PC Maintenance Schedule & Procedures.

Like cars, computers operate best and last the longest when they’re well-maintained. There are some simple
maintenance procedures you can do regularly to help keep your computer running at its peak performance.
This guide will outline a schedule and step-by-step procedures for maintaining your PC. Please note that this
guide is tailored more for a home PC than an office PC, which can have different maintenance requirements.



Weekly Procedures

• Scan for spyware.
• Check for important updates, and updates to your antivirus and anti-spyware programs.
• Backup any critical data (Such as financial or medical information).
• Defragment hard drives.


Bi-weekly Procedures

• Scan for viruses.
• Clear temporary files, cookies, and caches.
• Check startup list for new or unnecessary items.


Monthly Procedures

• Backup other important data. If you save email to your PC (as opposed to saving your email on the
server), this is a good time to back it up. Pictures, music, documents, etc… should be backed up
occasionally if they’re important to you.
Seasonal/Quarterly procedures
These steps should be performed every 3 months or so.
• Check for other updates, including your Web browser, firewall, router, email handler, etc…
• Use Add/Remove Programs to check for programs you don’t need or use anymore, and uninstall
them. Delete files and documents you don’t need anymore while you’re at it.
• Clean the dust out of your PC.


Yearly procedures

• Some experts recommend reformatting your PC once a year, but this is overkill for many home users.
If your computer is operating much slower than when it was new, you might want to consider
reformatting. Reformatting involves backing up all the important information on your machine’s hard
drive to an external media (CDs or DVDs, an external hard drive or USB drive, another computer,
etc…) and then wiping the computer’s hard drive completely blank. Then, re-install the operating
system and programs, and transfer files back to the hard drive from the backup media.
The procedure takes most of an afternoon, but returns your computer’s software to “factory
condition”. It’s a big task for a beginner to undertake, so if you’re not confident in your abilities,
consider enlisting the help of a computer-savvy friend or a professional.
• If you’re not going to reformat, some other suggested yearly maintenance procedures include:
Re-install any programs that are running slowly, make a complete backup of all your important data,
and update your drivers and firmware.