First steps with my new pro

[cafutter]

I am picking up my new Surface Pro 128 this afternoon. From these forums, I know I need to fully charge it first, then do windows update. AFTER that, what else should I do before I begin to have fun?
Thanks in advance.

 

[souldier]

You don't have to do much. The surface works pretty well out of the box. You can use it while you are charging for the first time and doing an update in the background. Heres a few more things to consider:

1. Inspect thoroughly to make sure you got a good model. No dead pixels, micro sd slot works, etc. and everything working fine. It would be tough to install and set everything up, only to end up having it exchanged. I think generally though the quality control is quite good. I have had zero problems with mine so far
2. Make a windows account if you haven't already. you'll want to use that for the surface
3. See if you like the default scaling. 125% or 150% is the default. I personally like 125%
4. Transfer old files and install old programs from old computers

 

[bosamar]

Use a Microsoft Live account. Although it comes with built-in virus protection you may want a third-party AV program.

 

[Arizona Willie]

Did you remove the backup partition to gain more space? Make a backup copy first then you should be able to free up some space.

 

[Ashles]

I took a bit of time rearranging the tiles, removing the ones I didn't want and grouping the rest into a sensible order, and putting the ones I am likely to use the most at the front (but leaving some slots for future ones). A small thing but it has improved my experience already.

 

[mph]

I have to dig this up:

The german MS store requires to be logged in with the LIVE accont..
Is this account in anyway used on the surface?

I'd like to avoid to have all my personal data linked to it - sounds paranoid i know

 

[bosamar]

I have to dig this up:

The german MS store requires to be logged in with the LIVE accont..
Is this account in anyway used on the surface?

A Microsoft Live account is an integral part of the Windows 8 eco system. It links all your Win8 devices together. Your Microsoft account syncs favorites and settings on all your PCs - Microsoft Windows

 

[mph]

Yeah i got that

In the mean time i figured out how to possibly manage to use my game account as a secondary user.
since i'm not gaming that much anymore -and especially having more gams on stean rather than on GfWL - it seems like a viable solution to me

 

[HD_Dude]

I took a bit of time rearranging the tiles, removing the ones I didn't want and grouping the rest into a sensible order, and putting the ones I am likely to use the most at the front (but leaving some slots for future ones). A small thing but it has improved my experience already.

+1

I travel a lot, and made a tile category called 'Flying.' It's where I put all the apps that I can use on the plane, w/o wifi - iTunes, Kindle, Video Player, Zinio, etc.

 

[kristalsoldier]

+1

I travel a lot, and made a tile category called 'Flying.' It's where I put all the apps that I can use on the plane, w/o wifi - iTunes, Kindle, Video Player, Zinio, etc.

How do you make a tile category? Unless by Tile Category you mean collecting a set of apps that you use for a specific purpose or under specific situations (like in your example, on the plane) within one group. Thanks in advance.

 

[bosamar]

How do you make a tile category?

From the Start Menu pinch your tile groups to minimize them, select the group you want to name, swipe up from bottom and then select Name group. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/rearrange-tiles-start

 

[Cowboy]

How do you make a tile category? Unless by Tile Category you mean collecting a set of apps that you use for a specific purpose or under specific situations (like in your example, on the plane) within one group. Thanks in advance.

One thing about Windows is there are many ways to do any one operation. Using a mouse I just drag the tiles into groups and then click on the - sign in the lower right corner. Then I can hover over any group, right click and give it a name.