Maintain

[pokerus34]

It's not like spring cleaning or anything but...

HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN YOUR COMPUTER?

*Do you have an anti-virus?
*Do you use Utilities such as TuneUp or PCTools?
*How often do you maintain your PC?

You don't have to answer everything above... Just share on how you maintain your PC! :D

P.S. - I have Norton, TuneUp and a weekly maintenance.

 

[Gerri Shin]

I've never had to run Maintenance programs on my notebook ever. the only place I've ever run those at all would be in my Window 7 virtual machine, which has only had it run once since it was required at the AV install.

 

[twocows]

I do a number of things on any computer with a Windows installation.

1. I partition my hard drive into three sections. The first is my primary partition, where the Windows install and most programs are located. The second is my data partition, where I place any data and some programs. The third is a large files partition, where I put things like virtual hard drives, disk images, and other large files.

2. I use CCleaner to wipe all sorts of files that I don't use and to get rid of some registry clutter.

3. I use Defraggler to defragment my files, and then defragment my freespace to move all of the files together.

4. I run my internet browser (Firefox) and IRC client in Sandboxie, which prevents them from doing anything malicious without me seeing it first.

5. I disable any services that I don't use and move any startup programs that I don't need to a folder where I can launch them if necessary.

6. I use FileHippo's Update Checker to check for updates to any programs I have installed.

7. I probably should have mentioned this first, since it's actually the first thing I do, but this isn't in chronological order anyway. I set the swap file (also known as virtual memory) to a fixed size, usually about 1 or 2 GB more than my current RAM, and I run PageDefrag to make sure it's not fragmented. The reason I do this first is because if it's fragmented on a relatively full disk, it can be tough to defragment.

With my Linux installations, I don't need to worry about a lot of this due to the way I set them up. I partition them during the install, so I don't have to concern myself with shrinking partitions or anything. This includes a swap partition which houses the swap file, so it won't fragment to begin with. The built-in package manager usually deals with updates itself, so I don't need to install a separate program for that. And since I'm not installing anything I don't plan to specifically use, I don't need to go through and stop certain programs from running.

 

[Eureka1]

*Do you have an anti-virus?
*Do you use Utilities such as TuneUp or PCTools?
*How often do you maintain your PC?

1. Nope.
2. Nope.
3. Not often, haven't defragged in over a year but I clean my internet cache regularly.

I guess having a dedicated OS drive is my counter to not having anti virus, if anything goes wrong I can just do a clean format. Typically I reinstall my OS twice a month anyway so this is never an issue.

 

[Legobricks]

Oh, I thought this would actually be spring cleaning things like running a vacuum around the motherboard 'cause I do that yearly. 'Spose it counts for the poll anyway.
I don't use an anti-virus since most of what one gets is through downloading dodgy things or following certain links. And I'd rather go into the registry myself to remove stuff anyway kthxbai.

 

[Cocoa]

I do have an antivirus on my computer, but I rarely use or update it. On the other hand, I use TechTool Deluxe, which came with AppleCare, to perform a few checks here and there; I would guess that counts.

On my Windows PCs, I just don't run any anti-virus or security of any kind; I don't have sensitive data. I do a clean reinstall every 3 months, though.

 

[Glitchfinder]

This question is impossible to answer correctly for someone like me. I do a full, in-depth system scan with several anti-malware tools at least once a week. I tune up my PC with a multitude of cleanup tools, from registry to compression to defragmentation and beyond once or twice a month. And every couple of months, I go though and delete any unwanted, unneeded, and unnecessary files, and organize everything else. Also, once in a blue moon, I open it up and clean house, making sure everything is seated properly and that there isn't a buildup of gunk or dust. So, it all depends on exactly what you mean.

 

[Mr. Epic]

I keep my files and folders neat and tidy most of the time.
I use Avira Antivirus and COMODO Firewall for security.
CCleaner, Defraggler and Wise Registry Cleaner to clean up.

 

[Eureka1]

Yeah, I need to clean the inside of my PC too. My Yate Loon suck in so much dust it's crazy.