Windows Computer setup guide

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Contents 1 Preparing a Windows Machine for use 1.1 First Steps 1.2 General Setup 1.3 General Administration 1.4 Note for Linux users

Preparing a Windows Machine for use

It can take a long time to set up a Windows computer from install disk to the point when it has all the useful software on it you will need. This is a checklist I have composed to help me set up a windows PC.

I have tried to seek out the best in free software to save money and preserve our integrity when resources are few and the temptation to install software we have no legal right to use. There is a very functional free software stack that improves month after month, and I have listed the tools I use here.

First Steps

1. If machine is Windows 95, 98 or ME give up now! (They are no longer supported by Microsoft hence will be come more and more vulnerable to problems, will not work on newer hardware and wont allow newer software to run on them. Anyway, they are much less stable.). Proceed if 2000, XP, Vista or 7.
2. Still want to install Win ME? DON'T !
3. After checking all hardware is working right and installing drivers where needed...
4. Create Administrator and Restricted User (RU) accounts
5. Set Admin pasword properly
6. Run Windows Update and set to update automatically
7. For both Admin and RU log in and set Network drives.
8. Set wallpaper of Admin to RED so it is easy to see which user account is which!
9. Install an antivirus client. Set up for automatic checks and updates.
   • Clamwin http://www.clamwin.com/  F  , or
   • AVG http://free.grisoft.com/  0  - personal use only; you must buy a licence for charity use, or
   • Avira http://www.free-av.com/  0  - personal use only; you must buy a licence for charity use.
10. Make sure Windows Firewall is activated, deactivated Network Shares if this client doesn't have any. OR (Advanced) Install another firewall and configure it properly.
    • ZoneAlarm http://www.zonealarm.com/  0  or
    • Comodo http://personalfirewall.comodo.com/  0 

Note Codes used here indicate

•  F  for Free software (Free as in 'Free Speech' - you will own this software and can modify, pass to others etc.)
•  0  for Zero cost software (Free as in 'Free Beer' - the software is not yours but you may use it but may not pass it on to others.)

General Setup

1. Set up the printers - local and network
2. Set up Software (productivity)
   • OpenOffice (with Java) http://www.openoffice.org/  F 
     • Add any fonts you want to use (like Orator)
     • Add any Templates the office users will need
   • Open Clipart http://www.openclipart.org/  F 
   • Firefox http://www.getfirefox.com  F 
   • Flash http://www.adobe.com  0 
   • Java if not combined with OOo above http://www.java.com  F 
   • PDF: Adobe Reader http://get.adobe.com/reader/  0  or FoxitReader http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/  0  (light-weight alternative)
   • Thunderbird http://www.getthunderbird.com  F 
   • Skype http://www.skype.com  0 
   • Pidgin Instant Messaging (MSN, Yahoo, Jabber and more) http://www.pidgin.im/  F 
   • Google Earth? Google Pack?  0 
3. Set up Software (creative)
   • PDF Creator http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/  F 
     • Note some PDF's can be created online for free - see: http://www.pdfonline.com/index.htm. If some one sends you an MS Publisher document for example you might be able to convert it to a PDF here so you can read it!
   • Scribus Desktop Publishing http://www.scribus.net  F  (download page) (NOTE this is hard to set up under Windows 2000 if you don't run it as a Poweruser, which I wouldn't recommend. Windows XP has no problems.)
     • Scribus needs: Ghostscript (Postscript) http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=1897  F 
   • The Gimp (like Photoshop) http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/stable.html  F 
     • The Gimp may need the GTK+ 2 Runtime environment (unless installed in Pidgin above).
   • Inkscape http://www.inkscape.org  F 
   • Realplayer http://www.real.com  0  (Download the Free version)
   • VLC Media player http://www.videolan.org/vlc/  F 
   • Audacity Audio recorder and editor http://audacity.sourceforge.net/  F 
     • To save to MP3 Audacity needs the LAME files: http://lame.buanzo.com.ar/  F 
4. Set up Software (Utilities)
   • Zip compression software (including latest 7-zip method) http://www.7-zip.org/  F 
   • jkDefrag - for those that like to Defrag http://www.kessels.com/JkDefrag/  F 
   • Putty SSH and Telnet client http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/  F 
   • VNC http://www.tightvnc.org  F 
   • WinSCP secure ftp and scp explorer type client http://winscp.net/eng/index.php  F 
   • FileZilla for ftp http://filezilla-project.org/  F 

General Administration

1. install the Backup tool and set up
2. Plan and implement a regular backup
3. Plan a regular check if updates are needed. Flash, Java, OpenOffice, Firefox and so on.

Note for Linux users

Linux users need only follow hardware and user setup stages plus the whole of General Administration. The software should already be there and Linux is already much more secure! Also most software can be downloaded and installed through the package manager in one operation.

Many of the software programs listed above are also available for Linux. More Infos in Linux Computer Setup Guide.