What to know ahead of time

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  1. Posts : 27
    Win10 Pro x64
       #1

    What to know ahead of time


    Hello all!

    About to make the jump from 7 to10. I've been a long time member of these (vista/7 forums), and now will be relying on this lovely group of 10ers for my lifeline. It will likely not be until a week from Monday, the 25th, that I'm actually able to set up my new system (which is sitting on a box on my floor) and replace this 12 year old dinosaur.

    Simple (I hope) question for you all before I even unbox. . .

    What did you wish you knew before you made the jump? Any tips/tricks that should be my first thing "out of the box" so to speak, in this case literally?

    Thanks for all you do!

    Your friendly neighborhood Zoloft

    (I will of course update my profile with my hardware configuration, once I have everything unboxed and set up, so it's right in front of me)
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 13,896
    Win10 Version 22H2 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home
       #2

    The main thing I'd suggest is BACK UP [Copy] any data you want to save, anything you've created and exists nowhere else. Always worth getting an External USB drive, 500GB or larger.
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 27
    Win10 Pro x64
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Berton said:
    The main thing I'd suggest is BACK UP [Copy] any data you want to save, anything you've created and exists nowhere else. Always worth getting an External USB drive, 500GB or larger.

    Oh yes, I've learned that one with many years of experience. "C" drive is for installed OS and apps only, everything else is on externals! Great advice, regardless of OS!
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 6,789
    22H2 64 Bit Pro
       #4

    For me personally:

    Do an offline install. (no internet)
    At the end of the setup process, create a local account, don't use Cortana and turn off everything in the privacy settings.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 31,471
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #5

    Yes, even if you intend to use a Microsoft Account you should set up offline and create a local account first. Using a MS account to set up will name your user folder with the first 5 characters of your email address, with a local account it uses the full name of the account for the user folder.

    Oh, and create a second local account and make it an admin. Use it just for maintenance purposes. It's always a good idea to have a second way in should your main account ever give you problems.
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 27
    Win10 Pro x64
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Callender said:
    For me personally:

    Do an offline install. (no internet)
    At the end of the setup process, create a local account, don't use Cortana and turn off everything in the privacy settings.
    Excellent advice, and offline install would never have occurred to me. Privacy is one of my biggest concerns with ten, is it as simple as typing "cortana" and "privacy" from the start menu and going from there?

    - - - Updated - - -

    Bree said:
    Yes, even if you intend to use a Microsoft Account you should set up offline and create a local account first. Using a MS account to set up will name your user folder with the first 5 characters of your email address, with a local account it uses the full name of the account for the user folder.

    Oh, and create a second local account and make it an admin. Use it just for maintenance purposes. It's always a good idea to have a second way in should your main account ever give you problems.
    Is it even necessary to create a MS account, if I create a primary, and a back up local account?
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 4,752
    Windows 11 Pro 64 Bit 22H2
       #7

    You do not Need an MS account, unless you want to download apps from the MS Store and a few other things. I use a Local account, and if I want something from the store, I sign into the store with my Microsoft account, but keep my computers login Local.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 31,471
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #8

    Zoloft said:
    Is it even necessary to create a MS account, if I create a primary, and a back up local account?

    No, not at all. But even those who set up a new machine with the intention of using a MS account would be best advised to create a local account initially, purely to have full control over the naming of their user folder.

    This forum is full of post asking how to change the name of their user folder after the event - a non-trivial task.
      My Computers


  9. Posts : 27
    Win10 Pro x64
    Thread Starter
       #9

    Thanks for that, I'll make an MSN account, just in case.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 869
    Windows 10 Professional x64 21H2
       #10

    One of the better tools to use with Win 10 is Winaero Tweaker It is a free program and is very good at keeping Win 10 under control. Also Sledgehammer for keeping Windows updates under your control.
      My Computers


 

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