6.2.9 Post-Installation.txt

Post-Installation In this video, we’re going to look at the tasks you need to complete after you’ve installed your operating system. These tasks are important for ensuring your system’s functionality and security as it enters a production environment. Set the Boot Order The first thing to check is t...

Post-Installation In this video, we’re going to look at the tasks you need to complete after you’ve installed your operating system. These tasks are important for ensuring your system’s functionality and security as it enters a production environment. Set the Boot Order The first thing to check is the boot order of your storage devices. During installation, you might’ve used an optical drive, a USB drive, or even a network card. Before putting the system into production, configure the BIOS or UEFI to boot from the storage device whichever one Windows is installed on. This will prevent a lot of problems later on. Complete Activation After you install a new Windows system, you have to activate it. The activation process verifies that the product key you supplied during installation is valid and that the computer is being used according to Microsoft’s software licensing agreement. You might’ve done this during your initial installation, but if not, Microsoft gives you a 30-day grace period to activate Windows. If you do fail to activate the system after the grace period has expired, some Windows features will be deactivated, and you’ll see messages on the screen indicating that the operating system isn’t genuine. The system will automatically shut itself down fairly soon afterwards. Configure Windows Update After a successful activation, you should configure Windows Update. Windows Update is enabled by default, but it’s a best practice to manually force the Windows Update service to immediately check for updates rather than wait for the scheduled check times. This ensures that any security holes in the base system are patched before it enters the production environment. You can also configure your future update preferences under the Windows Update Advanced options. For example, you can decide if you want to receive updates for other Microsoft products, and you can set your active hours to ensure that updates aren’t installed while you’re working. Configure Anti-Malware By default, Windows provides several features to help keep your systems secure, such as virus and firewall protection. Microsoft also encourages you to use its OneDrive feature as a form of Ransomware protection. Although these do a good job at protecting your system, installing a third-party anti-malware or antivirus package will provide you with even better defenses, like phishing protection for non-Edge browsers. Regardless of what you use, update the software’s definition files and run a full scan before anything else. Configure User Environment The next step is to configure the user environment. This could include personalizing the Start menu, taskbar, or desktop. You should also install all the applications that the end user whoever that may be will need on their system. It’s also a good idea to update those applications from the vendors’ website before you release the system onto the production environment. If you liked working with Cortana in the past, you may also want to configure Cortana at this time. Cortana is Microsoft’s virtual assistant that lets you complete a wide range of tasks using the keyboard or by speaking user-friendly commands into your computer’s microphone. Starting with Windows 11, Cortana is inactive by default. In addition, you can enable Accessibility options to support users that need help with visual, hearing, and other physical limitations. Document The last step in the post-installation process is to document everything you’ve done. This can be an invaluable resource when you troubleshoot problems later. You should record as much information as you can about the system. This could include things like the computer’s make and model, purchase date, vendor, warranty, operating system version, product key, installed applications, and so on. The more information you record, the better. Summary That’s it for this lesson. In this lesson, we discussed the tasks you should complete after you’ve finished installing a Windows operating system. These include configuring the boot order, activating Windows, configuring Windows Update, installing anti-malware and antivirus software, configuring user settings, installing applications, and finally, documenting as much information as you can about the system.