The following is a checklist I have been using over the past several years to maintain the stability, performance and health of the three PCs that I use. I have found that taking a preventative maintenance approach to running computers, most of which can be scheduled or automated, has prolonged the useful lifespan of all my computers and reduced the downtime caused by faults. I have broken down the checklist into the daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly tasks that need to be completed.

Daily Checklist

Run anti-virus scan on a daily basis. It is best to set this up as an automated scan that you can schedule to run at a suitable time (e.g. over lunch).

Weekly Checklist

Make a backup copy of all critical data. Using synchronization software (e.g. Microsoft SyncToy) is the optimum way of doing this (as they only copy across a delta of file and folder changes; rather than copying every single file and folder). Again, this task can be automated to run at a time of your choosing. The simplest way of doing this is using Microsoft Scheduled Tasks (in the Control Panel).

Check for updates anti-spyware and anti-virus applications. In particular, check for updates relating to virus definitions as these are frequently being updated.

Check that you have enough free disk space (generally at least 10% of total disk space).

Monthly Checklist

Uninstall applications that you do not use often.

Manually run the Microsoft Windows Update service (found in the Start Menu) making sure to include any critical security updates.

Use the CCleaner application to clean out cached/temporary files that are not required anymore (the application is configurable with regard to which files it removes). You’ll notice that temporary internet files stored by your browser will be one of the biggest users of temporary files. An alternate application is Windows own Disk Cleanup tool (click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup).

Finally, defragment all drives (open My Computer, right-click the local disk volume you wish to defragment, and then click Properties. On the Tools tab, click Defragment Now). Perform a defragmentation more often if your computer starts running slowly, if you regularly install and uninstall a lot of applications or if you run applications that create/generate dozens of large files repeatedly (e.g. music sequencing software).

Quarterly Checklist

Change your passwords to safeguard against identity theft.

Check computer cables are plugged in correctly without any hindrances that could damage the pins on the sockets. A single twisted pin can render peripherals inoperable.

Run a full back up of your data and then perform a Check Disk scan (select open My Computer on the desktop, right-click the local disk volume you wish to analyze, and then click Properties. On the Tools tab, click Check Now). It is wise to run the full back-up first as the disk scan will reboot the system after it has completed.

Looking for an online pc maintenance application? Read Graham’s Reimage review to see how it can fix your registry, update device drivers and repair damage due to viruses or application installs/uninstalls or the blue screen of death.