Am I right in the very first thing I do is re installing antivirus when laptop comes back?

It doesn't really matter whether you install anti-virus before or after the Dell Software. You should install it before you begin heavy Internet activity. And of course after Windows is installed.

Anti-Virus software is not a bad idea, but it IS a bad idea to assume it will protect you 100%. I'll tell you what you can do to protect yourself 100%.

When the laptop comes back, get it set up the way you like it. Install your drivers, get on the Internet and go to Microsoft.com and get all your updates. Install your application programs. Get everything all set up.

Now do an image backup of the entire hard drive. You can do this with Norton Ghost, Acronis True Image, or you can get a free version of Macrium Reflect. (I have all three of these and the free Macrium Reflect actually works the best for this one thing!)

http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

You back the hard drive up to DVDs, maybe several of them.

THEN install your anti-virus and go on as usual.

Now every year or so (more often if you download lots of stuff from the Internet) you can restore that backup and you have a fresh, pristine installation of Windows. Then you go back to Microsoft.com and get the intervening updates, and you make a new backup.

Believe me, I have tried everything, and this is really the best way. Viruses and trojan horses and adware and malware are proliferating faster than the anti-virus programmers can keep up with.

Most time dell will reset it back to default so it will come with demo antivirus which you should install first but sometimes new antivirus require some windows update before installing the antivirus, which you should also install above all else.

Yes there's nothing wrong with that. I usually update windows first. Then get a good fast browser like Chrome.Then do security.But Since IE is no longer the dog that it was I don't have to do that step as soon as I do. If I had the Internet Security disk, then it would be the second thing I did after updating windows.

if you are reinstalling from a delll disk then no first the software then the anti-virus