I just got a brand new PC and i would like to know what would i need
to do to maintain my PC. What normaly happens is that after a few
months use my PC gets very slow, so i would like to prevent that from
happing and would like to educate myself more on this subject.

I just got the PC a few hours ago, before i did anything i updated my
windows and installed and updated nortin antivires, now what more can
i do on a daily/weekly or monthly bases to keep my PC working as it
dose now.

Note:
- I download lots of files, mostly games and video about games which
are 100mb-400mb in size and i download about 10 a day then delete
them.
- My PC is on nearly 24/7, i watch lots of DVD's on my PC.
- I do lots of gaming on my PC and have lots of games stored on it.

Thanks.

Hi!!

Congratulations for your new acquisition !!

First thing you must do is to keep some kind of order relating to
where you save the downloads, even you must know where the partial
downloads are. This last thing is in the case that the partial
download be abandoned and you have an unuseful file wasting several
megabytes from your hard disk.
With the above in mind the download folders must be revisited once a
week to delete the unnecessary downloads (like music that you don't
like after you heard it, or programs tested and/or discarded, etc.).
Keep the downloads organized by categories for quick find for use them
and delete them.
Is it always a good idea to save to a CD or DVD the download folder in
a regular basis and then empty the folder at the computer.

Regarding the installation and desinstallation of demos and trials
versions this could result in a damaged or unnecessary high size
registry.
To avoid this there is a free program that check the registry and help
you to keep it clean, this program is RegSeeker:
http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm

Download it from here:
http://www.hoverdesk.net/dl/en/RegSeeker.zip

Note: If after a cleanup, your Add/Remove control panel doesn't work
(release 1.05RC3), just download this reg file and merge it into your
registry.
Click here to download it(FixAddRemove.reg):
http://www.hoverdesk.net/dl/en/FixAddRemove.reg

Run it once a week and using the "Clean the Registry" option at the left frame. 
The following page gives you an idea on how to use this powerful program:
"How to clean the Windows registry after uninstalling old Java
versions - AzureusWiki":
http://azureus.aelitis.com/wiki/index.php/How_to_clean_the_Windows_registry_after_uninstalling_old_Java_versions

Another option is to clean the registry with RegCleaner (this tool
works manually, you must search the bad registry entries by yourself):
Install and run this program and them at the Software tab search for
references to the trials (at both columns Author and Software), select
all the references found and then use the remove selected items
button.
http://www.worldstart.com/weekly-download/programs/regcleaner.exe

With RegCleaner you will be able to get rid of those old and obsolete
registry entries created by the trials, for help on using this program
see:
http://learnat.oldnewbie.net/vwlt/ss/RegCleaner_viewlet.html

Note: If the viewlet is too wide, you can use these Keyboard
shortcuts: PAUSE to stop it running on its own, the RIGHT ARROW to
move forward frame by frame, and ALT F4 to close the viewlet window.


Your computer is also 24/7 connected to the Internet, so you must
protect it from net attacks, you will need a firewall for that if you
are not using Norton Internet Security suite. I recommend you a free
one, it works very well at home computers and it is easily
customizable in the case that you need to open or close some specific
port or need to block an application, this program is Zone Alarm:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Security/Firewall/ZoneAlarm-Free.shtml

Download it from here:
http://download.softpedia.ro/software/SECURITY/FIREWALL/zlsSetup_61_737_000_en.exe
or
http://www.majorgeeks.com/ZoneAlarm_Free_d388.html

"Zonealarm is one of the more popular free for non-commercial use
firewalls. There are many reasons for this, the main being the
detailed installation and configuration tutorials that come with it.
This software is also ready to use immediately after it has been
installed, making it great for novice computer users.":
From "Security Reference Guide - Free Security Software, Part 2":
http://www.informit.com/guides/content.asp?g=security&seqNum=153&rl=1


One more thing needed is a tool to clean the temporary files and
folders and also all the stuff that comes from the Internet and is
keeped unused in the computer. For this the better option is CCleaner:
http://www.ccleaner.com

Download it from here:
http://www.ccleaner.com/ccdownload.asp

For guides on how to use it see:
"CCleaner: Get the Crap Out of Your PC - WinPlanet Windows Software Reviews":
http://www.winplanet.com/article/2869-.htm

"CCleaner - Quick Tour":
http://www.ccleaner.com/help/tour1.asp

"Clean & Protected - CCleaner Scan tutorial":
http://uk.geocities.com/cleanandprotected/ccleaner_scan_tutorial.html


Two more tools will be needed to protect your computer:
SpywareBlaster:
This tool is for prevent the installation of pestwares.
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

"Using SpywareBlaster to protect your computer from Spyware,
Hijackers, and Malware":
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial49.html


The other one is his brother SpywareGuard:
A real-time protection solution against spyware.
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareguard.html

"Using SpywareGuard to protect your computer from Spyware & Hijackers":
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial50.html


Finally I recommend you to see the following question, that I
answered, related to how to make and use a disk image to restore to a
previous good system configuration when it is necessary:
"Google Answers: Windows XP backup with drivers":
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=595576

At this point my recommendation is a paid software, Norton Ghost, that
is the one that I use, but the free choices works very well according
to several reviews and some friends opinions.


Now you are ready to work, but I suggest you to take a look to the
following pages for additional and useful info:
"Simple and easy ways to keep your computer safe and secure on the Internet":
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial82.html

"Security Reference Guide - Home User Security":
Go through the "Next Section" links until the end, it is a large
article. See specially the "Free Security Software" parts 1 and 2
sections.
http://www.informit.com/guides/content.asp?g=security&seqNum=129

"To Clean Up My Computer" By Linda Zerby:
http://channels.lockergnome.com/windows/archives/20050218_a_students_checklist.phtml

"PCWorld.com - Hardware Tips: Ten Quick Tips to Keep PC Trouble at Arm's Length":
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,121209,00.asp

"Do a clean sweep of your computer: How to safely remove software and
files from your PC":
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/cleansweep.mspx


I hope that this helps you. Before rate this answer, feel free to use
the clarification feature if you find something unclear or incomplete,
this answer is open to improves until you feel satisfied with it. I
will gladly respond your requests for further assistance regarding the
question's topic.

Best regards,
livioflores-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by livioflores-ga on 27 Nov 2005 06:01 PST

Hi!!

Thank you for the good rating!!

I forgot to give you my search strategy, this will help you to keep
this info updated:
-First I used my own knowledge regarding this topic.
-Then at Google.com I used the following keywords:
clean registry xp
free firewall xp
remove spyware xp

In the future try the following "trick" at Google.com if you want to
know how to do something in your computer, just use the folowing
keyword:
"how to" do_something xp ; 
for example "how to" fix registry xp  gives the following result page:
://www.google.com/search?q=%22how+to%22+fix+registry+xp

Good luck with your new computer!!
Regards,
livioflores-ga

That was a pretty thorough answer.
One program I would add to the list is Spybot S&D (search and destroy)
http://www.safer-networking.org/

This is a Great freeware program for finding and reomoving spyware.
It programs that everything else misses.
The author seems to really care, and creates updates for it all the time.
I run this once a week, or after a large download session.
Good luck.
Travis

Hi,

 A PC is a machine and needs maintanance. Above all if you connect to
the internet you need ongoing 'precaution'...

I use:

1)Untivirus software McAfee
2)Untiadware software from http://www.deletespyware-adware.com
3) ccleaner (which does a lot of things from cleaning temp files,
and in other words makes your hardrive clean and faster. It deletes unwanted
crap that piles up after months of downloading files etc... Freeware software.

I use those three only and my PC is online more than 6hours a day.
Yes I make a scan 1 per month with untiadware and unti virus.
I use ccleaner 1 per month as well.

Apart from those Windows have other tools which I use less frequently
like Disk Defragment. That is important otherwise PC start getting slow.

All of the other Windows tools can be used thanks to ccleaner.

Regards,
delete spyware free scan
http://www.deletespyware-adware.com