In today’s Internet environment regular online users are prone to many malware and hacking threats. As the phrase goes “Prevention is better than cure,” spending some time daily for PC maintenance helps them prevent the PC from getting infected with malware. This step is not negotiable for all PCs even if they are configured on costly Operating System and application software or built on cost-effective options. This helps you avoid a lot of time and energy wastage on resolving the issues after the PC is infected or hacked.
The regular maintenance tasks are not complicated or time consuming. They are as simple as follows:
Regular Antivirus Scan and Update
Antivirus should be updated everyday. All genuine antivirus companies release new virus definitions everyday to update the database of the existing antivirus and equip it with identity of any new threats online.
Scanning PC is next important step in PC maintenance. It is always recommended to scan the PC after updating the antivirus as it will then be equipped with the latest version of databases and thus increasing the potential of the scan.
Checking for Software Updates
Software we use in PCs like Operating System, Browsers, Email clients, etc are made of millions of lines of programming code. Errors are inevitably made, while typing out such big number of lines, thus making the software vulnerable for any hacker attack. In order to repair these errors, the companies release updates/patches regularly for their products. Thus, it is important to keep track of the updates of all the software in your PC and keep it updated.
Running disk cleanup
While working on PC, there will be many temporary files and unnecessary utilities, programs and applications that get generated. These files include Temp files, downloaded program files, temporary internet explorer files, files in recycle bin, etc., As you keep using your PC, these files increase in number and keep consuming more and more of its disk space, thus decreasing its performance. In order to avoid this you should run disk cleanup atleast once a week. In Windows OS you can find this option by following this path
Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System tools -> Disk Cleanup
Defragmentation of PC
Defragmentation is not disk cleanup. Regular defragmentation of PC helps in physically organizing the contents of the disk to store the pieces of each file close together and contiguously. Thus, you will be able to maintain your system performance. Performing system defragmentation in Windows OS is easy and does not require much technical knowledge. To perform Defragmentation, go to
Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System tools -> Disk Defragmenter
PC maintenance though not complicated is not an easy task. It requires certain commitment from the user in order to carry out these tasks regularly. At the same time it helps him to stay immune from online threats, without effecting his online usage.