Basic PC Maintenance (for PC's running Windows XP or newer)
This short guide is the first of many that I hope to publish on the subject of basic computer maintenance and use, it is primarily a refresher for students who have completed my 'Spring Clean your PC' course at the 'Wymondham Learning Centre' although I hope it proves useful to anyone looking for advice on this topic. ___________________________________________________________________________
After a while your computer will tend to slow down, it happens to all of us and it is preventable.
The main cause is simple; neglect. I personally believe that the computer looks too much like the TV, so people tend to treat it like one. It gets turned on, used and then turned off. Most people don't realise that a computer needs maintaining at all and so when it starts to slow down, the common misconception is that something is broken. Usually thats not the case.
Follow these steps to stave off the slowdown! I suggest you do the following once a month. You should complete all of the steps in full and be aware that particularly on the first occasion this process may take several hours (a basic level of Windows familiarity is assumed):
Check and empty the recycle bin.
Use the 'Add/Remove Programs' facility in the 'Control Panel' to remove unused or unwanted software. If you don't know what a piece of installed software does, look it up using Google to see if it is safe to remove (never delete files unless you are certain it's safe to do so).
Check your computer for 'Viruses'. Use a quality anti-virus scanner and run a 'Full' or 'Thorough' scan. Quarantine anything suspicious the scanner finds to avoid the virus replicating on your system. Again, use Google or your antivirus program's help pages to look up anything you are unsure of.
Check your computer for 'Malware'. Malware is malicious software, typically software that spies on your web use, attempts to garner personal information for marketing purposes or is otherwise considered to be annoying or intrusive (not technically a virus and so often ignored by your anti-virus application). As with the anti-virus program, run a 'Full' or 'Thorough' scan and quarantine anything suspicious the scanner finds.
Clean up your hard drive. Use a disk cleaning utility to scan for unnecessary files (such as old log files and temporary files from web browsing and software installation) and remove them. Once this has been done, use a similar (if not the same) application to clean up the Windows 'Registry'. In simple terms, your hard drive is very much like a library. It has books on the shelves (your files) and a dewey decimal card index (the registry) telling Windows where to find the books you want. If the books get moved/deleted, you need to update the card index to reflect those changes. If you don't, Windows has no choice but to search all the shelves in the library looking for the book you want - something which takes time and goes a long way to explaining that slowdown your computers has been displaying recently!
Defragment your hard drive. Just because you've removed all the books you don't want (returning to the library metaphor) and deleted all the index cards you don't need, doesn't mean all your files are neatly stored on the shelves where they should be. This final step resolves that issue and files everything neatly away.
Once the above is completed, restart your computer and feel free to feel pleased with yourself!
Take a look at the 'Software' section of my website for my current recommendations regarding which utilities you should use to complete each task. If there is a cost associated with a piece of software I try to suggest a free alternative.