New computer setup, done remotely before day one.
A new laptop arrives on Tuesday. By Wednesday morning it has the mailbox, the shared drive, the label printer and nothing from the manufacturer you didn't ask for. Windows 11 or macOS, configured over a remote connection while someone in the office keeps the lid open.
Before the box is opened
Send us the model and the user's name a few days ahead. We prepare a short sheet: which mailbox, which shared drive, which printer, which apps, which browser is the default. The setup itself is faster when nobody is guessing.
Someone on site has to unbox it, plug it in and get it to the first setup screen. That is the only hands-on part. Everything after that runs remotely, with that person watching for the first ten minutes and then free to leave.
Day-one checklist: Windows 11
| Item | What we do | Usual time |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Signed in with the work Microsoft 365 account, or a local admin plus a standard user | 10 min |
| Updates | Windows Update and driver updates run to the end, reboots included | 20–40 min |
| Bloat | Trial antivirus, game tiles and maker utilities you did not ask for removed | 10 min |
| Outlook profile created, signature copied, shared mailboxes added | 10 min | |
| Files | OneDrive or SharePoint library synced, shared drive mapped | 10 min |
| Printer | Maker's driver installed, not the generic one, test page printed | 10 min |
| Security | BitLocker on, recovery key saved where you can find it | 5 min |
Day-one checklist: macOS
- Apple ID or Managed Apple ID signed in, iCloud settings chosen on purpose rather than by default.
- macOS updated to the current point release before anything else is installed.
- Outlook or Apple Mail connected to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.
- FileVault on, recovery key recorded with you, not with us.
- Printers added with the maker's driver where AirPrint misses features like trays or duplex.
- Time Machine pointed at a drive or a NAS, if you have one.
The handover
At the end we spend ten minutes with the user on the call. Where the files are, how to print, what the lock screen wants. Then we disconnect and nothing of ours stays on the machine, unless you have booked unattended access as a separate line.
You get a one-page sheet: hostname, serial, user, what was installed, where the BitLocker or FileVault key lives. The next technician will thank you for it.
What we will not do: buy the laptop or the licences for you, or move data off an old machine whose drive is failing. That last one is a bench job, and we will say so.