A Look At Windows Maintenance Tasks

Hello again, and welcome to my blog!

This week we will discuss the importance of maintaining your computer, more specifically your Windows-powered computer. We will touch on several vital maintenance tasks that you should try doing on a regular’s basis.  

 

 Let us begin!

 

Owning your computer, much like owning a car, requires maintenance every so often, some more than others. As with all things, having a well-maintained machine will save you down the line and keep you going because nothing could be more frustrating when your computer fails, and that project you have been working on is now gone forever. Not a great feeling!

 

Windows Update

 

One of the most important things to do, and sometimes overlooked, is keeping your machine up to date. Though some operating systems do this automatically, it is best to check if there are updates that require manual installation as Windows may not install essential security updates. 

 

You can check by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and click Check for Updates in Windows 10.  

 

Backup Your Data

 

Another overlooking practice is having a backup of your data. I must admit that I am guilty of this as for a long time, I did not back up any of my files. My docs, photos, emails, videos, you name it. It was not until I had a scare that I almost say my whole recorded life gets wiped out due to a virus.  

 

To avoid this, you can back your data by using third party back software or cloud storage. Another option is using File History backup in Windows. You can do this by going to Setting > Update & Security > Backup and then select More options to see your most recent backup time. 

 

Windows Maintenance Scans 

 

 It is always a good idea to scan your machine every so often to ensure that everything is in order. Also, running a virus scan using an anti-virus or anti-malware application can help you by running scans or running in the background to alert you if something has been downloaded.  

You can also run a System File Check or SFC scan on your machine, which is a Windows maintenance utility that can check for damaged system files and repair them if required. You can do this by type cmd into the Start Menu, then right-click it and choose Run as administrator. Enter the following line SFC /scannow to start the scan. Mind you; this may take a while to complete.  

 

Running a scan on your hard disk drive is a great way to check for any bad sectors on the disk. The way to do this by going to the File Explorer window and navigating to This PC, right-click on the C drive, and choose Properties. Then click on the Tools tab and hit the Check button. 

 

Delete Unnecessary Files and Programs

 

It is a good idea to delete unnecessary Files and Programs from your machine every once and a while. Doing this will free up space on your hard disk drive or solid-state drive. You can do this by going to your Control Panel and look for Programs and Applications.  

 

Fresh Install

 

One sure-fire way to keep things clean can be done by doing a fresh install of Windows. Of course, doing this will take some time out of your day, as this can take a while. Also, be sure to back up everything before attempting this, as well.  

 

Is there anything that I am missing? If so, please leave a comment below and let me know how you maintain your computer. 

 

Until then, catch you next week!