m17 day one requirements

I recieved my new lap top yesterday after a long wait and im curious what the general concensus is on things to do on the first day of ownership......drivers to download, updates etc.

im having a bit of problems downloading games from steam etc and im wondering if maybe its because i havnt downloaded the neccesary updates.

 

Can you give a little more insight as to what the problem is so we can try and help?

 

First thing....burn the spawn DVDs.
That is all I have to say. I almost needed them, due to a failed M$ Windows Update failure. I was lucky enough to get into Windows in a limited mode and respawn.

 

i have constant internet connection problems, even when im able to connect to the steam network it says its downloading but makes no progress. so far i havnt downloaded any updates, windows has however started updating itself. I do have my antivirus installed. my router does have a few years on it now so condering upgrading....at time there are up to 4 computers using the same connection.....sorry if it seems like a lot but trying to include any details that seem relevent

 

i have been considering the linksys e3000 as an upgrade to my router...does anyone have any experience with this particular router?

 

I am also about to receive my m17x and have been curious of what I should load onto it first... since i hear AW doesn'T PUT any bloatware on the comp from the factory so I was thinking too load my AV software the start loading steam + crysis2. Also throw on an ip blocker ... but have no idea beyond that

 

I would suggest this- and I just got mine yesterday, but I've been reading the forums for a few months now :

1. First, check the hardware list to make sure that Dell installed everything that you paid for (correct processor, RAM, GPU, etc.) Next, make respawn DVDs as mentioned above.

2. Customize power settings, screen brightness and display options to be how you want them.

3. Run Windows Experience, do memory test(s) on existing RAM in machine. Run a checkdisk and/ or your favorite disk checking utility to check integrity of your stock HDD(s).

4. If step 3 goes perfect (no errors or any other strangeness), then feel free to install Hyper X RAM (if you bought some to upgrade as I did).

5. If you did step 4, now go back and re-do step 3. Assuming all is good, proceed to step 6.

6. Install anti-virus software. I strongly recommend Windows Security Essentials- it's FREE and shockingly it's a very light program (not bloated).

7. Set up your machine to connect to the internet- I just set accessed my home wireless network and that was a snap. If you are hardwiring, do that.

8. And this is the most important step of all:
ENJOY YOUR NEW MACHINE. GET FAMILIAR WITH IT. DO NOT INSTALL ANY NEW DRIVERS, WINDOWS UPDATES, ETC. Just use it as is- I recommend doing this for a week or 2 at the very least before attempting to really mess with the configuration (like adding a second HDD, an SSD drive, adding new graphic card drivers, windows service packs, etc).
It's my opinion that it's never a good idea to rush into doing major work like that until you are positive that the machine runs stable for the most basic tasks. It makes it easier to trace problems later when you start really futzing around and tweaking it.

Obviously, this is a really simplified list, but I think it's a solid foundation to start with.