Maintenance Service

As you know, every month certain checks should be made on your computer. I have a checklist which you can use for that purpose. Feel free to copy and use it.

Many of my clients have me do this for them on either a monthly or quarterly basis. I can do it remotely while they watch and instruct them, or even while they are gone or in the evenings after work. Whatever you prefer.

Standard Monthly tasks. Do these every month:

Check your antivirus logs for the results of ongoing protection as well as full scans. Hopefully, at least once a month, your antivirus program runs a scan at night to check for any possible issues. It keeps a log.
The next three items are put together because WinPatrol can be used to check all three.

Odd startups
Regular Defragmenting (you should be running defrag once a week), or if you have an SSD drive, you should be running Intel's SSD Optimize tool weekly. WinPatrol normally shows these under Scheduled tasks.
Temp files being removed. TempCleanerDeluxe should be in your startup programs. It will run automatically to cleanup your temp files every time you restart Windows. Other programs can also be used for temp file removal. The secret is to keep it quick and simple. It should not give you a chance to screw up.

Check the temperature of you hard drives, cpu, case and sometimes video card. If a fan goes out, then the temperature will shoot up. You can often spot this and resolve the issue before the over heating does damage. My current favorite heat check program is OpenHardware Monitor, but I also like cpuid's HW monitor, though it seems to have a problem with Windows 8 compatibility.
Make sure the Microsoft updates are being done.
Check Secunia and make sure other program updates are being done. There are many programs which develop security vulnerabilities. Secunia is used to make sure you know when to update those. It does a pretty good job of trying to update them for you.
Run the Firefox Plugin Check and update any plugins that need it. From the menu choose Addons and from there select Plugins. Then click the link Check to see if your plugins are up to date.
Check your backup logs and be sure your backup system is working. This can include local backup, online backup, and imaging of the entire drive.
Scan your computer with an alternative stand alone anti-malware tool in addition to your standard weekly scans with your antivirus program.

I am happy to do this for you, or teach you to do it yourself. What is important is keeping your computer safe and profitable.

Date: April 2013

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Keeping clients' computers safe and profitable for over 30 years

Home Forms About Current Newsletter subscribe Search All Articles Browse by Category Security Internet Mobile Business Hardware Fun		Maintenance Service As you know, every month certain checks should be made on your computer. I have a checklist which you can use for that purpose. Feel free to copy and use it. Many of my clients have me do this for them on either a monthly or quarterly basis. I can do it remotely while they watch and instruct them, or even while they are gone or in the evenings after work. Whatever you prefer. Standard Monthly tasks. Do these every month: Check your antivirus logs for the results of ongoing protection as well as full scans. Hopefully, at least once a month, your antivirus program runs a scan at night to check for any possible issues. It keeps a log. The next three items are put together because WinPatrol can be used to check all three. Odd startups Regular Defragmenting (you should be running defrag once a week), or if you have an SSD drive, you should be running Intel's SSD Optimize tool weekly. WinPatrol normally shows these under Scheduled tasks. Temp files being removed. TempCleanerDeluxe should be in your startup programs. It will run automatically to cleanup your temp files every time you restart Windows. Other programs can also be used for temp file removal. The secret is to keep it quick and simple. It should not give you a chance to screw up. Check the temperature of you hard drives, cpu, case and sometimes video card. If a fan goes out, then the temperature will shoot up. You can often spot this and resolve the issue before the over heating does damage. My current favorite heat check program is OpenHardware Monitor, but I also like cpuid's HW monitor, though it seems to have a problem with Windows 8 compatibility. Make sure the Microsoft updates are being done. Check Secunia and make sure other program updates are being done. There are many programs which develop security vulnerabilities. Secunia is used to make sure you know when to update those. It does a pretty good job of trying to update them for you. Run the Firefox Plugin Check and update any plugins that need it. From the menu choose Addons and from there select Plugins. Then click the link Check to see if your plugins are up to date. Check your backup logs and be sure your backup system is working. This can include local backup, online backup, and imaging of the entire drive. Scan your computer with an alternative stand alone anti-malware tool in addition to your standard weekly scans with your antivirus program. I am happy to do this for you, or teach you to do it yourself. What is important is keeping your computer safe and profitable. Date: April 2013 This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
		I attempt to provide reliable information, but make no warranty as to the accuracy or safety of these articles. I disclaim all legal responsibility for what following these instructions may do. Follow my advice at your own risk