Setting Up a New Windows Laptop in 2026 (opens in new tab)

That's at least 24 hours faster than it took me to set up my Ubuntu Linux Thinkpad new from Lenovo. I have a document of some 70+ steps in case I ever need to format and set it up again. (My fault for expecting Ubuntu to operate like a normal desktop out of the box) Turns out there are also multiple bugs in the AMD drivers (it was an AMD version of the Thinkpad) that have been known issues for years, and the fix is basically to turn off power saving. Windows version doesn't have those bugs of course.

> 24. Download and install Google Chrome. (Yeah, nah, ~6 minutes) > 1. Make default browser

Install Chrome sure, but also install Firefox with the uBlock Origin addon and make Firefox the default browser.

Seriously, having an adblocker will help older people avoid scams and such. Even the U.S.'s FBI recommends it.

Like many IT-inclined folk, I was recently tasked with setting up two new laptops for my father and brother, who run a mortgage broking business. Bog-standard Office 365 apps, OneDrive, Chrome over Edge, Outlook set up and all that. Given all the commentary I've read about the decline in quality of Windows, I was interested to see how frustrating the set up would be and how much bloatware and unasked-for installs were weighing it down.

Bit of fun too because it coincided with Australia's first World Cup game!

I still don't know what "get fucked" means, are these the steps that pissed him off the most?

Step 1: download windows media tool

Step 2: create iso with said tool

Step 3: use rufus to make iso into bootable usb with the installation options you want

Step 4: reformat & install

Step 5: Drivers

Step 6: chrome and/or firefox

Step 7: o365

???

Profit

I really like this breakdown of what one has to do. For my little laptop-selling side business, I have the install-and-setup process pretty heavily streamlined, and it still takes time to do things like get all the relevant driver updates installed and test the machine to ensure it's fit for sale. Probably around an hour or two per machine, but with a lot more downtime than this process involves.

I would generally advise against buying an HP in this day and age, though.

Despite lots of controversy I still either buy Chromebook or install chromeosFlex (without playstore) for some of my relatives. Just works.

ublock origin lite is OK for these folks that need laptop only for the rare situation to fillup some PDF, airline tickets or printout.

For love or hate, people already have Google account. One password to remember. And google syncs everything incl. password, even payments. So no more brain fatigue.