Preventing Trouble on Windows Through Regular Maintenance

Most people don't think much about their hard drives unless the computer crashes or another problem occurs. But you shouldn't worry about keeping your computer running smoothly only when something goes wrong. Regular maintenance can prevent trouble before it starts. Here are some hints for maintaining your system in top form.

Monthly Maintenance

The following accessories and tasks should be run monthly.

Run Check Disk or Scandisk

Windows NT/2000/XP: In My Computer, right-click the drive and choose Properties. Under Tools, select Error-Checking. In most cases this check will not proceed until you restart the computer.

Windows 95/98/ME: Click on Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools and then Scandisk. Choose the drive you want to check. Click on "Standard" and be sure the box is checked for automatic fix. Then click the Start button.

It will take several minutes to complete the process. This should fix a number of things which can go wrong on your hard drive. No need to run the thorough check unless you are having problems. (The thorough mode checks the physical hard drive.) Depending on the size of the drive, the thorough check can take more than half an hour.

It is most important to run this utility after the computer has shut down improperly (if the computer was abruptly shut down by a power outage, for example).

Disk Cleanup

Both Windows 2000 and Windows 98 have built-in utilities that help you keep your hard drive clear of junk and thus operating faster. These utilities remove downloaded program files left after a program is installed, empty the Recycle Bin, and delete temporary Internet files. Accumulating too many Internet files can slow up your browsing, especially if you are on a broadband connection (DSL/Cable). You can also reduce the amount of disk space allocated to these files by opening Internet Explorer > Tools > Internet Options > Temporary Internet Files > Settings.

Disk Cleanup in Windows 2000

1. Go to Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > DiskCleanup.
2. Select the drive(s) to cleanup. Click OK to all.

To have this run automatically:

1. In the right pane of Windows Explorer, click the + next to Control Panel.
2. Click on the Scheduled Tasks folder.
3. Double-click "Add Scheduled Task."
4. Choose Disk Cleanup from the list.
5. Choose a repeat interval (weekly) and time that the computer will be turned on.
6. Click thru Next to Finish.

Disk Cleanup in Wiindows 98 is identical except that the Scheduled Tasks folder is under My Computer and not under Control Panel.

Defragment the drive

Click on Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Defrag (or Disk Defragmenter) to open the defragmenting utility. The purpose for running defrag is to put your files into contiguous form. When a file is created, it looks for open locations on the hard drives and puts a piece of the file here and another piece there -- they become fragmented. As files become more and more fragmented, it takes longer to load and save them. Defrag puts them back together, which improves system performance. This may take 20 minutes or longer depending on how badly the drive is fragmented. On Windows NT/2000/XP it is possible to keep working while the defragmentation is taking place, but the system may respond sluggishly. On Windows 98 and ME, you should not do any other work while defrag is running.

If you work with large files such as audio, video, or big images, you may wish to defragment on a weekly basis. Most users should not need to defragment more frequently than once a month.

Other Things to Consider

Preventing trouble by properly installing software

You will have less trouble with your computer if you follow these guidelines.

Don't install junk software. Screen savers, dancing sheep, file-sharing software like KaZaa -- this software gums up your system. That's fine to do on your personal computer at home. But at work it reduces your effectiveness and saps your ability to accomplish your mission. "Fun" software downloaded from the Internet frequently has undesirable effects. It might secretly install software to create more pop up ads or track your online surfing habits. It might be poorly written and will use up system resources, causing other programs to respond less quickly. It might even contain a virus or be a virus. Resist the urge to install junk and you will be glad you did.

Close all programs that are running before installing new software. Sometimes programs run in the background that you may not be aware of.

1. Close all open windows and visible programs.
2. Close all programs that are running on the taskbar.
3. Right-click the icons running on the system tray, and if it says "exit" or "close," left-click them closed.
4. In Windows 98 or ME, there may be some programs running that are not visible. To close them, press Ctrl+Alt+Del (while holding down the "Ctrl" and "Alt" buttons, hit the Delete button). A window will open listing the programs that are still running. Close all of them except "Explorer" and "Systray." To close the other programs, highlight a program and click on "End Task." Sometimes they will not immediately close, and another panel will come up asking if you want to end the task. Click on "End Task". By doing this one program at a time, you will eventually close all the running programs. Be careful that you do not hit Ctrl-Alt-Del a second time by mistake, or your computer will restart, and you will have to start all over again. If you accidentally close "Explorer" or "Systray," your computer will also restart.

Disable antivirus software before installing software. Antivirus software might interrupt the installation process.

Follow the instructions that came with the software you are installing. Install the software into the folders suggested by the installation wizard. Most programs will ask if you want an express installation or a custom installation. If you are a novice, it is probably best to use the express installation. However, you may want to make some choices as to what portions of a piece of software you want to install. In that case, use a custom installation.

Be sure to keep the installation files. When the time comes to reinstall software or uninstall the software, you'll have those files handy.

Problems and How to Deal with Them

Save your work frequently so that you will not have to redo it in case of a system crash. That's why, when working on a complicated project or writing a long document, you should save regularly -- every page or every 10 minutes.

If an application stops responding, you can try to force it to quit and continue your work. In Windows NT/2000/XP, use the Task Manager to accomplish this. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to open the Windows Security screen, then click the button for Task Manager. Select the application you want to force to quit, and click end task. Once the program has quit you can open it again and begin work without restarting.

In Windows 98 or ME, the best option is usually to restart the computer. If you can't shut down normally, you can usually force the computer to reboot by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del twice. If you are unable to restart normally or by using Ctrl+Alt+Del, press the reset button on your computer. If you have to force the computer to restart, run Check Disk or Scandisk.

If you must delve deeper

Uninstall Problem Software: The best way to solve persistent problems with software is to uninstall and reinstall the software. Sometimes software has an "uninstall" program to do the job. If so, use that first. If that isn't possible, uninstall the software using the Add/Remove Programs control panel. Select the software from the list and click Remove. If that isn't possible, you should use a program to uninstall the software. There are a number of these available, for example, McAfee Uninstaller and Aladdin's EasyUninstall.

Microsoft sends pieces of the program to many places on the hard drive. So if you delete the folder only, you will still have the software lurking about your system. That is why you must uninstall the software. Once the program is uninstalled, you may reinstall the software from the original CD-ROM.

Be sure to back up your data either on zip disks, CD-ROMs, or in another folder on your hard drive. This is very important, since you cannot replace your data.

Reinstall Operating System: Some catastrophic events -- such as hard drive failure -- necessitate complete re-installation of all software, including Windows. This should only be done by someone who knows what they are doing. This is also another reminder why back-up is so important.

Create a Start-Up Disk:

Windows 95/98/ME: Go to My Computer > Control Panel > Add/Remove Software, and click on Startup Disk. Select the button Create Disk. (Of course, make sure you have a blank disk in the drive.)

Windows NT/2000: Create an Emergency Repair Disk by opening Backup: Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Backup. Click Create an Emergency Repair Disk, and follow the instructions that appear on your screen. The emergency repair process relies on information that is saved in the systemroot\repair folder. You must not change or delete this folder.

Use a Complete System Back-Up to Recover from a Disaster: The ability to do a full system back-up is very important, as this saves your data in the event of any major problems. This back-up can be done best by either using tape or another hard drive. It can also be done with removable storage such as a CD-R/RW, DVD-R, or Zip drive. You also need software to perform a complete system back-up.

No matter what, you should at least back up your files and e-mail. All back-up software is different and you must learn how to use it properly.

Find and Repair Problems Using Diagnostic Software: Programs such as Norton Utilities can be very useful when repairing problems. Every user should have such a program. They are relatively easy to use and can fix many software problems.