Maintaining Your Windows Computer

A friend of mine recently got a virus and I have never had one.  What am I doing to maintain my computer and keep it safe?

Maintaining Your Windows Computer in order of running:

1. DiskCleanup -  Run it check off ALL boxes and click ok.  This will cleanup your computer of lots of junk files you don't need and save you lots of room.

2. Disk Defragment - This will help organize your computer.

3. AntiVirus - Run a FULL Scan

4. AntiMalware - This helps get rid of anything that the AntiVirus didn't catch.

5. DiskDefragment again

All these things should be done at least 1 time a week if not more, specially if you use your computer a lot.

Which AntiVirus?  If you have Windows 8 you have Windows Defender already installed.  Personally I use ONLY that one. Windows 7 and later you will need to download that. Best of all it is 100% FREE.

 Norton and McAfee can cause their own issues.  If you are making a virus you would go after the big guys like them.  A model couldn't use Skype and I helped her uninstall both those programs from her computer and next thing you know, "Oh look Skype works."

Which AntiMalware?  I use MalwareBytes.  The paid version though.  The money you save in AntiVirus this is a bargain.  MalwareBytes will stop me from viewing websites that can be harmful to my computer.

When installing any program these day make sure that if the program wants to install a tab bar or change your homescreen that you uncheck those things.  Sometimes it wants to install other programs too that have no purpose.

Mac based computers have their own versions of these now as well.