Things To Do After Windows OS Installation

Yesterday we talked about preparation before reinstalling OS, now I'm gonna write things to do first after you finish reinstall Windows. Of course there are some things to do after Windows reinstallation in order that your PC ready to use.

1. Install devices driver
Device driver is a program that allows a specific device, such as a modem, network adapter, or printer, to communicate with the operating system. Although a device might be installed on your system, Windows cannot use the device until you have installed and configured the appropriate driver.

If a device is listed in the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL), a driver is usually included with Windows. Device drivers load automatically (for all enabled devices) when a computer is started, and thereafter run invisibly.

Read also for more information about installing devices driver.

2. Setup network and internet connection
To setup network and internet connection, go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > Connection > Network Setup Wizard or New Connection Wizard. If you don't a network or internet connection, pass this step and go to next step. I place setup network and internet connection on second place regarding you may want to download newest devices driver and typically you'll need it to update your antivirus definition which we will install it on the third step of this list.

3. Install antivirus and update it
Now you have all driver installed and your network or internet connected. Your computer now should run properly. But without antivirus your computer is vulnerable to virus attack and other malicious software.

Nowadays, there are a lot of antivirus either free or paid antivirus. For free antivirus, you can choose Avira Antivir, AVG Antivirus or other free antivirus. For paid antivirus there are many choices; Norton Antivirus, McAfee, NOD32, Kaspersky, Panda Antivirus etc. The free antivirus not always worse than the paid one. There are many case that the free antivirus works better than paid antivirus. The key is you have to update the antivirus regularly whether it is free or not. FYI, most antivirus need internet connection to update their database, some could be updated manually. Read also the post on how to manual update NOD32 antivirus.

4. Install applications
It is time to install applications. I suggest you to install 'big application' beforehand. Big application means application which the installer has more than 100 mb in size. IMHO, you have to install this first because big application has more complicated configuration and files and a lot of registry entry. So the principle is big first, small later.

5. Restore applications' configuration backup
After installed, for your frequently used application, you sometimes have to customize it to adjust as you need. Than reconfigure one by one, you can restore applications settings from back-up previously made. For MS Office, go to Start > All Programs > Microsoft Office > Microsoft Office Tools > Microsoft Office Save My Settings Wizard. Choose to restore configuration and follow next instruction in the wizard.

6. Tweaking to boost computer performance
Read how to boost your computer performance in the next post.

That's all things to do after Windows setup. Want to add?