[IDEA] - Ultimate First Steps Guide

Hey guys!
I am soon going to buy a new notebook (either an LG P300 or Asus U6Sg) in the next 4 weeks or so and have had an idea for another mega ultimate super doooper guide thingy! Sadly I lack the knowledge and experience (I have never owned a notebook before) to write it myself, but after going through the forums quite intensively over the past few days I have come to realise that we have some serious notebook experts among us I am sure that there are lots of people in my situation who could also benefit from the type of guide I am about to mention! Now enough babble and lets get to the point:

How about a guide called:
"The complete guide for the first steps one should take upon receiving a new notebook".

There is so much useful information on the posts but they are scattered around and one really has to dig deep to get them all. I thought a collection of the most useful tips, etc all in one location would be really useful!

This guide could include:

Introduction:
Quick intro, example scenario, etc
Keep Vista or downgrade to XP? - Pros/Cons
Partitioning - Pros/cons/ideas

First step:
backup whatever needs to be backed up (eg burn the recovery discs if you have none)

Clean install:
Reinstall Windows without bloatware

Updates/drivers:
Update Windows
Update drivers (eg, which are the best current drivers?)
Bios upgrades

Recommended programs:
anti virus, etc
monitoring, etc

Tuning:
Undervolting
Underclocking GPU / VPU
Registry tuning
XP tuning
Vista Tuning
(battery life tuning, temperature tuning, etc)

Physical Tuning:
Thermal paste, etc
notebook cooler, etc

Tips:
Benchmarking/stress tests
Battery usage - how to use your battery to keep it happy as long as possible

Last steps:
Move data from old computer to new notebook
Create an image one can always role back to so one does not always have to repeat the steps above

Things to keep in mind:
Keep drivers up to date, etc
Keep windows, etc up to date blah

End
A little good bye with a picture of a happy laptop (you know, a little marketing never harms )

I guess you guys get the idea. I am absolutely sure that I missed out a WHOLE bunch of other things that could be done. Im not sure if its just best to always refer to another post that has tips in it, or to start a new fresh one that contains everything, a sort of status quo notebook bible guide huja-ma-flip thingy.

Here are some posts that could contain useful info (I am sure there are lots missing):
How to Optimize a Notebook Computer ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=5787) - bootleg2go
Guide to Cooling Down Your Notebook Computer ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=60914) - Chaz
Monitoring Notebook Temps: nVidia & ATI, CPU, HDD - Do your temps worry you? ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=81852) - Gophn
A few XP Registry Settings that help improve batterylife. ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=171736) - tebore
Tips & Tricks (hardware failures, Windows, and many others) ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=221692#sdhc) - E.B.E.
Notebook/PC partitioning guide ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=93251) - mujtaba
Notebook Battery Guide ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=91846) - chrisyano
Updating Mobile Video Card Drivers ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=258626) - Chaz
Best Free Software for Windows ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=206289) - Calvin
Awesome dual-booting guides for every possible scenario ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=259759) - CeeNote
[GUIDE] Creating The Ultimate Windows XP Installation CD/DVD ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=193872) - rado354
Clean Vista install WITH NO ACTIVATION ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=120228) - orev
Clean Install Guide (works for 32-bit or 64-bit) ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=144783) - stallen
NBR Vista Tips and Tweaks Guide ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=166532) - Les
The "Undervolting" Guide ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=235824) - flipfire

Maybe a few of you big guide posters could work together for an ultimate all inclusive kinda of thing? One could also update it monthly to keep update with the latest updates and driver version, recommend program versions, future hardware tips/tuning, etc. This would also help having as little stickies as possibe

What do you guys think? Its just an idea...but I think it would help to make all the useful knowledge out their more accessible. Maybe instead of always linking to another post one could contain everything within one thread? Of course the original posts should be mentioned for the credits

I hope this idea is popular and a huge "I-bought-a-laptop,-whats next?-BIBLE" begins to form soon
I also hope I can some how help...but as I said my knowledge is limited and my experience next to zero. let me know...

All the best to you guys! This forum is notebook-heaven

-COW

 

I would love this! ^-^ I've only owned desktops and while I know quite a bit, this is my first time buying a laptop, and a guide could be useful.

 

Good idea, when I first received my first notebook, I really don't know where to start

 

This is a pretty good post (you included a good list of stuff to do) so I think you sell yourself short. I'd bet you could make that guide excellently. When you get your new notebook go thru the whole process and take tons of pictures.

If you missed anything other posters will point it out and you can update it. You have the brilliant idea man, why give it away?

 

Hmm Maybe youre right
When I finally get my baby Ill go through the whole process step by step, take pictures, etc.

I hope to have it in 6 weeks. Ill probably start a "help me write a thread" thread

Thanks for the thumbs up though

-COW

 

If you want I can help you out I'm getting my first one soon too and I'd be more than happy. Send me a PM or something and I'll add you to MSN.

 

I know this thread is a bit old, but...
I just saw your post and have got some good news for you. I've actually been working on a guide like this for the past 3 days now. Ha-ha! I came accross this while collecting info....It is already like 5 pages long (it's ridiculous, I'll need to condense it some) and already uses at least half the links you posted already. I'll be sure to post the link here when I complete it (sometime next week, as I'm swamped with stuff to do, currently).
I've approached it from a different angle than your suggestions, however. But, I touch a bit on just about all of your points. Stay tuned.
Edit: It's going to be called, "Guide to New Laptop Inspection", in case that gives you some clues on the difference. But, it'll cover undervolting, overclocking, drivers, scanning, players, clean installs, ghost cds, etc-etc-etc.

 

Hey thats sooo cool!!!

I really look forward to reading it

Im going to buy my p300 at the end of this week, just waiting for a cash transfer

So excited!

-COW

PS: Do you want to send me a sneak peak of what you have so far

 

Nah, no sneak peaks.
But it is a very straight-forward read. I tried to do it from a very "Help, I'm a nub" approach. So it goes like...
1. How to unbox.
2. How to examine your new laptop. What you should look for.
3. How to test it is working properly.
4. How to verify you weren't jipped on the hardware you bought.
5. How to make sure the hardware you got is up-to-standards.
6. How to make a fresh boot-cd (for clean installs).
7. Yada-yada-yada for another 10-20 bullets.
27. How to choose your programs. What do you really need?
28. How to maintain performance.
29. How to benchmark/stress-test.
30. Yada-yada-yada ad nauseum.
This list, if I went like this, would probably be about 30-40 bullets long already. Then I end it off with optimization/tweak suggestions/links (such as what defragmentation method to pursue, whether or not to underclock/overclock/undervolt [as well as how to do it], how to cut load times for Windows OS' in half, etc). I don't have the time to do snapshots/pictures, though. So, it's all textual, unfortunately. I'm hoping someone will want to "take over" the thread after I finish the first draft and post it. Most of the information (80% or so) is taken from NBR. So, I approach it from my perspective and my quick-to-do approach, followed up by a link (or two or three) to the originators of the approaches and their opinnions, for a much more detailed approach to the matter.
If I don't get bogged down in much other stuff, then I should have it done by Monday or so, hopefully.

Edit: At the momment, I am writing the benchmarking/stress-testing parts. I'm looking for good programs and determining if they are applicable to 64-bit, non windows OS', etc. At the moment, IOmeter & Aida32 are giving me some headaches. I think Aida32 might be 32-bit only. Trying to verify, but it is an old discontinued app, so it's hard to come by info. As for Iometer, it is old (originally designed by Intel, but became open source) and I'm considering the value of adding it or not. As, it wasn't designed for XP/Vista (2000, ME, 98, etc, along with some Linux OS' [like Suse, I believe]). I don't have a Vista to try this stuff out on, so it is a bit XP-based, unfortunately. In a month I'm switching over to Vista, so I'll be able to check it all out again.

Editx2: Expect another setback....My computer just crashed after putting in 3+ hours of work on the guide (apparently saving didn't do me any good).........I've lost my will for tonight. Bah!

 

Sounds awesome!
I am very excited

I just got my new lappy and pretty much spent a day configuring, tuning, etc

I look forward to your guide!

So sorry to hear about the work gone lost...

All the best!!
Cow

 

It's going to be a bit delayed, my apologies. Family/girl stuff. Stay tuned.

 

Hey guys. Sorry on the delay (especially to you UltiCOW, I'm sure you've already received your notebook by this point in time, my apologies). I have completed (or given up on?) the guide for now and felt I should post it. An explanation can be found in my SECOND post.
Here is the link, bonjour!

 

Hey man!

No prob! I made my own mental guide for myself and it all worked out very well
Ill go read yours now!

ALl the best!!
-COW

 

Some useful stuff, thanks,