Routine Maintenance
Types Of Routine Maintenance
Create and organise folders and files
File management is important else you might not be able to find your documents. Microsoft offers some standard folders to encourage users to be organized when saving files. For example pictures, music, documents and videos are the folders that aren’t user created but formed by windows. It is also encourage that the user should create additional folders, perhaps according to the subject or the date and name of the documents something suitable so the files are easily found and you don’t have to go through every single picture for instance to find it.
Back-up procedures online and offline
Hard drives rarely give a warning when they are about to crash, and a sudden hard drive failure could result in the loss of years' worth of irreplaceable data. From family photos to bank and business records, many people keep their entire lives on their PCs. With so much at stake, it is important to keep that data safe and sound.
One of the simplest ways to keep your backed up is to invest in an external hard drive. The external hard drive should automatically appear under a new drive letter, and moving files is as easy as opening Windows Explorer and copying files from one drive letter to another. Online backups provide another level of protection for computer users, and in many ways an online backup is even more secure. That way, if your computer crashes, you won't lose any data you've saved on the computer's hard drive.
Scheduling data deletion
There is a limit to how much you can store on one computer. To prevent running out of space it is important to schedule data deletion. A lot of documents saved on your computer may not be needed and in that case there is no point in keeping them as the needless files are just taking up space. When files are first deleted, they go to the Recycle Bin so it is important to empty the Recycle Bin so space is freed for other files.
Defragmenting
A procedure which should be carried out roughly every 4 weeks is disk defragmenting. As you use more and more files and add files to the hard drive, they get split into fragments and are spread to different locations on the hard drive. Defragmenting will pull those fragments into one location, making it easier and quicker for the computer to find the full file.
Cleaning hardware
You should also do regular physical cleaning in addition to software maintenance. If you have a desktop computer, open up the case and blow out the dust inside. For laptops, use canned air to blow in and around the keys to get rid of the dirt, dust and other debris that has accumulated there. The more that collects, the more of a chance your computer can overheat, requiring a shutdown. This is because dust and debris can create heat, which can affect your computer's motherboard performance.
Replacing consumables
Consumables are products that require regular replacement because they are used up or in their use, for instance paper, ink or toner cartridges. These are examples of things that require replacement and without doing so the computer system cannot output data via the printer and the printer will not be fit for purpose.
Replacing damaged components
Wear and tear or accidental damage will result in the need to replace damaged components for safety reasons and for functionality. For instance a damaged keyboard through spilling liquids will make the keyboard unusable and the computer difficult to use, it is therefore difficult to replace the damage component.
Updating
Updating computer software fixes bugs and security issues as well as provides the latest versions of software that typically run better. Most software programs allow you to set automatic updating for certain times, which ensures regular updating. Updates can enhance the security and performance of your computer so are very important to keep on top of.
File management is important else you might not be able to find your documents. Microsoft offers some standard folders to encourage users to be organized when saving files. For example pictures, music, documents and videos are the folders that aren’t user created but formed by windows. It is also encourage that the user should create additional folders, perhaps according to the subject or the date and name of the documents something suitable so the files are easily found and you don’t have to go through every single picture for instance to find it.
Back-up procedures online and offline
Hard drives rarely give a warning when they are about to crash, and a sudden hard drive failure could result in the loss of years' worth of irreplaceable data. From family photos to bank and business records, many people keep their entire lives on their PCs. With so much at stake, it is important to keep that data safe and sound.
One of the simplest ways to keep your backed up is to invest in an external hard drive. The external hard drive should automatically appear under a new drive letter, and moving files is as easy as opening Windows Explorer and copying files from one drive letter to another. Online backups provide another level of protection for computer users, and in many ways an online backup is even more secure. That way, if your computer crashes, you won't lose any data you've saved on the computer's hard drive.
Scheduling data deletion
There is a limit to how much you can store on one computer. To prevent running out of space it is important to schedule data deletion. A lot of documents saved on your computer may not be needed and in that case there is no point in keeping them as the needless files are just taking up space. When files are first deleted, they go to the Recycle Bin so it is important to empty the Recycle Bin so space is freed for other files.
Defragmenting
A procedure which should be carried out roughly every 4 weeks is disk defragmenting. As you use more and more files and add files to the hard drive, they get split into fragments and are spread to different locations on the hard drive. Defragmenting will pull those fragments into one location, making it easier and quicker for the computer to find the full file.
Cleaning hardware
You should also do regular physical cleaning in addition to software maintenance. If you have a desktop computer, open up the case and blow out the dust inside. For laptops, use canned air to blow in and around the keys to get rid of the dirt, dust and other debris that has accumulated there. The more that collects, the more of a chance your computer can overheat, requiring a shutdown. This is because dust and debris can create heat, which can affect your computer's motherboard performance.
Replacing consumables
Consumables are products that require regular replacement because they are used up or in their use, for instance paper, ink or toner cartridges. These are examples of things that require replacement and without doing so the computer system cannot output data via the printer and the printer will not be fit for purpose.
Replacing damaged components
Wear and tear or accidental damage will result in the need to replace damaged components for safety reasons and for functionality. For instance a damaged keyboard through spilling liquids will make the keyboard unusable and the computer difficult to use, it is therefore difficult to replace the damage component.
Updating
Updating computer software fixes bugs and security issues as well as provides the latest versions of software that typically run better. Most software programs allow you to set automatic updating for certain times, which ensures regular updating. Updates can enhance the security and performance of your computer so are very important to keep on top of.