Periodic Maintenance

Here are the steps to giving your computer a mini-overhaul:

  1. Check the disk for tile allocation errors (aka Chkdsk)
    • Double-click the "My Computer" icon
    • Right-click on the "(C:)" drive icon
    • Select "Properties" from the drop-down menu
    • Left-click on the "Tools" tab
    • Left-click on the "Check Now" button
    • Select both the "Automatically fix the file system errors" and the "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors" boxes and click the "Start" button

    This won't actually start working until you reboot the computer. It will take a minimum of 30 minutes for this process.

  2. Use Disk Cleanup to removed temporary files
    • Left-click on the "Start" button
    • Go to "All Programs", "Accessories","System Tools" and left-click on "Disk Cleanup"
    • Select the "(C:)" drive and left-click the "OK" button
    • Just let it run (it will take a while to process) and it will offer to remove temporary internet files, installation leftovers, etc.
    • DO NOT choose compact files if it is a choice that is offered
  3. Use Defrag to consolidate files
    • Go to "All Programs", "Accessories", "System Tools" and left-click on "Disk Defragmenter"
    • Make sure the "(C:)" drive is selected and left-click the "Defragment" button

These processes should be run every semester or more often if you have an older computer or are adding and deleting a lot of files or experiencing random errors.

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