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The “Top 40” Beginners Maintenance Checklist for Windows XP
Lynnette D. Morrison http://www.etwebtools.org
The "TOP 40”: BEGINNER’S MAINTENANCE CHECKLIST for XP -- "First, do no harm:" i.e., don’t start your computer career by trying to delete everything, modifying the heck out of your registry, or racing around to various exotic tweak and tips sites that are all too easily, abundantly, and alluringly available, and accessible over the internet. You need to learn before you can truly 'tweak.' ;)
2. Run chkdsk in run command ... I do it every day: others may settle for once a week, maybe longer. 3. Left click Disk check with bad sectors check (requires reboot, as prescribed...whole process can take 20 minutes or more.) In My Computer, you would left Click on the C:\ Drive and then select Properties and on the Tools tab you will find Error Checking. I doubt if this would hurt anyone if you ran it once a month. 4. Delete temporary internet files, from Internet Explorer > Tools > Internet Options > General tab ...oh, once every few days. ( I delete mine every day.) 5. Delete cookies, from same. 6. Delete history, from same. 7. Delete *.tmp, .gid, .cnt, .fts, .dmp files occasionally. Leave .old, .bak, and .log files until you learn more about them. It can be a drag to lose them, only to find your system needed them to load or uninstall a particular program ( oh, those tedious error pop-ups!) …and XP is nothing, if it isn’t ‘particular!’ 8. Uncheck unneeded services in msconfig (run command) on start-up tab. Don't mess with the other tabs in System Configuration for a good long while! 9. run SFC /scannow (type in run command line) with OS disc once a month (takes about 20 minutes.) Windows File Protection verifies that all protected Windows files are intact and in their original versions. 10. Reboot often, more or less (after installing a given program, even if it doesn’t tell you to, for example.) If problems arise, try a re-boot that may just solve all of the problems for you.
12. Remove old programs you no longer use, from Add/Remove. 13. Make extra restore points, and resort to System restore, when necessary. 14. Review and learn how to do a repair reinstall, should the necessity ever arise. 15. Do automatic updates, if so inclined (Some download them all, some are more selective, and some daring souls neglect them completely.) To use Automatic Updates to download and install any future critical security updates from Microsoft: a. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. b. Click Performance and Maintenance. c. Click System to open the System Properties dialog box. You'll see a screen like the one below. d. On the Automatic Updates tab, check the box next to Keep my computer up to date. e. Choose a setting. We strongly recommend choosing Automatically download the updates, and install them on the schedule that I specify. f. If you choose the option to automatically download and install updates,
select a day and time when your computer will be turned on, so the installation
process can be finished.
17. Use Windows firewall as present. Disable temporarily if necessary for downloads. 3rd party fire walls, even the free ones, are for the slightly more advanced. They can be frustrating. (Also, disable anti-virus, if necessary, to execute difficult or slow downloads. You can always save the file to disc, and scan it for viruses, before you open it. i.e., you don't need to run anti-virus during the actual downloading, itself.) 18. Download and run (Lavasoft) Adaware 6, if necessary, if you play with third party software downloads off internet. (A pleasant way also to remind you of all the 'cookies' and such you left sitting on your system, no doubt draining your resources and slowing the system down!) 19. Avoid deleting surplus references to deleted files and removed software in the registry. You need to be really sure you know how to do this before you can 20. Consider full system reinstall. If problems persist and you are having several different problems occurring this can be done. 21. Get one or two more hard drives, and keep OS on separate hard drive. This should prevent any dubious interaction between software (especially freeware, or any third party software) and your basic operating system (OS.)This should result in fewer needs to repair or reinstall with OS disc, etc. Even a 2 or 3 gig second hard drive can be configured to function as virtual memory (or ‘extra’ memory, for us beginners), and improve performance. Research the internet, or consult your computer guru on this subject. 22. Check for, and download, new drivers for the stuff you know you have (i.e., in device manager.) from the various manufacturer's website. 23. Always use Add/Remove programs in Start > Control Panel to remove unneeded software. The uninstall programs provided with downloadable freeware and such are not necessarily good for your machine. XP is not overly fond of uninstalling software, except thru Add/Remove. (Use the right tool for the job!) 24. Consider upgrading to at least 256 RAM. (That’s the basic message I get, wherever I go.) 25. If you want to, disable Messenger, Indexing, Automatic Updates, Remote Desktop, and the annoying Error Reporting service, if you must … but leave the rest of the System Configurations ( i.e., those found by typing in services.msc in the run command, and pressing OK button) alone, for now. 26. Disable hibernation (Control Panel > Power Options > hibernate tab) unless for some reason you anticipate needing it. 27. Disable audio card System Sounds, if you like (pleasant not to hear them, and pleasanter still to know they take up no extra power when turned off, especially the EXIT sound.) I do this via Media Player 9 > Tools > options card > Devices tab > speakers > properties button > Sounds and Audio Devices card > Sounds tab. However, you may decide to retain some few of the system sounds like Battery Low warnings, critical beeps or what-not. 28. Run Disc cleanup - skip compress old files, as I don’t recommend it (others may disagree.) Disc cleanup is also a pleasant way to remind you of all those Temp Internet Files, Temp files, and the junk still hiding in your recycle bin. 29. Download and install a second freeware media player like WinAmp that will play the files which Windows Media Player won’t play. WinAmp, will play them so much easier and quicker, without all the fuss! 30. Searching the Internet? Stick with Google, until you have a good reason to graduate to another search engine. Google is quick simple easy to use for most beginners.
32. Be considerate. Get a pair of headphones, to spare your housemates and neighbors your Metallica rock sessions. 33. Delete old pics, music, and video files you don’t need. Get a DVD /CD - RW (rewritable) to avoid having all that stuff accumulate. 34. Get a good computer guru. An experienced one or a few experienced ones. Ideally, each building or hallway on campus will have someone to help with the simple things. 35. Consider saving yourself the agony of wondering if someone hacked your private info by keeping your financial and things like personal address information off your computer. Less convenient, but you may be happier in the long run. 36. Print hard copies - off your printer - of whatever you are typing into your Word program or whatever, ASAP (as soon as possible.) This is so even though you may already be 'saving to disc'(i.e., floppy disc in your A: drive.) This saves one the agony of losing the material should your computer act up, power outages or whatever cause disconnect/freeze-ups, or some as-yet-undiscovered subatomic particle disables something. Relying just on the ‘Save’ and/ or ‘Save As’ options, or just leaning on one or more A: drive/’floppy’ disc copies, may not do the job. Printing a page each as you go, is the safest bet for a backup: modify according to your tolerance and creative powers. Backup, Backup, Backup is my motto. Having several different ways or places to save your data is always your best bet. You should backup to a jump drive, or a CD-RW or a Zip drive if you have one. You can purchase one of those USB portable storage media flash memory devices for under $50 and they are worth it. I use my 128mb USB Lexar media portable jump drive every day to backup my important files. 37. Shared computer? You’ll still be happier resorting to keeping some hidden files within your own account/profile. *Also with regard to security: you should password your machine, or personal account (Start > Control panel > User Accounts.) A password should usually consist of 8 to 13 units. More are possible. A password should contain an easily remembered combination of, say, two easily remembered words, interspersed with numbers between letters, according to a pattern you can recall/ remember somehow. It should have some letters capital letters (shift button) and some left in small case letters (i.e., made ‘case-sensitive.’) This will deter hackers. It is said that no machine should go without a password: it is at least as essential as any other security addition, Windows update, or tweak you might make. Don’t rely on an easily misplaced scrap of paper or file card to remember your password with. Evolve a password, over time that you can remember and live with. Change it as often as you like, or at least every few months.) 38. Acrobat reader freeware can be useful for reading off the Internet. (PDF files or what-not.) but as a general rule, avoid third-party software, no matter how much fun it is. Removing it can be a nuisance, and is just an extra strain for XP. http://www.adobe.com and click on the Get Adobe Reader link. 39. Don’t go relocating your music, pictures, or video files all over the place. It’s so dangerously simple to move files, once you learn how! However, it can make them a lot harder to find and/or access. Keep it simple. 40. Try to avoid running four or more programs at once. With more ram, or perhaps an extra hard disc, you may get away with it better than low ram and a 1 gig. hard disc drive. ... and don't let your computer frustrate you. It's only a machine. Don't let it confuse you. It is loaded with a myriad of things which will simply take awhile to gracefully arrange themselves on your humanoid system disc (i.e., your brain.) Take a break from your computer once in a while (remember those friends and that fresh air you once had?)
Windows XP Troubleshooting
tips and tricks web sites
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