So, you finally have your laptop - but it's still boxed up. What's the best way to dive into that packaging? Here are some tips regarding proper laptop box-opening etiquette:
- If you see instructions on how to unpack the box, heed them! Pay particular attention to labels such as "Open other side" or "Remove first."
- Open and free the packing slip attached to the outside of the box, if your laptop box has such a slip. The slip contains the shipping invoice, which you should look over to confirm that what was shipped is exactly what you ordered. (Sometimes, the invoice is inside the box.)
- Don't destroy the box to open it, and don't throw anything away! If the laptop is a dud, you want to return everything in the original box.
- Be sure to look for boxes within boxes. Also, be on the lookout for things stuck in the sides or ends of the foam packing material.
- Don't fill out any warranty or registration cards until you're certain that the laptop works.
- Always open computer equipment boxes with your hands. Never use a box cutter because you could slice into something important. If you must use a sharp tool to cut tape, then do so carefully.
Doing an initial inventory of your laptop materials
Laptops, like all computers, come with a lot of bits and pieces. Some of that stuff is important, and you want to keep it for as long as you own the laptop. Other stuff is junk, and you can toss it. The problem you face now is figuring out what's worth keeping and what to throw away. Keep everything for now. You can create piles for the stuff that comes with the laptop to get yourself organized.
Here's a handy way to approach this unpacking and pre-setup stage of your laptop's introduction to your lap:
1. Unpack the laptop.
Remove the laptop from any plastic bag or shrink-wrap. Don't worry about opening the laptop's lid yet (though the temptation may be great). Just set the thing on a table by itself.
2. Find all the various hardware pieces that came with the laptop.
Look for the power adapter, power cord, battery (or batteries), phone cord, adapters, cables, connectors, and any mystery pieces of equipment.
3. Make a pile for any discs that came with the laptop.
These include all CDs and DVDs. Those discs may contain programs that are already installed or ready for installation. Some discs might contain device drivers (special software required to run your laptop's hardware). Plus, you may see an operating system disc or system recovery disc. These are all important tools for getting and keeping your laptop running!
4. Make a pile for all the paperwork.
You'll have four categories of paperwork:
• Manuals
• Warranties
• Special offers
• Weird pieces of paper, the importance of which can't be determined
5. Place all the packing material back into the box.
This material includes plastic bags, twist-ties from the cables, and those silica pouches they tell you not to eat.
Organizing your laptop materials in the long-term
Later, after you have your laptop all set up and you're starting to get familiar with it, you can do further organization. As you work, you need to keep various items with the laptop at all times - for example, the power cord and batteries. You need a place, such as a laptop case, for those items.
Only after using the laptop for a while should you consider throwing some stuff away, such as the special-offer cards you don't use. Often times, you can just toss those things in the laptop box.
Other stuff that came with your laptop you might want to keep for a while, such as the discs and any manuals. Those things don't need to be with the laptop all the time, so you can keep them in a drawer or on a shelf until you need them.
Here's a list of pointers when it comes to saving the materials that come with your laptop:
- Your laptop comes with software discs, even though the software may already be installed on the laptop. Don't toss away the discs! You can use them to reinstall the software if you need to.
- You may want to designate a shelf or a container for your laptop's extra stuff, such as the manuals, spare parts, and other documentation.
