New with Computers

I just bought my very first laptop and I need some help with a few things.

1) Umm.. What do I do as soon as I get the laptop? Remove bloatware... yadadyadayada... I really don't want to do stuff like reinstalling the OS ( lol don't know how) Seems too big a task

2) What is the best Antivirus/AntiMalware protection I can get to protect my laptop from viruses and bugs? I like to use Frostwire/uTorrent. Right now I'm doing all my downloading off my unprotected pc and its garbage anyways =(

3) I'm using my new laptop as a home desktop pretty much and i was trying to figure out if I can run the laptop from just the charger plug? Well then I think I run the risk of frying my laptop if the power goes out...

4) Last question... My laptop is essentially for gaming...Sooo do I need to update "drivers" or install new stuff after I get it?

Sorry for my lingo...english is my first language but Im not a good typer lol...

 

1.) Re installing is easy and there are many guides. Or just remove the stuff you dont use, any questions feel free to post.

2.) I like Avast but Microsoft Security Essentials is pretty good.

3.) You can run your laptop off the charging plug (I assume you mean with out the battery). I like to keep the battery in just because if the power goes out it acts as a surge protector and I dont loose my data.

4.) I would not get the newest drivers the next day but wait a few weeks so all the bugs are worked out. And I think Windows 7 does most of that stuff for you.

Hope this helps

 

Thanks for the reply Clutch. You pretty much answered everything I wanted to know =) lol SOLVED!!!

 

what laptop did you buy Drager and what spec has it got?
if you go for the avast free anti virus then dont forget to turn windows firewall on as the free version doesnt have it.

what sort of bloatware did it come with.

with ant torrent like Frostwire/uTorrent you risk viruses every time you download something and also the gods on this forum frown when torrents are mentioned.

leaving the battery connected all the time can knacker it after a while and it fails to hold its chare any more, so if you are using mains most of the time its worth removing it when its roughly on 40% charge which will protect it.

what graphics card have you got? nvidia or ati or is it intergrated so we can advise which is the best driver to go for.

if you need links to any monitoring software just holler

 

Correct (at least if I understand "knack it" to mean what I think it does? )

Anyway, while leaving the battery in as a safeguard against data loss in the event of a power failure is convenient, it's also the worst thing for the battery. The heat will degrade it in no time flat. Better to get a bona fide USP for that. They costs less than half as much (depending on the model) as a battery and are designed specifically for surge/backup power protection.

As for bloatware, again there is no hard and fast rule for that either since one man's bloatware is another man's treasure so to speak. Better to wait a while to first determine what you use and what you do not.

As for security software, again, it depends on how you use your computer. Although virtually all will cover 90% of the malware protection areas, some require more user input than others. Some do everything behind the scenes and with virtually no user input--at least after the initial configuration. While other, are always nagging your for answers to question on how you want to deal with malware problems. Only you can decide which you prefer and is best for your needs. As is apparent, my choice is Norton 360.

Incidentally, no security software is foolproof; and the presupposition from all of them is that you as a user will be the first line of defense: by first not connection to suspicious websites, and second, not imputing data best stayed away from. In other words, when you don't know it's origins or trust the person giving/sending it. Not always an easy call I know, but that the way things are.

 

^^^I didn't know that about the battery. I would take mine out but one of the rubber feet is on the battery, it'd sit tilted.

 

sorry,thats the english cockney coming out.means quite a few things really.
definition of knackered is exhausted/drained.

same here on my m860tu
i think most laptops have one rubber foot on the battery so it affects quite a lot of people. someone did do a search for a dummy battery just to stop the uneaven wobble but couldnt find one.
imo id rather have the wobble than a unusable battery.

at work at the moment but will post a couple of battery checkers tonight that will help you protect your batterys.