Scheduled Computer Maintenance Tips:
Here are some maintenance tasks that are important:
General Computer Maintenance Tips:
Keep all of your working files in one folder. The My Documents folder is offered by
Windows expressly for this purpose. The benefits of keeping all your files in one
place are multiple. One, you know where all your files are, two, it's easy to back
them all up at once, and three, your machine will run faster.
Don't put your personal files on the root of the C: drive. If you store a large number
of files in the root folder, you could corrupt your disk file table which could lead to a
"NTLDR is missing" error message when you boot the computer. Very bad. If you
have personal files on the C: drive now, move them to the My Documents folder.
Keep at least 100 MB of your C: free for Windows to use. Maxing out your drive may
result in Windows dumping data to your hard drive, or your computer will run really,
really slow.
Uninstall programs that you are not using. But don’t just delete the program.
Remove it correctly so you won’t cause Windows errors.
If you download a zip file and expand it, delete the original zip file when you are
done.
If you aren’t already using one, get a good surge protector and plug your computer
and peripherals into it. If you live in an area with bad lightening storms, unplug you
computer and peripherals during the storm.
Use an antivirus program such as BitDefender, McAfee, Norton, and Panda. You
really need one if you want your computer to keep running smoothly. An antivirus
program will make sure no "bad" stuff is allowed into the system.
Practice safe computing. Don't accept software or downloads for which you didn’t
ask. Delete any suspicious email without opening it. And even if the email came from
your best friend, don't open any email attachments with the following extensions: *
.exe, .com, .vbs, .bat, .mdb, .reg, and .js
Do not let a lot of programs load when starting up your computer. Uninstall or delete
programs that start up as soon as you start up your computer.
Use a firewall if you have a high speed internet connection. A firewall will prevent
your computer from getting "hijacked". You may not be aware of it, but your
computer may have been hacked at least once. Hackers use search programs to
seek out computers at random. Get a firewall program and use it.
Do not throw away installer software once you've installed the program. You will
need to reformat your computer some time and all data on the drive will be erased
and you will need to reinstall your software.
Daily computer maintenance tips:
Update your anti-virus scan and anti-spyware definitions, if they aren’t being done
automatically.
Back up any critical files that you have changed today to a flash drive.
Weekly computer maintenance tips:
Make sure your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs have been updated with the
latest definitions, and run a full scan from both programs.
Reboot your computer. (If you shutdown your computer each night, disregard this
tip). If you leave your computer on all the time, definitely do this. It will reset the
RAM, and your computer will run much better and faster.
Monthly computer maintenance tips:
Clean up your temporary files, your temporary internet files, and other junk files
about once a month.
Ensure that you have the latest Windows updates installed.
Clean out your email, paying special attention to your Inbox and Sent box. The
easiest way I’ve found is to sort your email box by size of the message, and delete
the largest unneeded emails first.
Back up your computer on an external hard drive to ensure the safety of you
software.
Quarterly computer maintenance tips:
Change your passwords. (Yes, I know this is a pain, I hear you groaning. But it’s
really a good idea to do this).
If you have a mouse with a roller ball (non-optical) clean it out. Use a Q-tip and
some isopropyl alcohol to clean the ball and the internal rollers. Remove any caked
on grease, oil, and dust that may have accumulated.
Check to see if you need to defragment your computer’s hard drive.
Check all your computer cables and make sure they are plugged in tight, and not
being pinched or pulled in a way that is damaging them.
Check your C: drive (hard disk) for disk errors.
NOTE: please make sure you have a current backup of your files before you run a check disk command. (Also, do this
immediately if you see a message stating that your Windows “volume is dirty”).
6 month computer maintenance tips:
Go on dust patrol. FIRST, TURN OFF and UNPLUG your computer from the
electrical socket. Blow out your keyboard with a compressed air can, and then turn it over and tap it with your hand a few times to shake out any other junk. Brush off
the dust bunnies from your PC fan (and any other parts in the back of the PC).
Annual computer maintenance tips:
Check to see if you have the latest hardware drivers loaded for your printer,
monitor and other peripherals.
Call your local computer repair technician and schedule an appointment to have the
inside of your computer cleaned, CPU fan checked and cables and circuit cards
checked for sound connections. Something called thermal creep can occur over
time causing cables and circuit cards to work out of their sockets. A CPU (central
processing unit) fan or power supply fan that fails can cause your computer or laptop
to overheat. This can lead to CPU failure and sudden computer shutdowns, along
with other component failures.
References:
1. http://www.sensible-computer-help.com/computer-maintenance-tips.html
3. http://www.dnkws.net/maintenance-tips.html
Here are some maintenance tasks that are important:
General Computer Maintenance Tips:
Keep all of your working files in one folder. The My Documents folder is offered by
Windows expressly for this purpose. The benefits of keeping all your files in one
place are multiple. One, you know where all your files are, two, it's easy to back
them all up at once, and three, your machine will run faster.
Don't put your personal files on the root of the C: drive. If you store a large number
of files in the root folder, you could corrupt your disk file table which could lead to a
"NTLDR is missing" error message when you boot the computer. Very bad. If you
have personal files on the C: drive now, move them to the My Documents folder.
Keep at least 100 MB of your C: free for Windows to use. Maxing out your drive may
result in Windows dumping data to your hard drive, or your computer will run really,
really slow.
Uninstall programs that you are not using. But don’t just delete the program.
Remove it correctly so you won’t cause Windows errors.
If you download a zip file and expand it, delete the original zip file when you are
done.
If you aren’t already using one, get a good surge protector and plug your computer
and peripherals into it. If you live in an area with bad lightening storms, unplug you
computer and peripherals during the storm.
Use an antivirus program such as BitDefender, McAfee, Norton, and Panda. You
really need one if you want your computer to keep running smoothly. An antivirus
program will make sure no "bad" stuff is allowed into the system.
Practice safe computing. Don't accept software or downloads for which you didn’t
ask. Delete any suspicious email without opening it. And even if the email came from
your best friend, don't open any email attachments with the following extensions: *
.exe, .com, .vbs, .bat, .mdb, .reg, and .js
Do not let a lot of programs load when starting up your computer. Uninstall or delete
programs that start up as soon as you start up your computer.
Use a firewall if you have a high speed internet connection. A firewall will prevent
your computer from getting "hijacked". You may not be aware of it, but your
computer may have been hacked at least once. Hackers use search programs to
seek out computers at random. Get a firewall program and use it.
Do not throw away installer software once you've installed the program. You will
need to reformat your computer some time and all data on the drive will be erased
and you will need to reinstall your software.
Daily computer maintenance tips:
Update your anti-virus scan and anti-spyware definitions, if they aren’t being done
automatically.
Back up any critical files that you have changed today to a flash drive.
Weekly computer maintenance tips:
Make sure your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs have been updated with the
latest definitions, and run a full scan from both programs.
Reboot your computer. (If you shutdown your computer each night, disregard this
tip). If you leave your computer on all the time, definitely do this. It will reset the
RAM, and your computer will run much better and faster.
Monthly computer maintenance tips:
Clean up your temporary files, your temporary internet files, and other junk files
about once a month.
Ensure that you have the latest Windows updates installed.
Clean out your email, paying special attention to your Inbox and Sent box. The
easiest way I’ve found is to sort your email box by size of the message, and delete
the largest unneeded emails first.
Back up your computer on an external hard drive to ensure the safety of you
software.
Quarterly computer maintenance tips:
Change your passwords. (Yes, I know this is a pain, I hear you groaning. But it’s
really a good idea to do this).
If you have a mouse with a roller ball (non-optical) clean it out. Use a Q-tip and
some isopropyl alcohol to clean the ball and the internal rollers. Remove any caked
on grease, oil, and dust that may have accumulated.
Check to see if you need to defragment your computer’s hard drive.
Check all your computer cables and make sure they are plugged in tight, and not
being pinched or pulled in a way that is damaging them.
Check your C: drive (hard disk) for disk errors.
NOTE: please make sure you have a current backup of your files before you run a check disk command. (Also, do this
immediately if you see a message stating that your Windows “volume is dirty”).
6 month computer maintenance tips:
Go on dust patrol. FIRST, TURN OFF and UNPLUG your computer from the
electrical socket. Blow out your keyboard with a compressed air can, and then turn it over and tap it with your hand a few times to shake out any other junk. Brush off
the dust bunnies from your PC fan (and any other parts in the back of the PC).
Annual computer maintenance tips:
Check to see if you have the latest hardware drivers loaded for your printer,
monitor and other peripherals.
Call your local computer repair technician and schedule an appointment to have the
inside of your computer cleaned, CPU fan checked and cables and circuit cards
checked for sound connections. Something called thermal creep can occur over
time causing cables and circuit cards to work out of their sockets. A CPU (central
processing unit) fan or power supply fan that fails can cause your computer or laptop
to overheat. This can lead to CPU failure and sudden computer shutdowns, along
with other component failures.
References:
1. http://www.sensible-computer-help.com/computer-maintenance-tips.html
3. http://www.dnkws.net/maintenance-tips.html
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