-Fi network or plug in an Ethernet cable to connect to the Internet. Enter your Wi-Fi password if required.
Set up your user account:
- You will be prompted to create a user account. You can choose to log in with a Microsoft account or create a local account. Enter the information requested, such as your name, e-mail address and password.
Configure privacy settings :
- You will be prompted to choose your privacy settings. Read the options carefully and deactivate those you don't want to activate.
Finalize configuration :
- Once all the information has been entered, the PC will complete the initial configuration. This may take a few minutes.
Installing updates :
Once you're connected, go to Windows Update on your PC (use the search bar to get there) and make sure you perform all Windows updates.
It's important to protect yourself before downloading and installing your personal programs(photo editing software, games, features, etc.).
Next, you can choose to configure the default applications, i.e. the software that will be used to read each type of file or perform an action (e.g.: opening a piece of music will use VLC Media Player). To do this, go to Settings then Applications then Default Applications.
For each item, you can assign the software that suits you best. If you'd like to take things a step further to ensure your new laptop gets off to a perfect start for the first time, you can choose to set your power preferences, to help manage your battery over the long term, and install a password manager for greater security than the one installed in your web browser.
Note: Windows and some manufacturers install a lot of software that you won't necessarily need, but which takes up space on your PC.