Spring is here.  It was a beautiful weekend here in Texas and I’m sure many of you spent time outside enjoying the sun, cleaning the yard, etc.  While prepping your yard for the spring and summer is important, don’t forget that your PC needs some attention too.

In the rest of today’s article, we’ve posted links to the tools you need and a simple “5-Point Maintenance Plan” that you can follow to keep your PC running like new (or better).  The average user can perform these tasks in 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size (hard drive) and speed (RAM and processor) of the computer.

What You Will Need To Get Started – Tools

All of the tools you will need for this routine maintenance are posted and available for you on the JumpstartMyPC.com Tools page. We add new items to this area from time-to-time and keep all of the links updated with the most recent versions of each application. Simply locate an application that you would like to use and click on the Software link out to the right. You’ll be directed to an external site and the download will begin.

JumpstartMyPC.com Tools Page

5-Point Maintenance Plan

There are 5 main areas that you will need to focus on each time you perform maintenance on your PC.

• Defrag – A defrag of your hard drive makes it easier on your PC to locate files and extends the life of your hard drive.
  Program: Auslogics Disk Defrag (available on the tools page)
  Article: Defragmentation: A Simple Task for a Huge Result

• Update – Microsoft releases regular updates for your operating system. There might be a security or bug fix waiting for you.
  Program: Windows (already installed on your system)
  Article: Warning Lights on Your PC Shouldn’t be Ignored

• Scan – Malware, Spyware and other unwanted malicious programs are installed without your knowledge.
  Program: Spybot Search and Destroy (tools page)
• Clean – As you surf the internet, your browser collects files in a temporary folder. These files are not deleted until you tell your computer to do so.
  Program: CCleaner (tools page)
• Registry Cleaning – The registry stores configuration settings and options for Windows. Unfortunately, it never cleans out old files.
  Program: Abexo Registry Cleaner (tools page) NOT FOR WINDOWS 7 USERS
  Article: Your Registry is Probably in Need of a Cleaning

If you have any questions, concerns or programs you would like to share with us, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email, facebook or twitter.

Tags: cleaning, defrag, Maintenance, PC, registry, scan, Update

This entry was posted on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 9:37 am and is filed under Free Programs, Tips and Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.