New Computer? Do this first!

Did you Do this First- make a set of "Restore" CDs !!!!!!!!!
If not go back to page 1 & DO IT NOW

Now that you have your Restore CDs, you are ready to use the computer. You have some choices to make. A new computer includes trial software good for a short period of time. After the trial period you must pay to continue to use it.

Examples are Norton (Symantec) programs that promise to provide complete protection from any intrusion by outsiders and Microsoft Office Student version plus some games and others.

2012 update. Computers are now being provided with a "Starter" verion of Microsft Office. I'll discuss this later.

Norton requires a subscription after the trial period. Office wants around $149 to continue using it. Games and Internet programs like Juno and Netzero want some money also.

The following information is current at the time of writing and are my own opinions. Do not follow me blindly. Investigate for yourself. The decisions you make must be your own. I hold no responsibility if you make uneducated mistakes. I'm here to educate you- not tell you what to do. I will tell you what I like & why. You make your own decisions.

#1. I like & use Microsoft Office, however it is not necessary for most beginners to spend the money for it. Most name brand computers today come with Microsoft Works for free. Works works- pun intended. The only reason to upgrade to Office is for some advanced features that very few people need.

MSWorks will read & write the same files as Office. It will perform all the basic functions needed by 90% of users. And it works well.

That having been said, if you want a more powerful office program, there are free ones available on the web. The most common one is Open Office. You can download a copy here. Be aware that you need a broadband internet connection to do this. It is a huge file of about 150MB. It will not work on a dial up connection. Some others like StarOffice have gone the pay route & some are only on line like ThinkFree.

If you have made the decision to not use Microsoft Office, you need to remove the files from your computer. Check this page for instructions.

2012 update. Microsoft Works is history. Microsoft now provides a "Starter" version of Microsoft Office on new computers. This provides you with a "working" version of Word and Excel. I emphasize "working" because it has some real irritations.

First it WILL NOT WORK unless you have an active connection to the Internet!!! That means that if your Internet is down for any reason or you do not even have Internet then it WILL NOT WORK PERIOD. The assumption is that anyone using a new computer must be on the Internet.

Second and even more irritationg is you now get ads in the working window. That's why you must be on the web- to download new ads. Microsoft hopes the ads are so irritating that you will pop the $149 to $450 for the full blown program. YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO IT. See my discussion above about alternatives or go to my other page about Office alternatives. The easiest one is TinyOffice.

Next you need to consider what you need to protect your computer from virus' and other problems. Most computers come with Norton preinstalled. I personally don't like Norton as I feel it takes too much control and requires a renewal annually. And there are free alternatives. I have been using AVG free for years and have never had a problem. If you decide to download AVG, they will try to get you to pick the pay version saying it is free if you accept some offers. It is a scam. Skip it & go for the free version. It has all you need.

There are some other free ones like Avast that work well also. Another is Avira.

If you decide to drop Norton, you also need to remove it. Use the Add-Remove programs in XP or the Programs & Features in Vista and 7 in the Control Panel.

It would be smart to obtain a backup program and get it the habit of backing up regularly. I used to recommend GoBack but it's not available anymore. It was replaced by Norton Ghost but does not perform the same function. There are many free backup programs available. Just search the web and look at reviews. http://askbobrankin.com/ is a good place to get recommendations. Checking his site for backup programs takes you to this page.

Next you need to add some programs to add to your protection and cleanup operations. Continue on to page 2.