The new computer setup

The Apple commercials are right - one of the primary pains in getting a new PC is the process of setting up the new PC.  I have recently purchased a new work computer and am in the middle of that project.  The first step is always to eliminate the bloat from the new computer - various programs and offers that I will never use.  Ideally I'd love to do a complete wipe and reformat, but with new computers now, you rarely get the OS discs when you purchase the computer.  And seeing as this is my first foray into Windows 7, that might be more than I want to bite off.

The next thing is to update the new computer.  There are always newer drivers and Windows updates that need to be added in.  Then I start adding programs, and again adding the updates for those.  Office being one of the worst offenders - I think I saw Service Pack 883 last night.

Then you have to configure everything back to your liking - or as close as possible.  Currently, one thing that is annoying me is the space between icons on my quick start bar.  I have nine icons for programs I regularly use on my Windows XP bar, and in that same amount of space in Windows 7 Premium I can only fit five icons/programs.  I'm hoping to find a way to change that.  Thus far I've come up empty.

Once all the configurations have been beaten into submission comes the file transfers.  Moving all your old stuff onto the new drive.  This wouldn't be so bad if all the old stuff was in one place, but for me I have half a dozen or so thumb drives, 3 computers and a hundred or more CD's and DVD's to go through.  That is honestly one of the modern miracles of external storage drives - they are now big enough that you can just put it all there and not have to deal with this any more.