Critical Weekly Computer Maintenance Tasks
October 20, 2007 – 6:12 am
Computers are wonderful tools . . . when they work correctly. The trick is keeping them running correctly despite the legions of hackers and electronic gremlins that can conspire to slow or even stop your computer. In order to save yourself the time, frustration and repair costs of fixing your computer, take a few minutes each week to do a little preventive maintenance.
The first step in your weekly routine should be updating your operating system. Microsoft puts out updates on a regular basis and you need to download and install all of the updates marked Critical or Important. Failing to keep Windows updated can open your computer up to all types of bad things but there is just no excuse for not updating your computer since it is easy and free. To update, open Internet Explorer. Click Tools>>Windows Update. Remember, you need to download and install everything marked Critical or Important which may take awhile if you are behind on your updates. You may want to consider setting your computer to automatically perform the updates. The complete instructions are available on the Microsoft website at http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/updates/mu.mspx.
Next, update your antivirus and spyware software then perform a complete scan of your system. You may be surprised at the little nasties you will find on your system if you do a weekly scan. I use the free editions of AVG Anti-virus and AVG Anti-Spyware on my Windows computers. They are both free for personal use and they have professional versions available at a reasonable cost.
Don’t quit yet – you still have a couple more tasks to do. Adware and spyware are software that self-installs on your computer using up your critic system resources and slowing down your computer so you need to run a removal tool. It is a good idea to install and run at least two of these programs. I use Adware and Spybot Search and Destroy. Another good option is the Microsoft Windows Defender beta software . All three are free so you may want add them all to your anti-spyware toolbox.
Stay with me, we are almost done! The last task in your weekly maintenance program is to do a complete backup. Since I use a Mac, I use Apple’s Backup to do daily incremental backups and Carbon Copy Clone, a cloning program, to do a complete mirror of my MacBook. There are a wide variety of reasonably priced backup software options for both Windows and Mac platforms. If you buy an external hard drive, you will probably get a copy of a program like EMC (formerly Dantz) Retrospect Express that should do the job nicely for you. Ideally, you should keep a copy of your backup at an off-site location like a safe deposit box or a family member’s house so that you won’t lose both your computer and your backup in the event of a theft or a disaster. At the very least, burn a CD of your critical files and keep them at work. Things like important documents, your music collection and family photos should be included on your CD backups.
There you have it – your weekly computer maintenance tasks. It may sound like a lot to do but most of these tasks can be automated so you don’t even need to be around when they are done. Remember, a few minutes each week can save you hours of frustration so “Just Do It.”