What are some important first steps to take with a new PC?

I received my new Windows 7 desktop today and will be setting it up later tonight. Note: I am upgrading from a 10 year old Dell running XP, many things are new to me. I’m currently looking up videos on how to install a video card.

I’ve heard things like: make a recovery disk and install Firefox instead of Internet Explorer, so I’m looking into how to do those things as well. What are some other important things I should know?