While the growth of Windows 10 in the world continues at a slow pace, the most used operating system in the world on PCs still remains Windows 7, which according to the latest estimates is installed on 50% of desktop computers. The advantages of Windows 7 are its stability, perfect compatibility with all types of hardware including even older PCs, the fact that it is light and essential enough, that it still has no limitation in the installation of programs and that it is very easy to to install.
Although Windows 10 changes a lot compared to Windows 7, private users and companies do not seem to be in a hurry to switch to the latest operating system, perhaps for fear of any hardware or software compatibility problems, perhaps not to mess up something that is already good, perhaps because they don't know that Windows 10 is still free if it's an update.
Windows 7 can be installed and reinstalled as many times as you want on a computer, resetting the PC and deleting all programs, without necessarily having to delete the files inserted in it.
Installing this operating system or even resetting it is very easy and you just need to insert the Windows 7 installation disc by starting the PC from the CD / DVD player, and then follow the wizard noting that the customized installation requires nothing more than choosing the partition in to install the system and confirm the choice to keep the old files that will be saved in a special folder.
In this article, we will see what to do after installing Windows 7 or reinstalling the system or following a PC reset, after restoring the system from recovery partition or from installation disk, to secure the PC, to make it as fast as possible, to complete it in its basic functions.
1) Install an updated web browser
In Windows 7 the default browser is Internet Explorer which if you are using an installation disc without Service Pack 1, it is even Internet Explorer 8.
Since this browser is now obsolete and dangerous to use, the first thing to do is to download a browser or update Internet Explorer.
My advice is to download Google Chrome and install it immediately.
Alternatively, Internet Explorer 11 can be installed.
Before step 2, i.e. the installation of the antivirus, there is no need to visit any website other than to update IE or download Chrome.
2) Install the antivirus
Another major flaw of Windows 7 is that it is completely missing from the antivirus and must therefore be installed immediately after the web browser.
If you have no preferences, to do it first and immediately put protection, I recommend installing Microsoft Security Essentials, which is very similar to the antivirus included in Windows 10.
3) Install Service Packs and Updates and Patches
Once we have the antivirus, it's still dangerous to use the PC and surf the internet if we don't install the security updates.
If you are using a recovery disc or an installation disc of Windows 7 without SP1, you must, first of all, open, from the Start menu, Windows Update, search for new updates and install them all at least until the Service Windows 7 Pack 1 is not installed.
After Service Pack 1 is installed, it is not convenient to use Windows Update to install all the patches, but it is better to download and install Windows 7 Service Pack 2 instead.
After Service Pack 2, go back to Windows Update and install all the remaining patches until there are none left.
Note that driver updates will also be installed with Windows Update.
4) Delete old files that we don't need
As you can see, the reinstallation of Windows 7 has cleaned the PC of all programs and emptied the user folders, but has not deleted the files.
These are located on the C: disk in the Windows.old folder which can also be dozens of Giga and which must be checked to save what we need and delete the rest forever.
In particular, Windows folders, Programs, ProgramFiles and all those that do not have personal files such as documents, images, videos and music must be deleted inside Windows.old .
5) Install essential programs
Now you can finally open the internet and download the first basic programs.
In particular, among the essential programs to be always installed, VLC is needed to view videos, Irfanview to view photos and images, LibreOffice as an Office program, 7Zip to open archives, SumatraPDF to open PDF and Malwarebytes to make monthly anti-malware scans.
6) Disable unnecessary services
Especially if you are using a Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Ultimate version, many unnecessary services that can weigh down your PC are active by default.
We have seen, in other articles, how to make Windows 7 super fast by disabling unnecessary services, functions and options.
In Windows 7 I recommend installing, to do first, the free version of an excellent program that optimizes services automatically, very good.
7) Change and customize Windows 7 desktop wallpaper and menus
Changing and customizing the desktop wallpaper is an easy thing to do, if you know the procedure.
In this regard, I refer to the guide to change the Windows background and customize the desktop.
8) Check the programs that start automatically
While in Windows 10 programs that start automatically can be managed from the task manager, in Windows 7 an additional program must be downloaded.
To be precise, we can use Ccleaner which we will then need to clean up temporary files, or to try Soluto
9) Plan maintenance activities
If you want to keep the system clean and performing, you should activate the automatic periodic execution of disk cleaning and defragmentation activities (the latter should not be done if you use an SSD disk).
10) Final optimizations
To speed up Windows 7 you can disable the file indexing service, you can disable the visual effects and change other more particular options such as ReadyBoost to optimize Windows 7 and have a fast PC and better performance, as explained in the past.
