how to Optimize Windows

7/28/2019 how to Optimize Windows

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How TO OptimizeYour

Windows Pc

The following tips can help improve your computer's

performance and help make your computer run faster

Morad Rabat29/05/2013


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Contents


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- Introduction

1- Clean up disk errors

2- Remove temporary files

3- Optimize your data..

4- Turn ReadyBoost on or off for a storage device

5- Make Internet Explorer run faster

6- Automate Windows Update

7- Remove spyware, and help protect your computer from viruses.

8- delete unwanted files and programs

9- Automate your computer maintenance schedule

10- Windows Backup and Restore..


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Introduction:

The following tips can help improve your computer's performance and

help make your computer run faster. The examples in this book are for

Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. However, these

procedures work for all versions of the Windows operating system,

with some slight variations from version to version.

These tasks use utilities provided within Windows, so you can run

themfree of charge and as often as youd liketo help you achieve

the best system performance and to help improve computer speed.

Note: This book does not address or recommend tinkering with the

registry files. Such activities can be detrimental to your computer and

should only be attempted by properly trained professionals.

1- Clean up disk errors

Run once a week


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Whenever a program crashes or you experience a power outage, your

computer may create errors on its hard disk (sometimes referred to as

a hard drive). Over time, the errors can result in a slow PC.

Fortunately, the Windows operating system includes several PC tools,

including a Check Disk program, to identify and clean any errors on

your computer and to help keep it running smoothly.

Note: You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these

steps. If you aren't logged on as an administrator, you can only change

settings that apply to your user account.

Run Check Disk:

1-1 Windows 7 and Windows Vista users

1. Click the Start button , and then clickComputer.

2. Right-click the hard disk drive that you want to check, and then

clickProperties.

3. Click the Tools tab, and then, underError-checking, click

Check now.


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o To automatically repair problems with files and folders that

the scan detects, select Automatically fix file system

errors. Otherwise, the disk check will simply report

problems but not fix them.

o To perform a thorough disk check, select Scan for and

attempt recovery of bad sectors. This scan attempts to

find and repair physical errors on the hard disk itself, and it

can take much longer to complete.

o To check for both file errors and physical errors, select

both Automatically fix file system errors and Scan for

and attempt recovery of bad sectors.

4. ClickStart.

Depending upon the size of your hard disk, this may take several

minutes. For best results, don't use your computer for any other tasks

while it's checking for errors.


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Note: If you select Automatically fix file system errors for a disk

that is in use, you'll be prompted to reschedule the disk check for the

next time you restart your computer.

1-2 : Windows XP users

1. In the Start menu, clickMy Computer.

2. In the My Computer dialog box, right-click the drive you wish

to check for errors (for most of us, this is the C: drive, unless

you have multiple drives on your computer), and then click

Properties.

3. In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab. In the Error-

Checking section, click the Check now button. A Check

Diskdialog box appears.


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4. In the Check Diskdialog box, select all the check boxes, and

then clickStart.

5. You will see a message box that says you can schedule the disk

check to start the next time you restart your computer. Click

Yes. The next time you restart your computer, it will

automatically run through a disk check before displaying your

login screen. After the disk check finishes, Windows will

automatically bring you to your login screen.

Note: Check Disk can take more than an hour to check and clean

errors on your computer.

2- Remove temporary files

Run once a week


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Your computer can pick up and store temporary files when you're

looking at webpages and even when you're working on files in

programs, such as Microsoft Word. Over time, these files slow your

computer's performance. You can use the Windows Disk Cleanup tool

to rid your computer of these unneeded files and to help your PC run

faster.

Run Disk Cleanup:

2-1 Windows 8 users

1. Open Disk Cleanup by swiping in from the right edge of the

screen, tapping Search (or if you're using a mouse, pointing to

the upper-right corner of the screen, moving the mouse pointer

down, and then clicking Search), entering Disk Cleanup in the

search box, tapping or clicking Settings, and then tapping or

clicking Free up disk space by deleting unnecessary files.

2. In the Drives list, tap or click the drive that you want to clean

up, and then tap or clickOK.


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3. In the Disk Cleanup dialog box, on the Disk Cleanup tab,

select the check boxes for the file types that you want to delete,

and then tap or clickOK.

4. In the message that appears, tap or clickDelete files.

2-2 Windows 7 users

1. ClickStart, clickAll Programs, clickAccessories, click

System Tools, and then clickDisk Cleanup. If several drives

are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you

want to clean.

2. When Disk Cleanup has calculated how much space you can free

up, in the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the

content of the Files to delete list.


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3. Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and

then clickOK.

o For more options, such as cleaning up System Restore and

Shadow copy files, underDescription, clickClean up

system files, and then click the More Options tab.

4. When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified

files, clickYes.


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After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup

dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner, performing better,

and potentially increasing your PC speed.

2-3 Windows Vista users

1. In the Start menu, clickAll Programs, clickAccessories, click

System Tools, and then clickDisk Cleanup.

2. In the Disk Cleanup Options dialog box, choose whether you

want to clean up your own files only or all of the files on the

computer.

3. If the Disk Cleanup: Drive Selection dialog box appears, select

the hard disk drive that you want to clean up, and then clickOK.

4. Click the Disk Cleanup tab, and then select the check boxes for

the files you want to delete.

5. When you finish selecting the files you want to delete, clickOK,

and then, to confirm the operation, clickDelete files. Disk


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Cleanup then removes all unnecessary files from your computer.

This may take a while.

The More Options tab is available when you choose to clean files

from all users on the computer.

2-4 Windows XP users



to check for errors (for most of us, this is the C: drive, unless

you have multiple drives on your computer), and then click

Properties.

3. In the Properties dialog box, clickDisk Cleanup.


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4. Disk Cleanup calculates how much space you can free up on

your hard drive. After its scan, the Disk Cleanup dialog box

reports a list of files that you can remove from your computer.

This scan can take a while depending on how many files you

have on your computer.


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5. After the scan is complete, in the Disk Cleanup dialog box,

clickView Files to see what Disk Cleanup will discard (if you

accept the suggestions). You can select and deselect check boxes

to define what you wish to keep or discard. When you're ready,

clickOK.

6. You can also select the More Options tab within the Disk

Cleanup screen to look for software programs you don't use

much anymore. You then have the choice to remove these

unused programs.


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3- Optimize your data

Run once a week

As you add programs and files to your computer, it often breaks files

side by side to increase the speed of access and retrieval. However, as

files are updated, your computer saves these updates on the largest

space available on the hard drive, often found far away from the other

adjacent sectors of the file.

The result is a fragmented file. Fragmented files cause slower

performance because your computer must now search for all of the

file's parts. In other words, your computer knows where all the pieces

are, but putting them back together in the correct orderwhen you

need themcan slow your computer down.

Windows includes a Disk Defragmenter program to piece all your

files back together again and to make them available to open more

quickly.

Note: Windows 7 and Windows Vista are preconfigured to run Disk

Defragmenter on a weekly basis. If you would like to run the tool


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manually or to adjust the schedule, click the section for your specific

operating system.

Run Disk Defragmenter:

3-1 Windows 7 users

Run Disk Defragmenter manually:

1. Click the Start button, clickAll Programs, clickAccessories,

clickSystem Tools, and then clickDisk Defragmenter. If you

are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation,

type the password or provide confirmation.

2. Select the drive you want to defragment, and then clickAnalyze

disk. Disk Defragmenter will evaluate your disk and then make

a recommendation as to whether a disk requires

defragmentation.


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3. If disk defragmentation is recommended, clickDefragment disk

to clean up your computer. The Disk Defragmenter reorganizes

files by placing them together and sorting them by program and

size.

Adjust the schedule:





2. Click Configure schedule....


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3. In the Disk Defragmenter: Modify Schedule dialog box,

choose how often, which day, what time of day you want

defragmentation to occur, and on which disks, and then click

OK.

4. ClickOKagain.


Run Disk Defragmenter manually:


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2. Select the drive you want to defragment by clicking Select

volumes. Disk Defragmenter will evaluate your disk and make a

recommendation as to whether the disk requires

defragmentation.

3. If disk defragmentation is recommended, clickDefragment now

to clean up your computer. The Disk Defragmenter reorganizes

files by placing them together and sorting them by program and

size.

Adjust the schedule:


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2. Click Modify schedule....


choose how often, what day, and what time of day you want

defragmentation to occur, and then clickOK.

4. ClickOKagain.

Note: If you want to modify which drives are defragmented, in the

main Disk Defragmenter dialog box, clickSelect volumes, and then

select the drive you want to defragment.


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to check for errors (for most of us this is the C: drive, unless you

have multiple drives on your computer), and then click

Properties.

3. In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab, and then, in

the Defragmentation section, clickDefragment Now....


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4. In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, select the Volume (most

likely your Local Disk C:) at the top of the screen, and then

clickAnalyze.

5. After analyzing your computer, the Disk Defragmenter displays

a message stating whether you should defragment your

computer. Press Defragment to clean up your computer, if

necessary. The Disk Defragmenter reorganizes files by placing

them together and sorting them by program and size.


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4- Turn ReadyBoost on or off for a storage

device

If you're using Windows 8, Windows 7, or Windows

Vista, you can use ReadyBoost to speed up your

system. A new concept in adding memory to a system,

it allows you to use non-volatile flash memorylike a

USB flash drive or a memory cardto improve

performance without having to add additional memory.

With Windows 8, if you have a storage device that will

work with ReadyBoost, youll see an option to use

ReadyBoost when you plug the device in to your PC.


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To turn ReadyBoost on or off

1. Plug a flash drive or flash memory card into your computer.

2. In the Autoplay dialog box, under General options, click Speed

up my system.

3. In the Properties dialog box, click the ReadyBoost tab, and then

do one of the following:

o To turn ReadyBoost off, click Do not use this device.

o To use the maximum available space on the flash drive or

memory card for ReadyBoost, click Dedicate this device to

ReadyBoost. Windows will leave any files already stored

on the device, but it'll use the rest to boost your system

speed.

o To use less than the maximum available space on the

device for ReadyBoost, click Use this device, and then

move the slider to choose the amount of available space on

the device you want to use.

4. Click OK.


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Move the slider to choose how much space you want to

designate for boosting your system speed.

5- Make Internet Explorer run faster

The Internet is everywherefrom the home to office to the classroom.

We use it to communicate, to work, to playand even occasionally to

waste time.


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Yet there's nothing more frustrating than having this technical marvel

at our fingertips 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, only to wait while our

computers access it at a crawling pace. Thankfully, Windows Internet

Explorer provides some useful options for quicker web surfing.

Reduce the size of your webpage history

Internet Explorer stores visited webpages to your computer,

organizing them within a page history by day. Although it's useful to

keep a couple days of web history within your computer, there's no

need to store more than a week's worth. Any more than that and the

collected webpages can slow down your computer's performance.

Note: Depending on which version of Internet Explorer you're using,

the steps outlined and images shown may vary slightly.

5-1 Reduce your webpage history

Don't save encrypted webpages


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Encrypted webpages ask for user names and passwords. These pages

scramble information to prevent the reading of sensitive information.

You can configure Internet Explorer to not save these types of pages.

You'll free up space by saving fewer files to your computer, in

addition to keeping secure information off of your computer.

5-2 Change setting to not save encrypted webpages

1. In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, clickInternet Options.

2. In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab.

3. In the Settings section, scroll down to the Security section.

Select the Do not save encrypted pages to diskcheck box, and

then clickOK.


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6- Automate Windows Update

Configure once

Microsoft works constantly to release updates to Windows and other

Microsoft products, including Microsoft Office. With Windows

Update, you can find and install all these updatesnot just the critical

ones. Often, the updates can improve your computer's performance.

You can make life easier by automating Windows Update so that your

computer downloads and installs all the updates without you having to

worry about them.


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Automate Windows Update:

6-1 Windows 7 users

1. Click the Start button , clickAll Programs, and then click

Windows Update.

2. In the left pane, clickChange settings.

3. UnderImportant Updates, choose Install Updates

automatically (recommended).

4. UnderRecommended updates, select the Give me updates the

same way I receive important updates check box, and then

clickOK.


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1. Click the Start button , clickAll Programs, and then click

Windows Update.

2. In the left pane, clickChange settings.

3. ClickInstall Updates automatically.

4. UnderRecommended updates, select the Include

recommended updates when downloading, installing, or

notifying me about updates check box, and then clickOK.


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1. In the Start menu, clickControl Panel.

2. In the Automatic Updates dialog box, select the Automatic

(Recommended) check box. You can define the time of day that

your computer should check for updates. If the computer finds

any updates, it will download and install them automatically for

you.

3. ClickOK.


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7- Remove spyware, and help protect

your computer from viruses

Download once, and get automatic updates

While you're busy surfing the web, spyware and other types of

malicious software (also known as malware) are collecting personal

information about you, often without your knowledge. The result is

that your personal information could possibly be compromised. At the

same time, spyware and malware can slow down your computer.


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Download Microsoft Security Essentials for free to help guard your

system in the future from viruses, spyware, adware, and other

malware. Microsoft Security Essentials acts as a spyware removal tool

and includes automatic updates to help keep your system running

efficiently and to help protect it from emerging threats.

The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, also free,

checks computers running Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista,

Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2012, Windows

Server 2008, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific,

prevalent malicious software, including Folstart, Phorpiex, Weelsof,

Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom. It helps remove any detected infection

or malware.

8- delete unwanted files and programs

Ever wonder how to clean out your computer? Many

people do, because its not unusual to have your PCs

hard disk filled with games and other programs you no
http://void%280%29/http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/malware-removal.aspx?WT.mc_id=MSCOM_EN_US_AW_A_atworkhttp://void%280%29/http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/malware-removal.aspx?WT.mc_id=MSCOM_EN_US_AW_A_atwork


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longer need. In fact, some technology analysts believe

that we use less than 10 percent of the programs

installed on our computers. The following instructions

describe how to safelyand easilyuninstall old or

unused programs and remove files from your Windows-

based compute

Decide which programs to purge

When planning a disk cleanup, the first step is to decide which

programs you no longer need. You may want to keep only the

programs you use regularly. For example, has it been a year since your

child played that action game? Chances are good that you still have

the original CDs anyway (if you want to reinstall it later), so perhaps

it's time to wipe it off the hard drive.

If you don't know the purpose of a program that's on your hard drive,

you can always use a favorite search engine, such as Bing, to see what

it is. For example, if you don't plan to buy a camcorder, remove any

preinstalled video-editing software that may have come bundled on

your PC.
http://www.bing.com/http://www.bing.com/


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If it helps, make a list of programs you want to keep and others you

can do away with or store on disk.

Delete unused programs, beginning at the Start menu

While its easy to remove software, many novice computer users

believe a program can be removed by simply deleting the programs

icon from the desktop. This method doesnt work because the icon is

only a shortcut to the real program, which consists of many files.

You can uninstall programs from your computer by using one of two

methods, both located on the Start menu:

8-1 Uninstall from the All Programs list

Click the Start menu, and then clickAll Programs (orProgram

Files) to see a list of programs installed on your computer. Programs

installed as part of a program group are identified by a folder icon in

the list. When you click the program group, you should see an option

that enables you to remove or uninstall the program. Click this option,

and then follow the on-screen wizard to safely remove the program


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from your PC. You may be asked to restart your computer. Dont

restart the PC until after you have saved any files that are open.

You can follow an on-screen wizard to safely remove programs from

your PC.

8-2 Uninstall from Control Panel

Some programs dont give you the option to uninstall them from a

program group, but you can uninstall them from Control Panel.


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1. On the Start menu, clickControl Panel, and then, under

Programs, do one of the following:

o Windows 7 and Windows Vista users: ClickUninstall a

Program.

o Windows XP users: ClickAdd or Remove Programs.

It may take a few seconds for this page to open, but when it

appears, youll see a long alphabetical list of installed programs.

2. When you see the name of a program you no longer want on

your hard disk, click it, and then do one of the following:

o Windows 7 and Windows Vista users: ClickUninstall.


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o Windows XP users: Click the Remove or

Change/Removetab (to the right of the program).

3. Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will

take to safely remove the program. When it's finished, you will

see the list again.

Go through the list, but leave those programs that you are unsure of.

And dont remove a program group if you use one of the programs.

For example, if you use Microsoft Works Database, dont uninstall

Microsoft Works, because Works Database is part of it.

When you uninstall a program, you may also get a message that says

that uninstalling the program may remove a file that is shared by

another program. To be safe, keep these suggested files on your PC

(they shouldn't take up much room on your hard disk, anyway). When

you uninstall a game, the program may ask if you want to keep saved

game files. If you think that you will reinstall and play this game

again, you can choose to keep the files.


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9- Automate your computer maintenance

schedule

Most people do one of the following when their computer begins to

slow down (besides get angry):

1. Speed up their computer by buying more memory.

2. Try to tweak their computer's settings.

3. Give up. They figure that their computer is old, there's nothing

else they can do, and it's probably time to buy a new computer.

All these solutions can help increase PC speed. However, what's to

keep your newly blazing PC from slowing down again after a couple

months or years? A badly fragmented hard drive will bring even a top-

of-the-line new computer to a grinding halt.

One option is to create a preventive PC maintenance plana

computer maintenance schedule that's easy to set up and put in motion

so you never have to think about it again. The plan outlined in this

paper uses tools that are built in to your Windows operating system,


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including Disk Defragmenter, so they can be run free of charge as

often as you like.

The following sections provide information on how to

automate a maintenance schedule to help keep your PC

running smoothly. These procedures differ from version

to version, but overall you'll find these tasks work for

Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.

Create a preventive maintenance plan for your computer

The Windows operating system provides three great tools to help keep

your hard drive humming smoothly. These tools are Disk Cleanup,

Disk Defragmenter, and Check Disk. Find more information about

using these tools to optimize your PC. Ideally you should clean the

hard disk of temporary files, optimize (defragment) the hard disk, and

check the hard disk for errors on a weekly basis.

Who has the time (or the desire) to keep up with this schedule? The

best solution is to let Windows do all of the work.


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Windows allows you to set up and automate these tasks. Please note

that the tools may require user input or administrator privileges to run

correctly. See specific sections for additional details, and make sure

you know your administrator password

9-1 Clean up your hard disk

Your computer amasses temporary files over time. These files can

come from any number of sources, with the web being one of the

largest offenders. After a while, these temporary files will slow down

your computer.

About once every week, you should run the Windows Disk Cleanup

utility to clear your PC of these temporary files. The Windows Disk

Cleanup tool requires user input to complete its designated task. For

this reason, it is recommended that, when setting up the utility to run

automatically (as described in the next paragraph), you choose a time

when you are typically on the computer so you can provide this input.

When using the Create Basic Task Wizard, select the Open the

Properties dialog for this task when I click Finish check box. This

allows you to access additional properties related to the task. On the


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Settings tab, select the Run task as soon as possible after a

scheduled start is missed check box to ensure that the task starts the

next time you are logged on to your computer.

Schedule Disk Cleanup to run automatically:

9-1-1 Windows 7

1. Open Task Scheduler: Click the Start button, clickControl

Panel, clickAdministrative Tools, and then double-clickTask

Scheduler. If you're prompted for an administrator password or

confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

2. Click the Action menu, and then clickCreate Basic Task. This

opens the Create Basic Task Wizard.

3. Type a name for the task and an optional description, and then

clickNext.

4. To select a schedule based on the calendar, clickDaily, Weekly,

Monthly, orOne time, and then clickNext.

5. Specify the schedule you want to use, and then clickNext.


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6. ClickStart a program, and then clickNext.

7. ClickBrowse, and, in the File name box, type cleanmgr.exe,

clickOpen, and then clickNext.

8. ClickFinish.

9-1-2Windows Vista

1. Open Task Scheduler: Click the Start button, click

Administrative Tools, and then clickTask Scheduler. If you



2. Click the Action menu, and then clickCreate Basic Task.


clickNext.

4. To select a schedule based on the calendar, clickDaily, Weekly,

Monthly, orOne time, and then clickNext.

5. Specify the schedule you want to use, and then clickNext.


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6. ClickStart a program, and then clickNext.

7. ClickBrowse, and, in the File name box, type cleanmgr.exe,

clickOpen, and then clickNext.

8. ClickFinish.

9-1-3 Windows XP

1. ClickStart, and then clickControl Panel.

2. ClickPerformance and Maintenance.

3. Underor pick a Control Panel icon, clickScheduled Tasks.

4. In the Scheduled Tasks window, double-clickAdd Scheduled

Task.

5. In the Scheduled Task Wizard, clickNext.

6. Scroll down to Disk Cleanup in the list of Applications, click it

(to highlight it), and then clickNext.

7. UnderPerform this task, clickWeekly, and then clickNext.


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8. Set the time and day of the week you would like to run Disk

Cleanup. For best results, choose a time when you're typically at

your computer so you can provide any required input. Click

Next.

9. Type your password in both the Enter the password and

Confirm password boxes, and then clickNext.

10. Click Finish.

9-2 Optimize your fragmented files

Whenever a file becomes too large to store in a single location on your

hard disk, your computer breaks that file into parts (or fragments).

Don't worry, though. Your computer keeps track of all these

fragments, piecing them together whenever the file is accessed.

However, as fragmented files accumulate on your hard disk, your

computer becomes gradually slower. This is because your computer

has to go through all these fragmented files to piece the correct parts

together again.


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Although there's nothing you can do to prevent the fragmentation of

files, Windows does have a utility (Disk Defragmenter) to help deal

with this situation. Disk Defragmenter rearranges fragmented files,

resulting in increased free space on your hard disk and quicker

performance from your PC.

About once every week, you should run the Windows Disk

Defragmenter utility.

Note: Windows 7 and most versions of Windows Vista are

preconfigured to automatically run Disk Defragmenter on a weekly

basis. Follow the directions for your operating system to confirm that

Disk Defragmenter is already set up or to make changes to the existing

schedule.

Set up Disk Defragmenter to run automatically:

9-2-1 Windows 7


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1. Open Disk Defragmenter: Click the Start button, clickAll

Programs, clickAccessories, clickSystem Tools, and then

clickDisk Defragmenter. If you are prompted for an

administrator password or confirmation, type the password or

provide confirmation.

2. ClickConfigure schedule....


choose how often, which day, what time of the day you want

defragmentation to occur, and which drives, and then clickOK.

4. ClickOKagain.

9-2-2 Windows Vista

1. Open Disk Defragmenter: Click the Start button, clickAll

Programs, clickAccessories, clickSystem Tools, and then

clickDisk Defragmenter. If you are prompted for an

administrator password or confirmation, type the password or

provide confirmation.


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2. ClickModify schedule....


choose how often, which day, and at what time of the day you

want defragmentation to occur, and then clickOK.

4. ClickOKagain.

9-2-3 Windows XP





Task.


6. ClickBrowse.


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7. In the File name box, type %systemroot

%\system32\defrag.exe, and then clickOpen.

8. UnderPerform this task, clickWeekly, and then clickNext.

9. Set the time and day of the week you would like to defragment

your hard drive. For best results, choose a time when your

computer will be on but you will be away from it, and then click

Next.



11. Select the Open advanced properties for this task when

I click Finish check box, and then clickFinish.

12. In the Run box, add C: to the existing command. Make

sure you include a space before the C:. Then, clickOK.

13. In the Set Account Information dialog box, type your

password in both the Password and Confirm password boxes,

and then clickOK.


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9-3 Check your hard disk for errors

Whenever a program you're using crashes, your computer may create

errors on your hard disk. These errors will eventually slow your

computer to a crawl.

The good news is that Windows includes a Check Disk program.

Check Disk corrects these types of errors on your hard disk, resulting

in better PC performance.

About once every week, you should run the Check Disk utility. While

Check Disk runs, a black window will open. If you happen to be

working at your computer when the window opens, you can ignore it.

The window will automatically disappear when Check Disk is

complete.

Note: You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these

steps. If you aren't logged on as an administrator, you can only change

settings that apply to your user account.

Set up Check Disk to run automatically:


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9-3-1 Windows 7

1. Open Task Scheduler: Click the Start button, clickControl

Panel, clickAdministrative Tools, and then double-clickTask

Scheduler. If you're prompted for an administrator password or




clickNext.

4. Do one of the following:

o To select a schedule based on the calendar, clickDaily,

Weekly, Monthly, orOne time, clickNext, specify the

schedule you want to use, and then clickNext.

o To select a schedule based on common recurring events,

clickWhen the computer starts orWhen I log on, and

then clickNext.

o To select a schedule based on specific events, clickWhen

a specific event is logged, clickNext, specify the event


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log and other information using the drop-down lists, and

then clickNext.

5. To schedule a program to start automatically, clickStart a

program, and then clickNext.

6. ClickBrowse to find the program you want to start, and then

clickNext.

7. ClickFinish.

9-3-2 Windows Vista

1. Open Task Scheduler: Click the Start button, click

Administrative Tools, and then clickTask Scheduler. If you





clickNext.


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o To select a schedule based on the calendar, clickDaily,

Weekly, Monthly, orOne time, clickNext, specify the

schedule you want to use, and then clickNext.

o To select a schedule based on common recurring events,

clickWhen the computer starts, orWhen I log on, and

then clickNext.

o To select a schedule based on specific events, clickWhen

a specific event is logged, clickNext, specify the event

log and other information using the drop-down lists, and

then clickNext.

5. To schedule a program to start automatically, clickStart a

program, and then clickNext.

6. ClickBrowse to find the program you want to start, and then

clickNext.

7. ClickFinish.


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9-3-3 Windows XP





Task.


6. ClickBrowse.

7. In the File name box, type %systemroot

%\system32\chkdsk.exe, and then clickOpen.

8. UnderPerform this task, clickWeekly. Then, clickNext.

9. Set the time and day of the week you would like to run Check

Disk. For best results, choose a time when your computer will be

on but you will be away from it. ClickNext.




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11. Click Finish.

Follow the prompts in Task Scheduler to schedule a program to run at

a set time (for Windows 7 and Windows Vista onlythe directions in

Step 1 for Windows XP are all inclusive).

Note: Check Disk isn't available within the scroll-down list of

programs that you select from in the Task Scheduler, so you'll need to

select it manually. To select it, clickBrowse. Then, navigate to

windows\system32\chkdsk.exe. Select chkdsk.exe, and then click

Open.

Schedule tasks

The best way to schedule tasks as described in the previous sections

varies depending on how you use your computer. For example, if you

shut down your computer every day, schedule the tasks to perform

during a time when your computer is typically on. You can do this by

editing the Taskproperties as described in the steps for each utility

and operating system. On the Settings tab, select the Run task as


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soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed check box when

creating the new tasks described in this article. This ensures that the

task starts the next time you are logged on to your computer, should it

happen to be turned off during the scheduled time. If you set your

computer to Hibernate or Sleep and want to schedule the tasks to run

during that mode (for example, overnight), on the Conditions tab,

select the Wake the computer to run this taskcheck box. If you

don't set these parameters during the initial setup, you can always go

back and access them via the Task Scheduler. Simply locate your

task in the Task Scheduler Library, and then double-click it. This

opens the Properties dialog box for a given task.

Let Windows do all the work

These automated taskswhile they seem simple enoughare the

foundation on which your computer's performance rests. Lucky for us,

Windows can completely handle these tasks. You never have to worry

about them. You just set up your maintenance tasks once, automate

them, and let Windows take care of the rest


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10- Windows Backup and Restore

Windows comes with a very cool feature called Backup and Restore,

which has been improved for Windows 7. To open Backup and

Restore in Windows 7, in the Search box, type Backup, and then

click the item in the results list. In Windows Vista, click the Start

button, and you should see Backup and Restore Center in the menu.

Or just type the phrase into the Search box, and click the item from

the results to open it.

What makes the Backup and Restore feature so cool is that it

simplifies the entire backup process for you. With easy-to-follow steps

and prompts, you can decide whether to back up specific files or your

entire computer.

It's a good idea to back up your entire computer when you first set it

up. This option captures everything from files to software programs to

system settings. If your computer ever stops working completely, you

can potentially restore it using the initial entire computer backup.

10-1 Back up your files


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Windows 7

1. Open Backup and Restore by clicking the Start button ,

clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and

then clicking Backup and Restore.


o If you've never used Windows Backup before, click Set up

backup, and then follow the steps in the wizard. If you're

prompted for an administrator password or confirmation,


o If you've created a backup before, you can wait for your

regularly scheduled backup to occur, or you can manually

create a new backup by clicking Back up now. If you're

prompted for an administrator password or confirmation,


Notes

We recommend that you don't back up your files to the same

hard disk that Windows is installed on.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Back-up-your-fileshttp://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Back-up-your-files


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Always store media used for backups (external hard disks,

DVDs, or CDs) in a secure place to prevent unauthorized people

from having access to your fileswe recommend a fireproof

location separate from your computer. You might also consider

encrypting the data on your backup.

Windows Vista

To make sure you don't lose the files that you create, modify, and

store on your computer, you should back them up regularly. You can

manually back up your files any time or set up automatic backups.

Note

The ability to set up automatic backups is not included in

Windows Vista Starter and Windows Vista Home Basic.

1. Open Backup and Restore Center by clicking the Start button ,


then clicking Backup and Restore Center.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Back-up-your-fileshttp://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Back-up-your-files


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2. Click Back up files, and then follow the steps in the wizard. If

you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation,


Notes

Do not back up files to the same hard disk that Windows is

installed on. For example, do not back up files to a recovery

partition.

Always store media used for backups (external hard disks,

DVDs, or CDs) in a secure place to prevent unauthorized people

from having access to your files; a fireproof location separate

from your computer is recommended. You might also consider

encrypting the data on your backup

The first time you create a backup, it might take a while, depending on

the number of items you need to back up. After that, backups should

be quicker.

10-2 Restore your files

Windows 7
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Restore-files-from-a-backuphttp://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Restore-files-from-a-backup


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Restore files from a backup

You can restore backed-up versions of files that are lost, damaged, or

changed accidentally. You also restore individual files, groups of files,

or all of the files that you've backed up.

1. Open Backup and Restore by clicking the Start button ,


then clicking Backup and Restore.


o To restore your files, click Restore my files.

o To restore the files of all users, click Restore all users'

files. If you're prompted for an administrator password or



o To browse the contents of the backup, click Browse for

files or Browse for folders.


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When you're browsing for folders, you won't be able to see

the individual files in a folder. To view individual files, use

the Browse for files option.

o To search the contents of the backup, click Search, type all

or part of a file name, and then click Search

Windows Vista

Restore files from a backup

You can restore backed-up versions of files that are lost, damaged, or

changed accidentally. You can restore individual files, groups of files,

or all files that you have backed up.

1. Open Backup and Restore Center by clicking the Start button ,


then clicking Backup and Restore Center.

2. Click Restore files, and then follow the steps.

Notes
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Restore-files-from-a-backuphttp://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Restore-files-from-a-backup


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To restore a file backup after you have restored your computer

from a Windows Complete PC Backup image, follow the steps

below.

Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore is not included with

Windows Vista Home Basic or Windows Vista Home Premium

After youve completed your first backup, its a good idea to set

up an automatic backup schedule so that you dont have to

remember to back things up manually.

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