Computer cleaning
Computer cleaning is the practice of physically cleaning the interior, and exterior, of a computer including the removal of dust and debris from cooling fans, power supplies, and hardware components.
Backup
Important data stored on computers may be copied and archived securely so that, in the event of failure, the data and systems may be reconstructed. When major maintenance such as patching is performed, a backup is recommended as the first step in case the update fails and reversion is required.
In information technology, a backup or the process of backing up is making copies of data which may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. The verb form is back up in two words, whereas the noun is backup.
Backups have two distinct purposes. The primary purpose is to recover data after its loss, be it by data deletion or corruption. Data loss can be a common experience of computer users. A 2008 survey found that 66% of respondents had lost files on their home PC. The secondary purpose of backups is to recover data from an earlier time, according to a user-defined data retention policy, typically configured within a backup application for how long copies of data are required. Though backups popularly represent a simple form ofdisaster recovery, and should be part of a disaster recovery plan, by themselves, backups should not alone be considered disaster recovery. Not all backup systems or backup applications are able to reconstitute a computer system, or in turn other complex configurations such as a computer cluster, active directory servers, or a database server, by restoring only data from a backup.
Since a backup system contains at least one copy of all data worth saving, the data storage requirements are considerable. Organizing this storage space and managing the backup process is a complicated undertaking. A data repository model can be used to provide structure to the storage. In the modern era of computing there are many different types of data storage devices that are useful for making backups. There are also many different ways in which these devices can be arranged to provide geographic redundancy, data security, and portability.
Before data is sent to its storage location, it is selected, extracted, and manipulated. Many different techniques have been developed to optimize the backup procedure. These include optimizations for dealing with open files and live data sources as well as compression, encryption, and de-duplication, among others. Many organizations and individuals try to have confidence that the process is working as expected and work to define measurements and validation techniques. It is also important to recognize the limitations and human factors involved in any backup scheme.
Disk maintenance
Disk storage, such as your hard drive, fills up with unwanted files over time. Disk cleanup may be performed as regular maintenance to remove these. Files may become fragmented and so slow the performance of the computer. Disk defragmentation may be performed to combine these fragments and so improve performance.
1.Disk Cleanup:-Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) is a computer maintenance utility included inMicrosoft Windows designed to free up disk space on a computer's hard drive. The utility first searches and analyzes the hard drive for files that are no longer of any use, and then removes the unnecessary files. There are a number of different file categories that Disk Cleanup targets when performing the initial disk analysis:
- Compression of old files
- Temporary Internet files
- Temporary Windows file
- Downloaded program files
- Recycle Bin
- Removal of unused applications or optional Windows components
- Setup log files
- Off-line files
The above list, however, is not exhaustive. For instance, 'Temporary Remote Desktop files' and 'Temporary Sync Files' may appear only under certain computer configurations, differences such as Windows Operating System and use of additional programs such as Remote Desktop. The option of removing hibernation data may not be ideal for some users as this may remove the hibernate option.
Aside from removing unnecessary files, users also have the option of compressing files that have not been accessed over a set period of time. This option provides a systematic compression scheme. Infrequently accessed files are compressed to free up disk space while leaving the frequently used files uncompressed for faster read/write access times. If after file compression, a user wishes to access a compressed file, the access times may be increased and vary from system to system. In addition to the categories that appear on the Disk Cleanup tab, the More Options tab offers additional options for freeing up hard drive space through removal of optional Windows components, installed programs, and all but the most recent System Restore point or Shadow Copy data in some versions of Microsoft Windows.
Dust and other cruft may accumulate as a result of air cooling. If filters are used to prevent this then they will need regular service and changes. If the cooling system is not filtered then regular Computer cleaning may be required to prevent short circuits and overheating.
2.Disk Defragement:-In the maintenance of file systems, defragmentation is a process that reduces the amount of fragmentation. It does this by physically organizing the contents of the mass storagedevice used to store files into the smallest number of contiguous regions (fragments). It also attempts to create larger regions of free space using compaction to impede the return of fragmentation. Some defragmentation utilities try to keep smaller files within a single directory together, as they are often accessed in sequence.
Defragmentation is advantageous and relevant to file systems on electromechanical disk drives. The movement of the hard drive's read/write heads over different areas of the disk when accessing fragmented files is slower, compared to accessing the entire contents of a non-fragmented file sequentially without moving the read/write heads to seek other fragments.
Law
Computer maintenance activities are specifically exempt from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and so copies of copyright files may be made in the course of maintenance provided that they are destroyed afterwards.
Registry
Operating systems files such as the Windows registry may require maintenance. A utility such as a registry cleaner may be used for this.
The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains settings for low-level operating system components as well as the applications running on the platform: the kernel,device drivers, services, SAM, user interface and third party applications all make use of the registry. The registry also provides a means to access counters for profiling system performance.
When first introduced with Windows 3.1, the Windows registry's primary purpose was to store configuration information for COM-based components. With the introduction of Windows 95 and Windows NT, its use was extended to tidy up the profusion of per-program INI files that had previously been used to store configuration settings for Windows programs. Portable applications usually do not write configuration data in the Windows Registry, but instead keep the configuration data within files inside a single directory where the application is run.
Service intervals
Depending on your environment computers should be serviced at least once per quarter, though monthly service is optimal. This will ensure your computers run at their peak performance.
Software updates
Software packages and operating systems may require regular updates to correct software bugs and address security weaknesses. An automated or semi-automated program such as Windows update may be used for this.
