What Should I Do When I First Get A Lenovo Laptop
Sign In With The Appropriate Account
The first time you turn on a new laptop or tablet you’re prompted to configure a few settings. Youre asked what language to use, what network you want to connect to, and if you want to turn on location services, among other things.
A wizard takes you through this a step at a time. During the process, youre asked to sign in with an existing account .
Windows-based laptops and tablets allow you to log on with a local account. But, you wont get the most from your device if you do. Instead, login with a Microsoft Account if you’re on a Windows device. If you don’t have one, youre prompted to create one during the setup process. Other operating systems have similar account requirements. For Android-based devices, you’ll need a Google account. For Apple laptops and tablets, an Apple ID.
After youre logged in, you can opt to let the new device sync your existing data and settings, should that data exist, or you can choose to set up the device without syncing. Data that can by synced may include, but is not limited to, email and email accounts, calendar events, memos and notes, reminders, program settings, app data, and even your desktop background or screensaver.
How To Set Up That New Windows 11 Laptop You Received This Holiday
If you have a new Windows 11 laptop , after getting in out of the box, you need to do some setup and tweaking to make it personal and get the most out of it.
On Windows 11, setting up a new laptop is a straightforward process, and it only takes some time to complete the initial setup to create an account and choose your privacy settings. You also want to remove all bloatware and other unwanted software, apply the latest updates, install and configure the apps you need, transfer your files from your old computer, and customize the desktop to make it more personal.
In this Windows 11 guide, we will walk you through a slew of tips to set up a new laptop properly.
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Or Try A Dock For Your Laptop
These are the basics of creating a desktop-like environment for your laptop. DIY solutions are by far the cheapest to create, although they tend to involve a fair amount of wires that need to be well organized.
Another option is to look at laptop docking stations that are purpose-built to turn your laptop into a desktop. Docks can make it easier to organize, as you just connect the laptop to the station while everything else remains attached to the dock. Laptop docks are usually generic, universal devices, but some laptops may have purpose-built docks, such as Lenovos ThinkPad line.
In our opinion, however, a generic DIY solution without a pricey dock is the better option to go with.
Install Office And Other Cloud
I consider Microsoft 365 to be an essential add-on to Windows 10. Even if you’re blasé about the desktop apps, an Office 365 subscription is worth it for the upgraded OneDrive cloud storage alone, and the subscription unlocks all of the features in the web-based apps.
The least expensive subscription, Office 365 Personal, costs less than $70 a year. For a household, the $100-a-year Office 365 Home package allows you to share the desktop apps and provide 1 TB of OneDrive storage with up to five family members in addition to yourself.
You don’t need to hunt down installation media or product keys. Just sign in at Office.com and choose the Install Office option.
Subscription-based apps like Office can be installed directly from the web.
If you have other subscription-based apps, including Adobe’s Creative Suite and any third-party security or backup programs, you can install them now.
Set your Gmail account to sync with the Windows 10 Calendar app so you can view your calendar with a single click
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Eight Quick Steps To Start A Laptop For The First Time
Windows 10 Pc/computer Setup
Due to some reasons, you buy a new desktop or laptop to deal with everything including work, games, etc. When you first power it up, you can perform a few simple activities to help it be safer, faster, and better use in the future.
What to do with a new computer? Do you want to make sure you get the setup right? Dont worry and we will be here to help you. This process isn’t as difficult as you may think.
Some of you may search for computer setup price or computer setup service near me on Google. The computer setup cost is a bit high if you ask others for help. Actually, you can set up a new computer with Windows 10 by yourself.
Setting up a new computer may take some time but you can customize your device based on your preference. In the following part, you can see a guide on how to get your computer set up for free.
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Personalize Apps And Programs
New computers, laptops, and tablets come preinstalled with all sorts of apps and programs. This configuration may suit your needs exactly, but its more likely the list needs tweaking.
What should you download on a new laptop? Whats unnecessary? Here are some tips for getting it just right:
- Get the appsyou’re missing from the Microsoft Store. Only get apps you know youll use right now. You can experiment with others later.
- Get the programsyou need from manufacturers’ websites. You can purchase and install software like Microsoft Office at www.microsoft.com and Apple iTunes from www.apple.com. Get the programs you know you need as well as those youve already paid for.
- Get rid of appsyou dont need. From the Start menu,right-click any unwanted app and select Uninstall. Consider items you know youll never use, including games, productivity apps, and third-party media players.
- Get rid of programsyou dont need. You can do this by going to the Control Panel and selecting Uninstall a Program. Consider dumping items like Get Office, trial versions of programs you know youll never use, and games you wont play.
Never uninstall an item you dont recognize. Some programs are necessary for the computer or tablet to function properly. Others might come in handy later, like manufacturers’ troubleshooting or help applications.
How To Make Windows 10 Yours With Personalization
Before we get to any of the other critical security and driver updates, we need to make sure you can tolerate looking at your new PC. That means picking a wallpaper and adjusting your display scale. Windows 10 comes bundled with a standard array of wallpapers, and for this step, were just going to use one of the defaults.
Right-click your desktop and click Personalize. From the window that pops up, just choose one of the available wallpapers or hit Browse to open one you downloaded then select an image thats at least as big as your monitors native resolution.
If its not exactly the same resolution, dont fret. Down where it says Choose a fit, you can decide how Windows should fit your chosen image to your display stretching it might look a little weird, but it will fit your screen at least.
Next, click on Advanced display settings and make sure that your resolution is set to the maximum available for your display. If it isnt, then your text, windows, and pretty much everything will look pixelated and weird.
After upping your screen resolution, you might have trouble reading smaller text on your display, which can be an issue if you have a big display. In which case, your best bet is to increase your display scale to compensate. That way, images, videos, and multimedia will display properly, but youll also be able to keep your text and display elements nice and large.
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How To Set Up Installation On Windows 11
If you have a new laptop, you can set it up in at least two different ways. You can complete the out-of-box experience to create a new account, configure your privacy settings, language, and keyboard layouts, and continue customizing the experience by removing the bloatware. Or you can complete the initial setup and then reset the device to start fresh with a clean copy of Windows 11.
Set Up A New Pc Or Laptop: Install Apps With Ninite
Well show you how to install individual applications below either new software or stuff youd installed on your old PC but, to set the ball rolling, it would be well worth using Ninite. This useful utility allows you to install your choice of several commonly used free packages and utilities in a single go. The website lists over 90 packages in 13 categories but, to give you an idea of the sort of thing thats included, you can select alternative web browsers, compression/decompression utilities, free graphics packages, media players, anti-virus software, and even the OpenOffice suite.
Just make your choice by clicking on the check boxes, download the installer and run it to install everything automatically in the background. Whats more, if you run it again later, Ninite will check if any of your packages have been update, installing the latest version only if necessary.
Convenient as it may be, though, dont be tempted to select stuff that youre probably not going to use. After all, it doesnt make a lot of sense to rid your new PC with bloatware, only to then add a load more unwanted software.
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Run Windows Update On Your New Pc
The first step is by far the most tedious. You shouldnt muck around on the web unless your copy of Windows is fully patched and up to date, period. Now for the bad news: Depending on how long your PC sat on the retail shelf, this could take minutesor hours. Either way, it has to get done.
Microsoft releases new Windows patches at least once per month. The most recent major upgrade for the operating system came in the form of the those larger milestone releases occurred twice per year in the past, but will slow to one per year in the future. Windows 11, on the other hand, just launched in October, so laptops with that installed should be pretty current. If your computer isnt fully patched, you could be missing key security fixes and notable new features.
Keep updating Windows until it says youre all caught up.
First, make sure your PCs connected to the internet. In Windows 10, open the Start menu and head to Settings > Update and security> Check for Updates. Your system will search for updates, and find some. Download and install them, then reboot your computer and do it again and again and again until the update check fails to return new entries. Hopefully it wont take too long, but in worst-case scenarios updating a new computer can take an hour or more.
On the bright side, Windows will download and install new updates as they roll out in the future. You just have to get over this initial hump!
Optimize Your Laptop’s Power Settings
Since laptops are all about portability, maximizing battery life should be a priority. A few simple tweaks can result in a difference of hours between charges, so optimizing the power preferences is an important step with a new laptop.
The most important change is to reduce the display brightness, as keeping the screen extremely bright is one of the biggest factors in battery drain. However, making it too dim could cause eye fatigue, so test out some levels to find a comfortable balance between the extremes.
You can tweak Windows 10 power plans for improved battery life at Settings > System > Power & sleep. There, click Additional power settings on the right sidebar expand the window horizontally if you don’t see it initially.
We’ve also looked at how to improve battery life on a Mac. Most of these settings are accessible at System Preferences > Battery . For Linux, see how to check your Linux laptop’s battery health.
Otherwise, try to avoid using resource-heavy apps when possible. Chrome is a notorious battery hog, so you’ll get better battery life with Safari, Edge, Opera, or another alternative browser.
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Identify The Ports On Your Laptop
The next step is to identify the ports that you have on your laptop. Ideally, youd purchase a monitor that has the same kind of port so that you only have to buy one cable without an adapter.
There are several port types youre likely to run across. The most common is, of course, HDMI, which is pictured in the laptop above. The next is DisplayPort, which is commonly used on gaming displays that have a feature called FreeSync.
After that, we have DVI-D. This isnt terribly common on laptops these days, but youll find that a lot of mid-range to lower-budget displays will have this port. If you end up getting a monitor with only DVI-D, you will need an adapter. Another possibility is mini DisplayPort, which isnt that common, but you will find both laptops and monitors with it.
Finally, theres the old standby VGA, which is the classic video connector weve been seeing on PCs since the 80s. VGA is the largest of the ports youre likely to come across and is unmistakable. Theres almost no chance that your gear is only rocking VGA, but you may find some monitors equipped with it as a secondary option. We would not recommend using VGA unless its the only option available.
How To Set Up A New Pc Or Laptop
Treated yourself to a new PC or laptop, or received one as a gift? Let the GHI help you set up your new computer, with their answers to your burning questions.
A lovely new Windows laptop makes a great present, either for yourself or a loved one. If youve been the recipient of one, check out the GHIs top things to address when youre setting it up.
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How To Create Full Backup On Windows 11
It’s also recommended to create a full backup of the new system if you need to recover from hardware failure, malware attacks, or file corruption.
You can use many available third-party software products. However, you can still use the legacy System Image Backup tool on Windows 11, which allows you to create a full backup an external storage, which you can disconnect and store in a safe location.
Important: Microsoft has stopped maintaining the backup feature, but it’s still available to create a temporary full backup.
To create a full backup on Windows 11, use these steps:
Click the Start backup button.
Click the No button.
Quick note: You’ll also receive a prompt to create a system repair disc, but you can skip it. If you need to roll back to a previous installation, you can use a USB installation media to access the recovery settings.
Once you complete the steps, a full backup will be created with everything on the primary hard drive and other internal storage you may have chosen to export. After the process is complete, disconnect and store the external drive in a safe place.
Although this is a handy tool, you can need to consider that you can only restore changes until the last backup. Things like apps, files, and settings added after the backup won’t be included in the recovery process.
What Do You Need From A Laptop
The first question people often have is whether their laptop can handle driving all those peripherals, including a larger screen. The answer for most people is almost always yes. Even something as old as an Intel Sandy Bridge CPU can work. All that counts is that the PC has a solid processor with passable integrated graphics.
If youre running a Pentium or a Celeron processor, its possible that you may run into some performance issues if youre using both the laptop and the external monitor at the same time. In general, however, most laptop Intel Core and AMD Ryzen processors wont have a problem driving an external monitor.
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How To Clear Your Windows 10 Pc Of Clutter And Bloatware
Okay, so weve set up your basics, and were almost ready to get started on the fun stuff. But first, lets take out the trash. Click your Start menu and type the word Uninstall. The first result that should pop up from your search is Add or remove programs. Thats the one we want, so click it and lets get started.
The Windows 10 Uninstall or change a program window that pops up contains a list of every application and game installed on your PC. What were looking for here is bloatware, which is applications that dont serve any purpose but manufacturers include to promote their products and try to get you to use their software even if you dont need it.
The problem with bloatware is it can make your PC slower, it can take up unnecessary amounts of space, and in some cases might even gather data on your usage habits without your express consent.
There are two ways to get rid of bloatware. You can do it manually if youre confident you can spot bloatware and remove it safely, or you can do it automatically with tools like PC Decrapifier and Bulk Crap Uninstaller.
If youre going to do it manually, here are a few pointers. On the Programs and Features window, sort the apps by name, and look for anything that starts with the name of your PC manufacturer .