10 steps when setting up a new PC
When setting up a new PC, it's easy to get caught up in the project and forget
the important aspects of the initial set-up. There are certain steps that I always
follow when setting up a new system. Some steps can be done after the fact, if you forget to do them during
the initial set-up of the system. But others involve starting over, so it is
important to try and remember to do 14314g623o them early in the process.
1. Configure adequate partitions Setting up the partitions on a new
hard drive is especially important if you're installing any products from the
Windows NT family (NT Workstation, NT Server, Windows 2000 Professional,
Windows 2000 Server). My recommendations for configuring partitions for a
Windows NT family install (assuming an 18.5-GB hard drive) are: Primary partition of 2.0 GB for system files
only, Secondary partition of 6 GB for applications, Third partition of 10.5 GB
for data only
2. Create an adequate system partition If you're installing any of the Windows NT/2000 products, allow plenty of space on the System partition for the operating systems and its paging file. I generally recommend at least a 2.0-GB partition for the system partition.
3. Install enough RAM Having adequate RAM is as important as
having adequate partition sizes. I
recommend: 128Mb for NT W/S, 256Mb for
NT Server (512Mb with Exchange/SQL Server), 128Mb for 2000 Pro (256Mb is
preferable), 256Mb for 2000 Server (512MB with Exchange/SQL Server). Having sufficient physical RAM will lessen
paging (when Windows runs out of physical RAM and starts using HDD space as
virtual memory. Check
out this site for a good description of the paging process.) RAM prices are
currently at all-time lows, so there is no excuse for frugality on RAM.
4. Plan for expansion by installing enough hard drive
space If you're installing
any of the Windows NT/2000 products, I recommend a minimum of one 18.5-GB hard
drive. For future expansion, I strongly recommend two 18.5-GB drives. My home
system, running Windows 2000 Professional, has two Western Digital
"Caviar" 40-GB drives. Hard drives, like RAM, are cheap right now, so
having enough storage shouldn't break the bank.
5. Configure adequate paging files For each partition on your system, you
should set up a separate paging file. On the Internet, there are all kinds of
formulae for calculating paging file sizes, but I usually use the formula:
physical RAM X 2 + 128. Using this formula, a machine with 256 MB of RAM would
need a paging file of 640 MB per partition.
6. 17" monitor When buying an new system, I recommend getting a 17"
monitor. It often costs relatively
little and can make all the difference in your end-user's happiness and
satisfaction.
7. File system Choosing the right file system is particularly important when
installing NT or 2000. Click
here for an explanation. I recommend formatting your system partition with
NTFS, the applications partition as FAT32, and the data partition as NTFS.
While NTFS creates security, there are many applications I have found that will
not install correctly on anything but a FAT partition.
8. External modem When buying a PC with a modem, get an external one. In my
experience, external modems cause fewer headaches and are considerably more
reliable in the long term.
9. Avoid the PC Anywhere disaster This is a tip aimed squarely at
Windows 2000 Professional users who plan to install PC Anywhere. If you install
a PC Anywhere version earlier than 9.02, the PC will not boot properly. There
is a workaround, however. You can install a version earlier than 9.02, but before
rebooting, run Live Update and apply the patch to take your copy of PC Anywhere
to 9.02. Click
here for more information from Symantec's knowledge base.
10. Don't forget the Admin password During the installation of Windows NT
or Windows 2000 you will be asked to name a password for the Administrator
account. A common mistake is forgetting
this password before setting up any other accounts on the machine. If this happens, you will not be able to
access the Administrator account without reinstalling the operating system.
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