New Lenovo Ideapad 510p

[NotSoSavvy]

Hey guys, I ordered a Lenovo Ideapad Y510p and I expect it to come in soon (this week/next week). This is going to be my first ever laptop so I am being a little paranoid, but I just have some questions that hopefully you guys can answer. Okay, so when I first get the laptop:

1) Are there any programs/applications that I should uninstall or install right off the bat?

2) Are there any drivers that I should install or uninstall? I don't really know a lot about drivers.

3) I know there have been problems with the touchpad on this laptop. I have heard that you can either use Synaptics or Elan drivers for it. What is the difference between the two and which is better? How do I know which one the laptop comes with?

4) Any general tips on how to conserve battery life in the long run? Also, if I know that I am going to be using it plugged in for a while, should I leave the battery inside or remove it?

5) Anything else I should know???

BONUS: Through my university, I have free access to some Windows software through a program called Dreamspark. This includes Windows 7. Should I downgrade from 8 to 7 or should I just keep Windows 8 and try to learn it? Should I upgrade to 8.1?

Thank you! I know this is a lot but please be as detailed as you can when answering. I really appreciate it

 

[hang-the-9]

Laptop should come with everything you need, including an antivirus program. Often it's only a trial of a paid program, you can uninstall it and install a full free anti virus like AVG of Avira. Microsoft's Security Essentials is also good.

Laptop will have all the drivers installed. Don't touch them if you don't need to.

If you look in device manager, you can see what the touchpad drivers are.

If it's plugged in all the time, take out the battery.

I don't like Windows 8 at all, and everyone I know does not like it, but some do. Or I should say they at least tolerate it. You can't just downgrade from Win 8 to 7, you need to wipe the system and install Windows 7 clean on it. Then you need to re-install all the drivers, but it's easy to do in one shot, just install the Lenovo System Update Utility, it will gather up all the drivers for the computer for you and install them.

 

[NotSoSavvy]

Laptop should come with everything you need, including an antivirus program. Often it's only a trial of a paid program, you can uninstall it and install a full free anti virus like AVG of Avira. Microsoft's Security Essentials is also good.

Laptop will have all the drivers installed. Don't touch them if you don't need to.

If you look in device manager, you can see what the touchpad drivers are.

If it's plugged in all the time, take out the battery.

I don't like Windows 8 at all, and everyone I know does not like it, but some do. Or I should say they at least tolerate it. You can't just downgrade from Win 8 to 7, you need to wipe the system and install Windows 7 clean on it. Then you need to re-install all the drivers, but it's easy to do in one shot, just install the Lenovo System Update Utility, it will gather up all the drivers for the computer for you and install them.

Alright, I believe the laptop comes with a McAfee trial for 30 days. I've seen most people consider this as bloatware since it slows down the system I guess, but I'll see if it's worth it to keep it.
As for Win7, do I do a clean install and then install the System Update Utility? Thanks!

 

[hang-the-9]

Alright, I believe the laptop comes with a McAfee trial for 30 days. I've seen most people consider this as bloatware since it slows down the system I guess, but I'll see if it's worth it to keep it.
As for Win7, do I do a clean install and then install the System Update Utility? Thanks!

McAfee is one of the worst anti-virus products, you should replace it.

Yes, do a clean install of Win 7 and install the update utility from Lenovo, run it and it will get the drivers for the system. Check if you have an option for a downgrade to Win 7 from Lenovo, otherwise you need to purchase a new license key.

 

[NotSoSavvy]

McAfee is one of the worst anti-virus products, you should replace it.

Yes, do a clean install of Win 7 and install the update utility from Lenovo, run it and it will get the drivers for the system. Check if you have an option for a downgrade to Win 7 from Lenovo, otherwise you need to purchase a new license key.

Luckily, I have access to Win7 through my university (a program called Dreamspark). I can install Windows 7 from there so there is no purchase necessary