Download WINDOWS 8 - INSTALL, SET-UP, & CUSTOMIZE

12. CONTROL PANEL CUSTOMIZE: Set the “View by” to “Large Icons”.
13. SYSTEM PROPERTIES optimizations:
a. COMPUTER NAME: (Control Panel < System).
Verify the Computer Name and Computer Description are exactly what you want.
Verify the Workgroup is correct: To change the Workgroup, click the "Advanced system settings"
button. Note1: All Workgroup Names on a home network should be exactly the same for a mixed
group of PC's (XP & Win7). NOTE2: Do not join a "Homegroup" if you have any "XP" PC's
connected to your network. It works, but makes things more complicated.
b. STARTUP & RECOVERY: (Control Panel > System > Advanced system settings > Advanced Tab > under Startup and
Recovery, click the "Settings" button). Under "System Failure", un-check the box for " Automatically
Restart".
14. VIRTUAL MEMORY: (Control Panel > System > Advanced system settings > Advanced tab > Performance "Settings"
button > Advanced tab). Under "Virtual Memory", click <Change>.
a. If you only have one hard drive, make sure the box is checked for: "
file size for all drives". (This is the default).
Automatically manage paging
b. If you have a second physical hard-drive, see my "Speed Up Windows 8 checklist" for tips.
15. WINDOWS FIREWALL: Make sure the Windows Firewall is turned on. (Control Panel > Windows Firewall).
16. AUTOMATIC UPDATES, TURN OFF: (Control Panel > Windows Update > Change settings), For now, select
"Never check for updates".
17. REMOVE ANY UNNECESSARY PROGRAMS, TRIALS, & FEATURES:
a. (Control Panel > Programs and Features): Remove all unwanted programs including all Trial versions of
MICROSOFT OFFICE, McAfee, Norton, AOL, etc. NOTE: If you are going to migrate to Thunderbird
Mail from Outlook from an old PC, do not remove the Microsoft Office Trial until Thunderbird has
been set up.
18. POWER PLAN: (Control Panel > Power Options)
a. CHOOSE A PRELIMINARY POWER PLAN FOR THE INSTALL: Set the "Power Plan" to " High
Performance". Customize the detailed settings by clicking “Change Plan settings” so that the PC
never Sleeps or Hibernates during the install.
19. CREATE A RESTORE POINT: Now is the time to create a Restore Point: (Control Panel > System >
Advanced system settings > System Protection tab > Create).
20. NETWORK: If not already connected, connect to the Network now (You must be on the internet
to continue.)
21. ACTIVATE Windows 8: (Control Panel > System). Scroll to the bottom of the window. It will tell you if
Windows has been Activated or not. Activate now if the install looks good.
22. INITIALIZE IE10/11: Open IE & go through the first use questions. Answer the questions as desired.
23. WINDOWS UPDATE:
a. Run Windows Update (Control Panel > Windows Update).
b. Configure the Windows Update Settings: Click "Change Settings" (on the left). Make sure all boxes
are checked, click <OK> to save & exit.
c. Run "Check for updates" and keep re-running until no more Critical or Important Updates are found.
d. Install "Optional" updates by clicking "View available updates". Click to check the box for each one
you want to install, then click the <Install> button.
24. DEVICE MANAGER & HARDWARE DRIVERS: (Control Panel > System > Device Manager). Look to make
sure there are no devices with exclamation marks, question marks, or X's. If so, delete the bad entries
and reboot to see if Windows 8 can re-detect & re-install the devices OK.
Fix all these issues before continuing.
25. WINDOWS 8.1 UPGRADE:
a. Verify if Windows 8.1 is already installed. (Control Panel > System > “Windows Edition” area). If it says
“Windows 8”, then “Windows 8.1” is NOT installed.
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