Setting Up A New Windows PC - Updated

I seem to build or rebuild a Windows hard drive regularly, so here's my updated list of what to install. 

Last Update: 12/20/07

Changes:

• added WinDirStat

MY INSTALLATION PROCEDURE

1. Install the OS

• Install the Service Packs and updates using Windows Update utility
• Install .net framework (some programs, like Thinkvantage, won't work without it)
• Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP (I only do Tweak UI)

2. Update your drivers

If you have a driver disk for any of the following, install them

• Peripherals (printers, scanners, webcams, card readers, etc.)
  • Logitech Harmony Software - I've got one of the older Harmony Universal Remotes (680), which I like (the new ones have too many soft buttons).
• Motherboard
• Graphics Card (don't use the disks, find out if you have an NVidia or ATI card and download the latest drivers for your machine
• Thinkpad Config - if you have IBM Thinkpads like me, install the ThinkVantage System Updater

3. Windows Media Player

• Start Windows Media Player (WMP) and see if you have the latest version.  Install new one if you don't.
• Install the missing media codecs so that WMP can play DVD's
  • Choose the expert installation so that you can deselect the shopping comparison toolbar.

4. MS Apps (MS Office, etc.)

• If you don't want to pay for MS Office, try the free IBM Lotus Symphony, or OpenOffice
• Activesync - for syncing my Windows-based smartphone

5. Media Editing Apps

• Paint Shop Pro (my image editor of choice, c. $99)
• Pinnacle Studio (movie editing, c. $99)
• Picasa - the best free image manager, with some decent editing features too

6. DVD Ripping

• DVDShrink - To copy my DVD's to my media server (or try DVDRipper)
• Vobmerge - to merge multiple VOB files into one (I haven't tested this yet)
• VOB2MPG - For converting VOB files to MPG format for Windows Media Center (instructions)
• To rip for iTunes formats (for AppleTV or iPod), I don't know much, but you could check out Drive-in (free beta), SlySoft ($$), and the very popular and free combo of DVDFab Decrypter and Handbrake

7. Free Stuff to Install

There are lots of free apps out there, these are just the ones I need/use.

• Adobe Acrobat Reader
• AVG Antivirus - the best free antivirus program out there - love it.
• Browswers
  • The latest version of IE plus IE7 Pro (more IE plugins)
    
  • Firefox + extensions
• Crap Cleaner (cleans up unused DLLs and leftover install files, temp files, etc.)
• Instant Messengers
  • Google Talk
  • Yahoo Instant Messenger
  • Pidgln (a multi-client chat program - some people prefer Trillian)
• Itunes
• K9 from Bluecoat - Internet filtering to block various categories of sites, or individual sites - great for parents and those wanting to avoid porno.
• Pure Text - converts whatever you copy to the clipboard to plain text.
• Revo Uninstaller (has a great feature that scans registry after uninstall to clean it)
• Sequioa View - great program for visualizing the files on your drives, and how much space they are taking up, and how much free space you have left (you can also try the more advanced but harder to use WinDirStat)
• Snippy - great free app for capturing parts of your screen as an image
• Textpad - my favorite Text Editor (there are many others)

SOME OTHER COOL OPTIONAL APPS

• 3D Mark - a very cool benchmarking app that tests your graphics card - cool to watch in action.
• Anti-spyware tools
  • Adaware - Not as good as Spybot, but used in tandem, they can catch most stuff.
  • Spybot Search & Destroy - my favorite, does a good job of getting spyware that others can't catch.
• Audacity - the best free tool for editing mp3 and other sound files (great for podcasters)
• iTunes Plugins - there are some decent id3 tag editors and such out there.
• PC Inspector File Recovery - nice app to recover erased files (you can also try GetDataBack)

Comments

[Tom Gilson]

I just set up a Macintosh a few weeks ago. The process:

1. Install Mac OS X
2. Get system updates from Apple (single download, one-step process)
3. Connect new computer to computer being replaced
3. Run Migration Manager (one-step process)
4. Enjoy new Mac

[seeker]

I admit, the mac comes with some nice basic media editing tools, and is a nice integrated package. But for it to have all the features I've mentioned above, you will still need to install the items below, right?

- chat clients
- a great text editor
- an office suite (word processor, etc.)
- firefox (Safari doesn't' cut it)
- internet filtering software
- anti-virus software
- anti-spyware software
- graphical benchmarking programs (oh, I forgot, you can't play games on the mac OS, so you don't really need to benchmark your graphics card)
- tools for DVD ripping (you too need a Decrytor and Handbrake)
- a real image editor (photoshop or psp)

[Cineaste]

Don't forget WinZip.

[seeker]

Actually, I don't load winzip because windows can open those files without it. But I guess if I want to actually zip something up, I would need it, so good one.

[Cineaste]

Also if you run Windows 2000, like me.

[Rich Kirkpatrick]

mac comes with chat client configured...you can actually get all of this stuff preloaded and configured with their version of "office" called iWork...plus, iLife, iWork...

I just got a new mac so this is all so fun!

[seeker]

Glad you enjoy your mac. They are great computers, and apple is doing a fabulous job of integrating everything.