[SOLVED] What are important computer maintenance steps folks can do at home?

[SHaines]

With so many of us stuck at home and potentially using our home computers to work at home full time, systems are being put through more stress than normal.

What are some suggestions you have for folks who may need some help cleaning, or doing some routine maintenance, on their computers?

Pretty much any tricks to keep things running smoothly are appreciated. If you can arrange them in a numbered list of steps to take, that'll make it even easier for folks at home to squeeze the most performance out of their machines.

Thanks in advance!

 

[nofanneeded]

Oh, I dunno, maybe wash your hands and don't always eat or touch your face/hair while using the PC.

The guy with the nastiest keyboard at my office doesn't always do the first, and routinely does the rest. I even complained to my boss, when I saw him go #2 and walk right out of the men's room without even going near the sink. On multiple occasions. It seemed to do the trick, because he's always pointedly washed his hands since then, at least when I'm in the rest room (I have wondered if he knew I'm the one who ratted on him).

Anyway, whenever I've had to touch his keyboard, I immediately wash my hands before I touch anything else. I mean, for the years that we actually worked together, back when there were these things called office buildings and people would work together inside of them.

But, every 2 years? That's nuts!! I routinely get about 5 years, or more, out of decent mice or track balls. And I've used the keyboard I'm typing this on for about the last 15 years. Just buy decent equipment and take care of it. It's really not that different from your point about quality fans paying off, over time.


First, the boring but sound advice is to backup anything you don't want to lose. If you can't afford to backup everything, just backup the stuff that's more valuable to you than the price of the backup media. If you're having trouble deciding, imagine you lost it and ask yourself how much you would pay to get it back. Incidentally, I use a similar strategy for deciding how much to bid on ebay auctions for items without a well-established market value.

As for failing disks, check the SMART stats and look for error messages. You can also run the drive's own self-test, though a lot of drives seem to periodically self-test themselves, these days.

As for warranty terms, I just had a disk fail after < 100 hours of use, even though it was sold as an "enterprise" drive with 5-year warranty and supposedly 2M hours MTBF. You can't entrust your data to a warranty. Still, the warranty is perhaps reasonable assertion about the expected service life of a disk (i.e. how long you should plan to use it, before replacement). In spite of that, I just got nearly 10 years out of 5 disks (100% survival rate) with a 5-year warranty, but they spent about 85% of the time powered down.

1- wash my hands huh ? very funny , dont worry people are clean. I change them after 2 years for the clicks to be perfect and new for fast typing and after 2 years of heavy use no keyboard stays the same... and the mouse as well , the grease from your hand the natural one that comes from sweat after playing for hours will collect inside the mouse with time no matter how clean you are.

2- I never said that the warranty period od the hard disk is a safe factor and I never said that they dont break b4 warranty actually warranties are made for products that break within the time from manufacturing defect.

What I said was that IF they are working and still around and functioning , After the warranty is over move the data out of them . it is trivial logic because if they broke before that you wont check them after 5 years right ?

3- stop assuming people are dummy from your replies this is annoying.

 

[nofanneeded]

It definitely did happen, however, it has since been sorted out and there is nothing wrong with the current Ccleaner version.

I dont trust a company that neglects security to the point that the files you download officially from their site were infected ... once but never twice !

no one knows when it will happen again.

 

[USAFRet]

I dont trust a company that neglects security to the point that the files you download officially from their site were infected ... once but never twice !

no one knows when it will happen again.

Then presumably you won't be downloading anything, from anywhere.

It has happened to just about every company and platform.
AppleStore, PlayStore, Microsoft, various flavors of Linux...

At some point in the recent past, some files have been on their official site to download or install, that were compromised.

 

[nofanneeded]

Then presumably you won't be downloading anything, from anywhere.

It has happened to just about every company and platform.
AppleStore, PlayStore, Microsoft, various flavors of Linux...

At some point in the recent past, some files have been on their official site to download or install, that were compromised.

Apple store and play store and Microsoft store apps are not their products , they are just a market for third party software houses , it is forgivable because testing millions of software has a percentage of not detecting everything ... pls the hacks come from the software submission not from hacking the server files and adding codes to the apps.

but when it is your code and your product then it is another story , not only they did not test the files , they allowed hackers to hack their servers by not paying good for security.

 

[bit_user]

1- wash my hands huh ? very funny , dont worry people are clean. I change them after 2 years for the clicks to be perfect and new for fast typing and after 2 years of heavy use no keyboard stays the same... and the mouse as well , the grease from your hand the natural one that comes from sweat after playing for hours will collect inside the mouse with time no matter how clean you are.

Um, I don't have any problem with contaminants from my hands clogging up my mouse or trackball buttons. I do periodically clean the trackball socket, as crud definitely accumulates there.

I'm not a gamer, but I still don't think that justifies the point about the keyboard. If that's not a fringe opinion, it's certainly one I've never heard.

2- I never said that the warranty period od the hard disk is a safe factor and I never said that they dont break b4 warranty actually warranties are made for products that break within the time from manufacturing defect.

What I said was that IF they are working and still around and functioning , After the warranty is over move the data out of them . it is trivial logic because if they broke before that you wont check them after 5 years right ?

If you're worried about your data, then make backups. And if you have backups, then you might go ahead and use the HDD until you start seeing errors in the SMART logs. It's trivial logic.

Sure, you could preemptively replace the drive at the warranty expiration date, if you don't want the downtime and potential small data loss of waiting until it fails.

Of course, with SSDs, the main thing to look at is the media wear indicator - not time. Since they don't have any moving parts, their life is pretty much dependent just on write activity.

3- stop assuming people are dummy from your replies this is annoying.

If you post some strange or questionable advice, like replacing mice & keyboards every 2 years, I'm gonna comment on it. You have a right to clarify or state your case, but I still don't have to accept your position. That's just how it works.

Why would you think 2 years is the right amount for every mouse, every keyboard, and every user? If you didn't think that would be called into question, that's on you. IMO, the right answer is for users to replace their input devices when they're no longer satisfied with its performance.

Same thing about giving advice about protecting data without even mentioning backups. That's data-protection 101.

 

[bit_user]

Apple store and play store and Microsoft store apps are not their products , they are just a market for third party software houses , it is forgivable because testing millions of software has a percentage of not detecting everything ... pls the hacks come from the software submission not from hacking the server files and adding codes to the apps.

but when it is your code and your product then it is another story , not only they did not test the files , they allowed hackers to hack their servers by not paying good for security.

See, it's nothing personal. I'll gladly give you a "Like", when I agree with your whole post. Such as this one.

The only reason I didn't like your early posts on that subject is that I'm not familiar enough with the details of that incident to take a position on it.

 

[USAFRet]

If you publicly proclaim that everything in your walled garden is safe, and then some of it isn't...
That would be a fail on you as well.

But moving on. The CCleaner thing happened, it was discovered, it was fixed.
I have no issue using their current tool.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Voltage- more equals better. Oh wait.

On a serious note, dust it out every so often. Clear out unused files and programs. Run malwarebytes.

 

[Nemesia]

• Cleaning the dust every now and then.
• Using CCleaner every night before I shutdown the system. I'm a web dev. Removing cached files from all the browsers I test, temp files, forms saved input, saved passwords.
• Making sure I have up to date drivers and reading on driver issues.
• Scanning PC with Emsisoft Anti-Malware Antivirus, Malwarebyte, Windows Defender.
• Uninstalling softwares I don't need anymore if there are any.
• Going through my files and doing a cleanup. Mostly inside the downloads folder.
• Changing my background for my sanity.

Pretty much all I have to do.

 

[PrinceTexasLoaf]

I'd recommend using the program memreduct and making sure all the cleaning options are ticked. This will free up ram and in some cases significantly bring cpu usage down. And legit you could use memreduct even on something like windows xp.

 

[USAFRet]

I'd recommend using the program memreduct and making sure all the cleaning options are ticked. This will free up ram and in some cases significantly bring cpu usage down. And legit you could use memreduct even on something like windows xp.

What, specifically, does this application actually do, and how?

 

[PrinceTexasLoaf]

What, specifically, does this application actually do, and how?

It just frees up background tasks that the os might have running etc that can be safely cleared to reduce memory usage/ sometimes significant cpu usage. so it clears working set, system working set, standby list without priority, standby list*, modified page list, combine memory lists. It just stops those tasks/clears them up. since it causes no harm. It doesn't disable them or anything, they can always still function, so they will eventually start using memory again as you use your computer. But if you are gonna hop into a game or something like that or web browsing and you need more ram or it's running a tad slow it does the trick quite well.

 

[Frag Maniac]

It definitely did happen, however, it has since been sorted out and there is nothing wrong with the current Ccleaner version.

Yeah and that's called an anomaly, which the makers of CCLeaner tend to address immediately.

 

[helper800]

Yeah and that's called an anomaly, which the makers of CCLeaner tend to address immediately. You were making it sound like a tool that is known to be bad, so I took issue with that because it's not.

I mean hell, even Windows is constantly being updated due to security loopholes, yet I'm sure you're fine using it.

I think you quoted the wrong person.

 

[mchldpy]

at tech_akshay,
How is monitoring your CPU temperature doing things in a soft way? If you don't know what your CPU temp is you have no idea if you have an issue with thermal degradation, which affects everything indigenous to this planet.

btw - Star Trek was not filmed on "Remote Location".

 

[gondo]

You want positive airflow in the case. That means more air going into the case then exiting. If you fill the case with air it'll push air out of the cracks and keep dust out. If you put all fans as exhaust or pushing out it hauls air through the cracks and dust along with it. Remember that the PSU and Video cards exhaust air outside the case, so you need enough fans bring air into the case to counter the PSU and video card, and some more to create that positive air pressure.

If you have dust filters keep those clean.

I'm not a fan of air cleaners. They blow dust into areas they shouldn't go such as hard drives, cd roms, fans, etc... If you use air you should remove your components, bring them outside, and blow them clean. I prefer a micro electronics vacuum cleaner. There is no need to disassemble the PC and it removes all the dust instead of just blowing it around.

A UPS is never a bad idea. It'll eliminate all power surges and if you have a brown out for a second your computer will stay on instead of shutting down midway through a process like saving a file.

Other than this no maintenance is required. The only problem you will get is the odd virus or spyware if you're a total noob and just don't have a clue what you're doing and click everywhere. Some people will search the web and click on any link not having a clue what they are doing and get spyware galore.

ie. You want to go to ford's website and look at their cars. I would type in ford.com and go directly there. Some people open chrome (or what they call google or some even call it the internet) and search for ford. The first listing could say ford of america, check out our cars. They click on it and bamo full of spyware. They didn't look at the link below the listing that had a description for ford, but the link was actually www.spyware.com/you are a sucker.com. Some butthole made a website for spyware with a description of ford cards to sucker people in.

Or you can tell people to go to the website www.ford.com and they will search for www.ford.com instead of typing it in the address bar and going directly to the site. Just plain not knowing how to browse the web efficiently. And you can tell people this stuff all you want and they never learn. It's bad habits like this that give you tons of spyware while people who know how to browse the web never have a problem.

As soon as people bring me an HP, Dell, Acer, etc.... to fix I know the problem. #1 since they bought that computer in the first place they probably don't know what they are doing so they don't have a clue how to browse the internet, and they are full of spyware. 29 times out of 30 this is the case.

Moral of the story. Don't worry about maintenance. Clean the major dust from the case fans and heatsink on the CPU. Don't get too crazy like some people with cans of air outside. A UPS is a great investment to prevent a possible power problem that probably never would happen but if it does you just saved your system. And learn to browse the internet properly to avoid getting malware/spyware in the first place.

 

[USAFRet]

Or you can tell people to go to the website www.ford.com and they will search for www.ford.com instead of typing it in the address bar and going directly to the site. Just plain not knowing how to browse the web efficiently.

I had a neighbor exactly like that.
Nice woman. Utterly clueless.

 

[laviniuc]

disable system restore

 

[Frag Maniac]

I think you quoted the wrong person.

My bad, sorry.

 

[Aeacus]

You want positive airflow in the case. That means more air going into the case then exiting. If you fill the case with air it'll push air out of the cracks and keep dust out. If you put all fans as exhaust or pushing out it hauls air through the cracks and dust along with it. Remember that the PSU and Video cards exhaust air outside the case, so you need enough fans bring air into the case to counter the PSU and video card, and some more to create that positive air pressure.

You may want positive air pressure in your PC but you can not talk for everybody else. Especially since you failed to state several key aspects about it.

Sure, positive pressure brings the least amount of dust into the PC but compared to the neutral and negative pressure, it also has the poorest cooling of the three. Moreover, positive pressure can create hotspots inside the PC since there aren't enough fans to remove heated air within PC.

I run my PCs in negative pressure since any hot air created by components is expelled from the case as soon as possible, offering the best cooling. Dust isn't problem for me either since i have a high-end PC cases in use (well built with minimal small openings) and i have open grilles (including intakes) covered with good aftermarket filters (Demciflex).

Also, most of the modern PC cases have bottom mounted PSU. And unless you specifically mount the PSU with fan up (to admire the PSU fan), PSU doesn't interfere in any way with PC's cooling since it has it's own airflow system (bottom mounted and fan facing downwards).

Moreover, only and ONLY blower style GPUs contribute as exhausts. Open air style and passive cooling GPUs doesn't exhaust air outside of the PC for them to be considered as exhausts.

Another thing you failed to mention is the tower style CPU air coolers (e.g Freezer 33, NH-D15). Those also contribute getting air out of the PC and are considered as exhausts as well.

The most important is the airflow path.
Airflow rule of thumb is: front and bottom - intake; top and rear - exhaust. That airflow path also helps the natural convection of hot air rising.

I prefer a micro electronics vacuum cleaner.

Vacuum cleaners are great source of static electricity and a good way to fry a PC (usually MoBo). If you want to use it, fine by me. Your PC (and your loss) but i wouldn't suggest using vacuum cleaners to clean the PC.

Either use small brush, cotton rag/towel and/or compressed air. Neither of the three produce static electricity with a risk of frying the PC during dust cleaning.

 

[gondo]

Vacuum cleaners are great source of static electricity and a good way to fry a PC (usually MoBo). If you want to use it, fine by me. Your PC (and your loss) but i wouldn't suggest using vacuum cleaners to clean the PC.

Actually I specified an electronics vacuum cleaner. I should have specified an ESD safe vacuum.

And airflow direction is important. The direction of flow...intake at bottom front and exhaust rear back is the norm. But you can slow the exhaust fans in the back a tad to create positive airflow at the same time. It's true however that todays high end cases and air filters are enough to trap 99% of dust. It's basically just your heatsinks you want to keep an eye on as those clogged with dust will kill your temperatures. And if you just have a bad case riddled with 3 inches of pet hair and dust inside obviously that needs a cleaning.

 

[alceryes]

I have no issue using their current tool.

Same.
CCleaner is a spectacular tool. The built-in registry cleaner is top notch as well. I've never had it erroneously delete a needed key.

Along with CCleaner, I'm never running Windows 10 without O&O Shutup 10.
You can use the no-install executable to remove most if not all of the Windows 10 telemetry, monitoring, and other such nonsense that slows down Windows. It's a slightly more advanced tool but all the settings options are fully explained. Great for the privacy conscious and those wanting to get back the 5-10% of CPU usage that is at times being used for completely unnecessary functions.

Many users who are using corporate laptops and desktops won't be able to install these programs or perform many of these application cleaning steps as they invariably require admin privileges. They may be able to reach out to their IT department for help though.

 

[punkncat]

In my own use cases and any time I am asked to build or help with a new build there are several things I do to help make the machine run MUCH faster.

First things first. If you have a store bought prebuilt one of the first things you should do is download Windows 10 onto a USB from Microsoft and do a clean install of your OS. This will eliminate all the bloat, spyware, and redundant crap that manufacturers like to put into pre loaded OS. Very rarely you might have to go reload a driver for function keys and such (particular to laptops especially).
Someone else here mentioned an SSD. If you have a few bucks extra this one item will make almost any age computer feel FAR faster in relation to HDD.

Inside Windows 10 there are a load of items you should turn off to free up resources. I always go through the settings and turn off (most of) the stuff such as camera, microphone, contacts. Unless you are specifically going to use them there is really no need for those items to be on. Pay close attention to the privacy settings. (there are some really good YouTube walk through on everything I am mentioning)
Go turn the sliders off to everything you explicitly aren't using or if you are willing to "click to open" in Background Apps.
Uninstall One Drive unless you are specifically using it.
Turn off Game Bar and Xbox helpers unless you are specifically using (them). This goes the same for any process or app that you aren't using.
Go through the tiles in the start menu and "turn live tile off". Uninstall all the junk games, news feeds, stock market tickers and all that stuff running.

If you are on an older Intel system you can download a program set that disables the Spectre and Meltdown mitigations. This can make a very big performance difference on machines at and around 6th gen or older IIRC. If you are working from home (or playing) and no one other than yourself or trusted people have access to your computer there is absolutely no reason to be running it.

MAKE SURE to keep your antivirus solution up to date and have it run a scan every time you start. DO NOT install another antivirus solution on top of one already installed (see below). If your computer came with some "free" preview, either pay for it to keep it going, or uninstall it. Windows built in AV solution is good, and darn sure better than the one that came with your computer and has been expired for years.

There are many things that can be done but lastly I would just say PAY ATTENTION to what you are installing. Any time that you download and install an app make sure you KNOW what the checkboxes are installing. Watch out for those "free game" installs or "such and such tool bar" install. Make sure wherever possible to set the program NOT to start automatically with Windows. (there are very few programs that should). In particular with game loaders, make sure your Steam isn't open with Origin (for instance), unless it has to be (like Steam/UPlay).

 

[computerjoe314]

Super simple. Turn your computer off when you are not using them. Having it idling all night hurts your performance. Don't just sleep it. Fully shut it down.

 

[helper800]

I quoted the both of you whom made similar comments on the same tool after you quoted what I said about it. No mistake on my end.

I was saying that it had an issue and they solved it. You said about my comment, "you were making it sound like a tool that is known to be bad, so I took issue with that because it's not." All I said is that it had problems and they solved them, I even recommended that it be used for the purpose of the OP. Why would I recommend it if I thought of it as a bad tool as you accused me of saying?