Backup and Clean up your act!

Every now and then it is time to clear the decks and get your PC running a little smoother. Running these programs and tidying up your file system will insure your backup happens and so you can avoid viruses and malware infections. These tasks can be performed once a week.

Clean and backup

Start by looking at the ‘download’ folder in windows explorer and delete any downloads you no longer require, or move them to a backup or cloud service. Most setup files here can be deleted as once the software is installed they are not needed.  The ‘Documents’ folder should get your next attention, making sure to move any vital files to the backup or cloud service. Check the rest of the folders and make sure you have backed up your pictures and videos. Then you can head to ‘This PC’ and ‘Local disk’, right click and select ‘properties’. Under the general tab you will find the ‘disk clean up’ button. Follow the instructions and your hard disk drive will have most unnecessary files deleted and the ‘recycle bin’ emptied if you have ticked the boxes.

Clear the bugs

Run your antivirus scan and malware scan regularly. People often rely on the software running a scheduled weekly scan, but this cannot be completed if the PC is off at the scheduled time, so tick to say you want the scan done next time the PC is on. Do not forget to also update the databases of antivirus software. Modern Antivirus suite software often has a system of ticks to highlight if updates or scans are needed.

Get organised

Running the defragmentation tool regularly will help keep your PC running faster. Found in the ‘tools’ tab of the ‘Local disk’ ‘properties’. The initial run will be lengthy, but if run on a weekly basis this will speed up. You could consider upgrading to a Solid-State Drive (SSD) which does not require this process. If you do have a SSD then the much shorter optimisation tool can be run instead.

Get into the habit

Doing these tasks once a week will soon become a habit. Try to keep most of your vital work backed up and stored off your PC to a cloud service. This way if it ever breaks down or gets stolen, you will not lose anything important.