Unwrapping a new PC, peeling off the protective plastic, and powering it upwards for the first fourth dimension is exciting. Before yous start enjoying your new Windows 10 PC, there are essential things you need to practice to get it ready up, protected, and working properly.

SEE: Windows 10 ability tips: Secret shortcuts to your favorite settings (Tech Pro Research)

1. Update Windows

One time yous're logged into Windows, the offset thing you should practise is download and install all available Windows 10 updates. Open the Settings app past opening the Start carte and clicking on the gear icon that appears above the start button on the left side of the menu.

Scroll downwardly in the setting menu until you see Updates And Security (Effigy A)–click on that. So click Check For Updates and let Windows do its thing.

Figure A

This process will have a while, crave multiple restarts, and you'll accept to click that Check For Updates push multiple times. When yous click that push button, and it says there's nothing available, you lot're done.

two. Get rid of bloatware

Computer manufacturers are notorious for shipping new machines with their custom software preloaded in Windows, and virtually (if not all) of information technology is garbage. Getting rid of bloatware is an essential part of setting up a new Windows 10 PC–leaving those applications installed won't exercise you much good and volition probably just slow your computer down.

Encounter: How to avoid installing Windows ten crapware (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Go back into the Settings awarding and click the Apps item. Y'all should meet a full list of installed software. Find the items y'all don't want, click on those items, click the Uninstall button (Figure B), and follow the steps to uninstall the app. Repeat for anything you want to uninstall.

Figure B

3. Secure your figurer

There are two ways you lot can protect your computer from malware: By downloading your antivirus software of choice or by using Microsoft's born Windows Security.

Windows Security isn't the mess it used to be–it'due south a perfectly feasible alternative to tertiary-party antivirus software and does everything yous need to keep yourself prophylactic.

You can notice Windows Security settings in the Settings app nether Updates And Security (the same identify you found Windows Update). Click the Windows Security option and look for whatever yellow flags that indicate you need to accept action (Figure C). In one case y'all're certain everything is in adept shape, y'all can motility on.

Figure C

4. Check your drivers

Windows x is pretty expert at finding drivers, but sometimes information technology will pull a generic one that doesn't piece of work every bit well or won't enable all the features of a particular device. Even a new out-of-the-box figurer should exist checked for missing drivers.

Drivers are the lawmaking that tells your computer how to make use of its hardware components. You tin observe all the drivers listed in the Device Manager (Figure D), which you lot can detect in the Command Panel, or by typing "device manager" into the start menu'due south search bar.

Figure D

Look for whatsoever yellow flags or Generic Devices. Right-click on the item in question and select Update Driver. Tell Windows to search for drivers automatically, and it should find the ones it needs.

If Windows tin't find the appropriate drivers, you may take to go to the manufacturer's website and download them yourself.

5. Accept a system image

New computers don't typically take issues, merely it's best to fix for that possibility.

After you accept performed the other steps listed here, downloaded additional software, synced your files, and configured your calculator just how you like information technology, you should take a system prototype, which is a 1:1 re-create of your unabridged hard drive.

You'll need an external USB drive or a secondary internal difficult drive to create a organisation image. This TechRepublic commodity details the steps for making a organization image.

If your figurer ever crashes, you'll be able to redo information technology exactly equally information technology was when y'all took the system image, so be sure to accept periodic images to account for changes.