New PC Installations & Setup
You bought the computer. I make it yours: unboxed, updated, cleared of junk, locked down, and loaded with everything from the old one. One flat rate, at your home or office around Valdosta and South Georgia.
Book a SetupFrom the Box to a Computer That Feels Like Yours
Setting up a new computer can be overwhelming, and it isn't the unboxing that gets people. It's the two hours after: the sign-in screens, the Windows update stuck at 40 percent, the antivirus trial asking for a credit card, and then the discovery that none of your files, photos or bookmarks came along. On day one a new PC is a blank desktop that doesn't know you yet.
That's the job I do: hardware setup, Windows configuration, software installation, and moving your data from the old machine to the new one, so the computer works the way the old one did the first time you sit down, minus the slowness that made you replace it. It's a flat-rate job, listed on my pricing page, so you know the number before I start.
💡 Haven't picked out the computer yet? Read my guide to buying a computer in 2026, or look at the parts and machines I have in stock. Buy it anywhere; I'll set it up.
What Happens on Setup Day
Six steps, every setup.
Unboxing & Physical Setup
Out of the box, on the desk, connected to power, monitor, keyboard and mouse. On a desktop tower, the right ports so the monitor runs at full resolution, and a check for shipping damage.
Windows Setup & the Day-One Updates
The first sign-in, your Microsoft account, then the Windows and driver updates every new computer needs. This is the hour most people hate. I run it, restart as often as it asks, and confirm it finished.
Trial & Bloat Software Removed
New PCs ship with an antivirus trial, games, shopping apps and manufacturer utilities you never asked for. They slow the machine down and nag you for money. I remove what shouldn't be there.
Security Basics
Updates set to install on their own, built-in protection turned on and checked, a password manager set up (a program that remembers your passwords so you stop reusing one everywhere), and your browser signed in.
Files, Photos, Email & Bookmarks
Documents, pictures, downloads, the desktop, your email accounts, browser bookmarks and saved passwords, moved over from the old machine and put where you expect to find them.
Printers, Wi-Fi & Your Programs
Joined to your Wi-Fi, connected to your printer, and your paid programs (Office suite, tax software, accounting software) reinstalled and signed back in. If one won't run on the new Windows, I tell you first.
Moving Your Stuff Off the Old Machine
The part people worry about most is the data: twenty years of family photos, the tax folders, the spreadsheet that runs the business. I copy it straight from the old computer to the new one, and you open the folders yourself to see your files where you expect them. If the old machine won't turn on, the files can often still be copied off its drive. If you'd rather fix it than replace it, see PC repairs.
Email is its own step. Web mail only needs a sign-in, but an email program with years of messages stored on the computer has to be exported and imported properly or the archive is gone. Bookmarks and saved passwords come across through your browser account, and it's the right moment to move those passwords into a proper password manager.
Then there's the old computer. It still has everything on it, so before it leaves the house, whether it's handed down, sold or recycled, I wipe the drive so the next owner doesn’t get your files. Keep it in a closet for a couple of weeks as a safety net, then let me wipe it. Going to a kid or a grandparent? I can give it a clean Windows install instead.
What to Have Ready Before I Arrive
A setup goes faster when these are on the table when I walk in:
- The new computer (still in the box is fine)
- The old computer, its charger, and the password to log into it
- Your Microsoft account and email passwords (no Microsoft account yet? I'll help you create one)
- Your Wi-Fi password (if it's lost, I can usually pull it from the old machine or the router)
- License keys or sign-ins for paid software: Office suite, tax program, accounting software
- Your printer, turned on and nearby
- Your phone, for any account that texts you a sign-in code
Can't find a license key? Most paid software today is tied to an account, and I can often recover it from the old machine. I do the setup at your place, so the old computer, printer and Wi-Fi are right there to test against; that's what the house call covers.
One Computer at Home vs. Several at the Office
A single home setup is a conversation: what you use it for, what you want on the desktop, how you like things arranged. I do it with you at the desk so you can find everything again tomorrow.
Rolling out several machines for a business is a different shape of job. Instead of copying one person's habits, I set a standard build, the same programs, settings and security on every machine, so the office stays consistent and each new computer takes less time. Every employee gets their own login rather than a shared one. Shared printers, the shared folder or server, and the software the business runs on get connected and tested from every seat. And because business computers usually hold customer information, the old ones are wiped before they go anywhere.
Once the machines are in, keeping them patched and backed up is a separate service: office IT support and my managed IT plans.
What It Costs
New computer setup and data transfer is one of the few jobs I price flat instead of by the hour, because a stubborn printer shouldn't cost you more than a smooth setup. The current price is on my pricing page. Whole House plan members get one setup a year included.
No trip charge anywhere in Lowndes County, and a flat trip charge by zone past that, all published on the pricing page. You approve the cost before I touch anything, and there's no contract. I'm based in Valdosta and set up computers across Hahira, Quitman, Adel, Tifton, Moultrie and Madison, FL. Need it outside weekday hours? After-hours work is time-and-a-half; see emergency IT support.
New PC Setup — Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a new computer setup take?
It depends mostly on how much data is moving. The Windows and driver updates a new computer downloads on day one often run close to an hour, and a big photo library takes as long as the copy takes. Before I call it done, we check the updates, your files and the printer together.
What does a new computer setup cost?
It's a flat-rate job rather than hourly, so a stubborn printer doesn't run up the bill. The current price is on my pricing page, and Whole House plan members get one setup a year included. There's no trip charge in Lowndes County, you approve the cost before I start, and there's no contract.
Can you move everything from my old computer to the new one?
Files, photos, documents, the desktop, email accounts, browser bookmarks and saved passwords, your printer and your Wi-Fi all come across. Paid programs get reinstalled and signed back in as long as you have the license key or the account they're tied to. If an older program won't run on the new Windows, I tell you first.
What should I have ready before you arrive?
The new computer, the old computer with its charger, and the passwords you use on it: your Microsoft account, your email and your Wi-Fi. Gather any license keys or sign-ins for paid software, have the printer turned on nearby, and keep your phone handy for sign-in codes. If you can't find something, I can often recover it from the old machine.
What happens to my old computer?
It still has everything on it, so before it leaves your house I wipe the drive properly, whether it's handed down, sold or recycled. Keep it in a closet for a couple of weeks as a safety net, then have it wiped. If it's going to a family member, I can give it a clean Windows install instead.
Do you set up computers for offices as well as homes?
Yes. For a business I set a standard build so every machine has the same programs, settings and security, give each person their own login instead of a shared one, and connect and test the shared printers and folders from every seat. Old machines get wiped before they go. Ongoing care after the rollout is covered under office IT support.
Ready to Set Up the New Computer?
Call or text 229-561-1674, email ricky@browningpc.com, book online, or use the contact page. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Serving Valdosta, Hahira, Quitman, Adel, Tifton, Moultrie, Madison, FL, and all of South Georgia.