Last week I purchased locally two identical new Dell computers for customers of ComputerWorks. Together that's over $5,400 worth of new equipment. One of the customers, customer 'A', had come to the conclusion that, regrettably, there was little choice but to upgrade his existing office computer. The other customer, we'll call her customer 'B', unfortunately lost the power supply (not serious) and motherboard (serious) on her original computer probably as a final lingering injury from Hurricane Fabian.

Customer 'A' decided that since his new Dell wasn't his first computer, he could save a few bucks by setting it up himself. The other customer, wanted only to be introduced to her new computer when it was completely ready for her to sit down and use it. After two days 'A' called me back, he had began to realise that the setting up wasn't going well and, let's face it, the money he was trying to save, wasn't proving to be such a bargain after all. Could I complete the job and undo a few things?

I thought it might be useful to write down some of the tasks that should be covered. Goodness knows the computer companies would have you believe that you only need to pull the new machine out of the carton and plug it in and that's all there is to it!

Here's some of the things you should actually expect to do if you intend to form a trouble-free relationship with your new computer. When you get a new computer home, open up the box, be orderly, sort through and carefully set aside all the software CDs (the programs they contain are already installed), setup poster, connectors and warranty forms. Keep every scrap of paper in a Ziploc plastic bag.

Turn on your new computer and follow the trail of carefully designed set-up screens and answer the questions you see there. Very early on you'll need to indicate Bermuda as the country the computer is located in and accept the EULA (that's the end-user licence agreement).

SRPs are important

As part of the setting-up process I like to create specific shortcuts on the desktop as visual reminders of the minimal maintenance tasks I ask the users to keep up with. These are few in number and are designed to keep the computer running safely and efficiently. I also create a Desktop shortcut leading to the wizard for making System Restore Points. SRPs are very useful if you install something you're not too sure about and want the option to 'roll back' the clock. I also invariably place on the Desktop a shortcut which when online opens directly to the free official Windows Update site from which all registered Windows users can download the latest improvements and security fixes applicable to their particular computer.

You have to create your login and get on to the Internet before you can proceed to downloading your latest anti-virus files from Norton (Symantec) or other brand anti-virus. Equally important is to register the anti-virus software in your name. If it's the introductory package remember to make a diary note of the three month expiry date.

To send and receive e-mails an Outlook Express e-mail account should be created now as well. This is done using Network Connections and there is a wizard which leads you through the steps. You have to be exactly correct when setting-up your login name, account name, account password, e-mail name and e-mail password or your ISP won't recognise your account and will not allow you access until you fix it.

Most people don't want to use the default MSN home page on their Internet browser, that's what Internet Explorer is, you know. I often set the local weather (www.weather.bm) or www.google.com as default homepages since these sites are useful in themselves.

Critical updates

Even with these two brand new computers, which had only recently rolled off the assembly line, I found available at the Microsoft Windows Update site (http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp) 25 critical updates and service packs, 14 possible XP Updates, of which I thought 12 should be downloaded and installed. If you don't feel up to sorting through them and deciding which ones you might need, go ahead and download them all. All of these XP updates are free and new ones are produced as often as needed to combat security vulnerabilities, but, it's true, on a dial-up connection they can take a couple of hours to acquire.

Remember it's not enough to simply download the updates they also have to be allowed to self-install and thereby integrate themselves into the operating system (Windows XP is an operating system.) Expect this to require some routine restarting of the machine.

Adding printers

Additionally, any existing or new printers, scanners, cameras, external drives or card readers have to be installed one by one. Don't worry if you find you no longer have the original driver CD, it's actually better to download the latest drivers that work with your new operating system from the original equipment manufacturer drivers and download site.

There are many, many, other little tricks and useful procedures which you or your PC technician can do during a careful set-up procedure to make life easier, such as adjusting the sleep and power off time in the power settings for the Display or perhaps changing the screensaver to one that you prefer, down to creating desktop shortcuts for your favourite programs and animating your mouse pointer or giving you an enhanced clock.

So you see, if you take the time to do it correctly and don't take any shortcuts, you can certainly do all this yourself. But remember, even with a brand new, trouble free computer, it's essential to devote a few hours at the beginning for setting-up and downloads. The time spent also helps you to become familiar with your new machine and where everything is on it. A modern computer, running the correct software, anti-virus precautions, updates and hardware peripherals can really be a joy to use.

@EDITRULE:

James W. Lapsley of ComputerWorks, specialises in PC repairs, upgrades and advice for the home and small office user. ComputerWorks welcomes your questions and comments Send your PC questions by e-mail to computerworkslogic.bm or by phone to 293-0992.