....I just got a new Nav5 today...do I need to do any of this as not had a chance to plug it into a laptop yet ?
Do you need to do any of this? Yes and no or indeed, no and yes.
Assuming that the device you bought from BMW has its full European maps installed, then you can just attach it to your awesome steed and you should be good to go. But...
1. At some point it's a good idea to register the device with Garmin. To do this you are best advised to connect it to a computer, carrying out the registration online.
2. The Nav V's screen is relatively small, compared to a home computer's. If you want the convenience of plotting routes on the larger screen of your home computer, using BaseCamp / Mapsource / Tyre or whatever, you'll need to connect the device to your home computer at some point if only to transfer the route(s) you created to the device.
3. When you connect the device to your computer, you'll maybe / probably receive prompts that there is either a software update available or that new maps are available or both. You are not obliged to undertake either the software update or the map update. Is it a good idea to do neither, all or some of the updates? That's up to you, the owner. I do and, touch wood, everything has been near enough OK with all of my devices since I first started using Garmin's products years and years ago, right back to the Quest device, using PC's at first and now a Mac. I am no IT wizard, trust me. I have no idea what goes on in the box of widgets, nor do I want to. I just follow the on-screen prompts and installation instructions. Others have had the same good fortune as me, whilst others have been less fortunate. Why? I have no idea.
The only time I ever had a problem was way back when the 1200 was first released. Some (not all) Garmin devices, powered by the bike's ignition switched electricity supply, shut down whilst riding. Garmin released a software update which, amongst other things, stopped this happening. Like many other devices, mine never shut down but when the update was installed mine (and some others too) started shutting down. In other words, a fix to cure a problem I didn't have, resulted in me (and others) getting the problem. This was quickly fixed by a subsequent Garmin software update and all was well thereafter.