Maintenance tasks to help keep your PC running smoothly
On this page I have compiled a short list of basic PC tips that will help you to keep your computer running smoothly.
Defragment the Hard Disk Drive
Run Disk Cleanup
Update Virus Definitions
Update Firewall Definitions
Update Anti-Spyware Definitions
Perform Windows and Office Updates
Delete the Internet Cache
Remove Unwanted Programs
Over time the number of programs on your computer builds up. While this is unlikely to cause any major problems they do use up space on your Hard Disk Drive. Also, depending on the programs there is a possibility that they will slow down your computer and impact on it's performance.
Read more about this:
Defragment the Hard Disk Drive
Over time the files on your Hard Disk Drive become more and more fragmented. This results in your PC appearing to run slower as retrieving files from the disk takes longer. To help keep your computer running at top speed regularly perform run the Disk Defragmenter.
Read more about this:
Defragmenting your Hard Disk to improve performance
Run Disk Cleanup
As you use your computer you will collect a lot of files on your hard disk that aren't required. These might be the files that are downloaded when you visit websites that enable you to view their content or temporary files that are used by other programs. In addition, when you delete files they will be moved to an area called the Recycle Bin. These files will not generally cause any problems, but if you want to maximise your available disk space and get rid of all this clutter, you should run Disk Cleanup regularly.
Read more about this:
Using Disk Cleanup in Windows XP to remove unwanted clutter
Update Virus Definitions
It is important that every computer has anti-Virus software installed to protect it from being infected. Anti-Virus software depends on using signature files to recognise viruses, and since new ones are appearing on a daily basis it is important that these signature files are kept up to date.
Any effective anti-Virus software will have a facility to update these signatures, and in most cases you can set it so that this occurs automatically. To ensure that you are getting effective protection from all viruses you need to be sure that your anti-Virus software is updated regularly (at lease once a week, although nowadays it is common for the protection to be updated daily).
Read more about this:
Viruses - what they are, what they do and how to protect your computer
Update Firewall Definitions
If your computer is connected to the internet, or any other public network, it is important that you are protected by a firewall. This will protect your computer from illegal access attempts as well as infection from Worms.
If your firewall is software program installed on the computer (as opposed to a hardware firewall) it is important that you keep it up to date. Similar to anti-Virus software this should be done on a regular basis, and most firewall program's will have the ability to automatically update themselves.
Read more about this:
Firewalls - what they are, what they do and why you need one!
Update Anti-Spyware Definitions
Spyware (a general term used to describe a range of malicious software) is an ever increasing threat that in my opinion is more dangerous than Viruses.
While many anti-Virus software programs also claim to provide protection from Spyware I recommend that you also install dedicated anti-Spyware software. The technology to develop Spyware is different from that of Viruses and anti-Spyware software is developed specifically to tackle this threat.
Unfortunately, there are many programs on the internet that claim to be anti-Spyware software which in fact are at best ineffective and at worst can themselves infect your computer. More details about this are in the library document at the link below.
Like anti-Virus programs it is very important that your anti-Spyware software is kept up to date and you should make sure that it is updating regularly (at least once a week, but daily is recommended).
Read more about this:
Spyware - what it is and the risk to you
Perform Windows and Office Updates
If your computer is running the Windows operating system Microsoft regularly produce updates to fix problems and security issues that have been identified. These updates are made available by Microsoft on the second Tuesday of every month and can be downloaded for free from their website.
If you have any of the Microsoft Office programs installed they also make updates available for these (although not necessarily on the second Tuesday of the month).
To download these updates visit www.microsoft.com and click on Microsoft Update on the left hand side of their homepage.
You should be aware that Microsoft consider Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows ME to be old systems and no longer support them. You will not be able to download updates for these systems and so they may be more at risk to vulnerabilities.
Microsoft advise all people with these operating systems to upgrade to a current one.
Delete the Internet Cache
When you visit any site on the internet the files that make up the web page are first downloaded to your computer before being viewed. Over time these files can build up taking up disk space and occasionally causing problems with your internet browser.
Disk Cleanup (discussed earlier) can be used to erase these files, or you can do it from within your web browser.
If you want to erase all the internet information that has built up on your computer you may want to consider a product like Windows Washer available from the Essential Software page.