Who does not want to maintain their Windows PC in good running condition? Everyone wants a well-optimized, fast, and smooth computing experience, and a Windows 11 or Windows 10 computer can offer you that.
Maintain Windows 11/10 PC in good running condition
Here are a few tasks you will have to perform periodically, in order to Tune-up Windows and maintain your system in good running condition:
- Clear PC Junk
- Uninstall unwanted Programs
- Control Startup Programs
- Remove Crapware
- Run Defragmenter
- Run ChkDsk occasionally
- Keep OS and software updated.
1] Clear PC Junk
Set a time to clean up your PC junk files. Depending on your computer usage, you could decide to do it every week or every month. On this day, use your built-in Disk Cleanup Tool and clear up your junk files.
Junk files are files that remain on your computer after a task has been performed. Sometimes, Windows or some program needs to create temporary files while doing some task and then forgets to delete the temporary files it created. As time goes by, your computer is full of junk files in the form of temporary files, log files, downloaded files, and unwanted Windows registry entries.
While the Disk Cleanup Tool does a good job, some of you may prefer to use a third-party free junk file cleaner like CCleaner.
Then there is the question of Registry entries. Quite a few say, do not clean the registry, but then are many who do. I do! So before you decide, you may want to know – Are Registry Cleaners good or bad. Generally speaking, Microsoft does not support the use of Registry Cleaners in Windows.
Although Windows Rot may be a thing of the past, it is a fact, that Windows OS leaves several orphaned entries in the Registry – especially when you uninstall programs, and that is where a good safe free Registry Cleaner like CCleaner can be of help.
Using a Registry Cleaner or a Disk Cleaner, will not make your Windows PC run faster. It is just a matter of good housekeeping you should follow.
Read: How to check Computer Health in Windows 11/10
2] Uninstall unwanted Programs
From time to time, open your Control Panel and then the Uninstall Programs applet. Check all the installed software there. Did you install all of them or do you have something new there? If you have doubts about some of them, search for them by name on the Internet. Some of them could well be Potentially Unwanted Programs that may have got into your computer without your knowledge. Uninstall unwanted programs!
If you need to install and try out a new program, create a system restore point first, then install the program. See if you want to keep it. If not, uninstall it and then go back to the created system restore point. Practical if you can do it within, say a day. This way, you won’t have residual junk from the program remain on your system.
TIP: You can use Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics to detect Windows Boot Performance problems.
3] Control Startup Programs
You should also check up on the programs which set themselves to start every time Windows starts or boots. You must restrict the number of start-ups. Why have programs starting up when you don’t really use them. Even those you need can be started manually by clicking on the program’s icon. I personally prefer not to have ANY startups – except my antivirus software running. So decide for yourself which ones you really need to start up every time your Windows boots. You may use msconfig in Windows or Task Manager to manage startup programs. You can also delay Startup Programs or control the order in which they load when Windows starts.
Read: Things that can damage your Computer and shorten its life.
4] Remove Crapware
If you have bought a new Windows computer you really will have to exorcise it of all the Crapware that sadly gets installed on OEM machines, thanks to their manufacturers – all for some quick bucks.
Most users usually accept them as a part of Windows OS, cursing the operating system for being so irritating and slow. New users who buy such a computer are usually inundated with plenty of pop-ups every time they switch it on. Quite expecting their experience to be a pleasant one, they are left with a bad taste in the mouth when they find their new Windows PC machine running slow, freezing, or crashing frequently.
So take the help of some free crapware removal tools to remove crapware, the first thing you buy is a new machine.
Read: How to make your old PC perform like new again.
5] Run Defragmenter
One needed to manually defragment the Disk, in order to get some improvement in performance. But now, you need not. Firstly, Disk read-write speeds are really good, and stacking files together can at most make a marginal difference plus, CPUs are more powerful now. Windows 10 includes an improved Disk Defragmentation Tool that does all this
The Disk Defragmenter Tool runs as a low-priority task in the background without affecting the performance of the computer. It runs only when the machine is idle! It uses the Task Scheduler to automatically keep the hard disk defragmented. But the defrag tool only defragments files smaller than 64 MB, for according to Microsoft’s benchmarks, fragments of this size, which already consist of at least 16000 contiguous clusters, have a negligible impact on performance. So some of you, especially gamers, may want to consider using a third-party free Defragmentation Software.
Read: Do you need to defrag SSD?
6] Run ChkDsk occasionally
It is a good practice to check your hard disk drive for errors using a tool built into Windows called CHKDSK or Check Disk. In Windows 10, Microsoft has redesigned the chkdsk utility. The disk is periodically checked for file system errors, bad sectors, lost clusters, etc, during Automatic Maintenance and you now no longer need to really go and run it if you are running Windows 11/10.
7] Keep OS and software updated
Lastly, keep your Windows operating system, your antivirus software, browser, and your other installed software, always updated to their latest versions. You should also wipe your device externally and keep it clean and dust-free.
Thus, to maintain your Windows operating system effectively, regularly update your system with the latest patches, use built-in disk cleanup tools, defragment your hard drive, run antivirus scans, and back up your data. Always ensure that drivers are updated and uninstall unused software to optimize performance and security.
Do all this, and you could have a smooth, optimized Windows computer on your hands that will remain as good as new, even after years of use.
Let us know what you do to keep your PC running smoothly.
I would include in this list the habit of viewing the Administrative Events in Event Viewer.
For example, some errors, such as some specific or chronic drive errors are not always made clear when traditional check disk.
Windows 10 seems to get slower and slower no matter what versus Windows 7.
And the Windows 10 Defrag Tool, defrag my ssd ? or it do other thing ? sorry my bad english
It is NOT recommended that a SSD be defragged. From what I have been able to understand – A SSD records data much differently and does not have magnetic platters like a regular Hard Drive does. As for the regular Hard Drive and Hybrid HD defragging can make a difference.
Andy – All of your suggestions are really a “must do” to keep your Windows 10 or any version of Windows running smoothly. I use Glary Utilities, Privazer, CCleaner and Revo Uninstaller Pro. I prefer to do monthly maintenance, if I can. I use Defraggler for my defragging.
The only fast program is Glary Utilities, which is an awesome program coming from the UK. I love Glary Utilities. It is a “one click” maintenance program that is fast and continues to find small quantities of left overs after I have used CCleaner on my computer!
I have CCleaner Pro which I have it set to clean out my Temporary Files after I close my Chrome browser. I must say, CCleaner Pro does a good job automatically, since I set up the rules. The free version can do the same thing, but it will only be manually. You have to do it, which I did for over 10 years, then I decided to purchase the Pro version, for my convenience.
As for Privazer – This is a power program! For those who haven’t done maintenance before and do not know much about computers – I would advise that you do not use this program. I am very, very careful when I use this program. If used wrongly – You can easily mess up your computer, especially in the Registry and installed programs. I rarely use this program, but, I do want it available for my usage when the time comes to “clean up” a messy computer.
I love Revo Uninstaller Pro!!! It works and rarely do I have any “left over” stuff when I uninstall a program. There’s not that much difference between the Free and Pro (paid) versions.
I forgot to mention the most important maintenance on your computer. Cleaning out the dust and stuff that accumulates inside the Tower. This tip is only for Desktop computers. I have seen dust bunnies almost kill a CPU, because it’s fan was so clogged with dust, it could not run properly!!! It really is simple to do and to maintain. Open up the tower case – Look inside – Take an Air Can – Start to blow the Air Can.
The first time you do this you will see dust going everywhere! You wonder where has all this dust come from??? It’s very simple, your computer is electric using fans to cool it down. The rotating blades on the fans attract dust. It is the same concept as your home’s ceiling fans. Their blades also attract dust.
Then you can “clean” out your keyboard. It still amazes me how much junk collects within the keys and below the keys. After cleaning the keyboard you just might find the keys that were not working as well, do now.
Thank you MmeMoxie, for your helpful inputs. :)
annad have t answer it.i understood from carey holzman type in carey holzman also in facebook
that to defrag a SSD is t necessary
have a mecnical hard drive and how old or a SSD ?
this desktop is a 2009 core2 i installed a samsung 850 SSD.does t run as modern computer but it is t slow.could be your hard drive
thank you and i have a Portable clean like Glary Utilities, Privazer, CCleaner
also have
http://appcleaner.en.softonic.com/
correct
Pls take a look at https://www.thewindowsclub.com/defragmentation-of-ssd-windows
yes
if windows is doing it automatic but ssd does t have moving part than leave it to windows
My laptop has a Seagate Momentus hybryd ST750LX003, 4 GB of ram, Intel Core Solo 1.4 Mhz. It was working fine, but since weeks ago the taskbar is taking time to load.
Thank you Andy for clearing up this issue. Letting Windows do the automatic defragging, but not a 3rd Party program do it, that makes sense. :)
Add running an anti-malware program on a regular basis to keep your system running smooth..
I use CC Cleaner and Iobit’s Advanced system Care to clear the junk out. Scary how much they seem to catch. I only clean the registry a couple times a month, though. All of that has worked very good for me for years.
It’s a Seagate, you shouldn’t be concerned. Backup your data frequently because Seagate drives are infamous for failing spectacularly when you least expect it. While the 4GB of RAM is good, you might want to check your RAM speed. Your computer ultimately seems to be very old; consider that your Intel Solo is a VERY old and underpowered chip, thus I would not reccomend running anything modern on it.. This would also explain why the already bad quality hard drive is slowing down. Sadly things are prone to aging, and while you might be in luck enough to be able to run Windows 10 on such old hardware, after roughly 10 years it’s time to upgrade.
iobit is shady, beware of them