You can save yourself a lot of support headaches if you follow some best practices and take pre- emptive measures to prevent equipment failure, performance degradation, and system problems. Here’s a checklist of 50 key tasks you can perform to keep your PCs optimized and healthy. Develop and deploy a client management policy. To avoid surprises for your users and your support staff, make sure that everyone understands what’s expected of the IT department and end users. This should disclose all of the performance tasks that IT staff will execute and the protocol that users should follow to make sure operational objectives are met. Use the Disk Cleanup Tool automatically on client systems. Running this tool with predeter- mined options can keep systems optimized by emptying the Recycle Bin, Office Setup Files, Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files, Old Chkdsk Files, Temporary Files, Temporary Offline Files, Offline Files, and other items. You can run the tool in the command line as Cleanmgr.exe with passed options. A nice overview of the options to run Cleanmgr.exe is available in Microsof t Knowledge Base article 315246. You can also make this a scheduled task and automate the process to ensure regular execution. Defragment hard drives regularly. Disk fragmentation, especially on intensively used systems, will surely degrade performance over time. Be careful, however, about running disk defragmenta- tion when large files are open. For example, if a transactional database (SQL or MSDE) is run- ning, defragmentation tools can’t exclusively access all or parts of these types of files to defrag- ment the disk. If there is a service that you can stop to bring this part of the system to a zero- transaction state, you will be able to defragment the drive much more effectively. This is a good task to automate by using a third-party tool like Diskeeper . Periodically remove Windows XP pre-fetch files. Consider making a scheduled task to clean out all pre-fetch files in Windows XP systems to increase performance. These files can become numerous and large, and their benefits are disputable. These files are kept in the \windows\prefetch directory of default installations and have a .pf extension. Disable CD-ROM autorun. CD-ROM autorun can circumvent security measures as well as be an annoyance. The process is outlined in Microsof t Knowledge Base article 126025. Keep firmware up to date. Firmware updates can keep your system and subsystems current for the best performance. Be sure to test the functionality for your infrastructure before deploying firmware updates. Keep a revision of the firmware distributions you are using or have used in the past; you may need that archived version again. © 1995-2004 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. “Tech Toolshed” and its logo are trademarks of CNET Networks, Inc. Reproduction of this publication in any form is prohibited. The ultimate PC preventive maintenance checklist 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Keep drivers up to date. Driver updates can optimize performance in a way that’s similar to firmware updates. Drivers can be obtained from device manufacturers and from W indows Update for common devices. Keep a revision of the driver versions you are using or have used in the past; you may need that archived version in the future. Keep Windows up to date. Use Windows Update to pull down the updates (cautiously) or use Sof tware Update Services to retrieve your approved list. However, be aware of potential conflict- ing situations with service packs and updates. Keep key applications up to date. If your PC has other critical applications running (IIS, SQL, MSDE, etc.), apply the appropriate service packs as they become available. For Microsoft appli- cations, the Baseline Security Analyzer can provide a manifest of service pack levels. Keep antivirus definitions up to date. Consider using automatic updates to pull down the latest definitions for your program. Protect systems from malicious Web sites. Use highly rated tools like Ad-A ware by Lavasoft to keep systems protected from Trojans, browser hijacking, and other malicious activities. Run a periodic antivirus scan from another product. It is a good idea to run a different antivirus scan on your systems through an emergency boot mechanism or using Trend Micro’s Web-based scan engine, HouseCall . Remove spyware from your PCs with programs like Spybot Search and Destroy, Spyware Doctor, and Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner. Check e-mail configuration for protection. If your antivirus package or mail client has added security configurations to protect against known-threat e-mail messages or attachments, ensure that your desired configuration is still in effect. Check Remote Assistance configuration. For Windows XP systems, make sure that Remote Assistance is configured correctly, if you’re going to use it. If users are not to use it because of security concerns, ensure that it is disabled. Revisit the password policy. Ensure that any guest accounts are disabled unless used and that there are not obvious passwords written near the computers. Consider implementing password complexity rules. © 1995-2004 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. “Tech Toolshed” and its logo are trademarks of CNET Networks, Inc. Reproduction of this publication in any form is prohibited. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Perform a periodic full system cleaning. Take the system apart and bring the canned air over. Remove all dust and clean the external and internal surfaces of the computer to get rid of dust and any other particles. If you do not have a cleaning solution, you can make a simple solution of 1:1 rubbing alcohol and water for external surfaces. Be sure to unplug the electronic components when introducing a solution and allow it to dry fully. Clean the keyboard and mouse. Use a dust vacuum and the alcohol/water solution to clean these dust- and dirt-collecting components. The keyboard can become very unsightly and even send erroneous keystrokes if foreign particles becomes lodged between keys. Run a CD-ROM cleaner. As with audio systems, CD-ROM drives can be cleaned with special kits for disc cleaning. This is especially useful if you are in a dusty environment. Clean the display device. Use a cleaner on the surface of the display unit to remove finger- prints, dust, or other imperfections on the screen. Clean the floppy drive with canned air. A good blast of air can remove dust collections inside floppy drives. Use covers/panels if your systems provide them to help keep dust out of the drives. Run a cleaning tape. If your systems have tape drives, run the cleaning tape through to keep the tape heads clean. Ensure fan operation. Air movement in a PC is essential to keep a system operating correctly. Case fans, CPU fans, and power supply fans are all important to maintaining system health. Consider having spare fans and power supplies readily available if a failure occurs. Check for airflow. Check inside and outside the computer for proper airflow. You don’t want to see a computer in use inside a box with no air flow or pushed into a corner. Likewise, on the inside you don’t want to see a hard drive or other internal device incorrectly installed and blocking airflow to other components. Check the operating area environment. Ensure that the area in which you are using this sys- tem is of an acceptable temperature (roughly between 60 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit) and has good air quality. If either or both of these factors are not favorable, you may want to consider an environmental enclosure. This also includes watching for tobacco smoke, manufacturing environ- ments, and paper dust. © 1995-2004 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. “Tech Toolshed” and its logo are trademarks of CNET Networks, Inc. Reproduction of this publication in any form is prohibited. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. Replace frequently used removable media. If a system frequently uses a floppy disk, tape, ZIP disk, or other rewritable media, replace it on a periodic basis. Check internal connections. Open up the system and verify that all connections feel solid and are placed correctly. Double-check any accessory cards for a snug setting in the slot. Also look at any connections to accessory cards for good connections. Check for all necessary screws on the case. Nothing is more unprofessional looking than a case that falls off of the computer or that’s not even installed. Make sure that the case lid or pan- els are fixed down on all sides. With some systems, case panels are critical to the internal airflow for components. Check for cable tensions. Over time, a system may get relocated. Having too much strain on a cable or connection can damage the cable, device, jack/node, or the computer. Be sure that there is plenty of slack in the cables on the device and computer ends. Excess strain may cause inter- mittent performance issues. Preemptively replace commonly failed items. If you are using a system for more than three years, consider preemptively replacing the hard drive or power supply if you have these spare parts available. Check for optimized display refresh settings. If a system gets a new display device, the refresh settings may not be optimized. Nonoptimized display settings can give users headaches and even make them nauseous. Look in the Display | Settings | Advanced | Monitor section for refresh rates in the Display applet of Control Panel. Check power quality. If you have a UPS battery, ensure that it is satisfied with the power sup- plied to it. If you aren’t using one, check that the power source is a good circuit and is correctly grounded. Also make sure that surge suppression strips are in use. Archive manuals and drivers in hard copy. Maintain a master repository of manuals, driver disks, and other materials that come with the purchase of equipment. These will come in handy if a vendor ends support for a device or an entire system or if the company goes out of business. Perform a periodic image-based backup. If it would benefit your organization, having an image offers an accessible quick restore if needed. Also, image-based backups perform the best zero- transaction defragmentation of your hard drive, as the imaging tool is not contending with the operating system to defragment the drive as it restores your data. © 1995-2004 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. “Tech Toolshed” and its logo are trademarks of CNET Networks, Inc. Reproduction of this publication in any form is prohibited. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. Perform a periodic software inventory. You need to ensure that unlicensed software is not appearing on your systems, and it’s important to know if a user has circumvented an installation policy by introducing supplemental titles or nonstandard versions. You can use the Microsof t Software Inventory Analyzer to inventory Microsoft products. You can also pull most of this type of information from the Windows registry. For example, you can create a scheduled task that will export the installed applications that show up in the Add/Remove Programs applet of Control Panel by running: regedit /e c:\softwarelist.txt “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall Note that this is a single command. You can run the same command from the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE key and get all applications, not just the applications available for uninstall. Create/update the Windows ERD. The Emergency Repair Disk may be useful when attempting system recoveries. Having a tested procedure for using the ERD can add a certain comfort level to your troubleshooting tasks. Back up the Windows registry. Having a scheduled task to make a backup of the Windows reg- istry to a local file can be a lifesaver if a registry issue arises. Otherwise, a fresh install of the operating system may be your only option. From the command line, you can create a backup by typing: regedit /e c:\entireregistrybackup.reg Configure auto e-mail deletion. If your mail client and mail usage policies support deletion of Deleted Items in your mail client, consider having this file deleted periodically (for example, on a 30-day retention schedule) or upon each exit of the mail client. Note that this file is large, and it takes up to a minute to dump it. If you use a process to export the registry and copy it somewhere, the file may not be ready at the completion of the command line. Check date, time, time zone, and regional settings. Be sure that all systems are on the correct time zone and regional settings for log entry accuracy. Most logged events go by system time and date, and if these are correct, your troubleshooting can be simplified. Check for unauthorized sharing. Users may set up peer-to-peer sharing on systems. This may not be a good idea because it can tax bandwidth and possibly introduce security risks. Ensure My Documents redirection. Make sure that default save paths for applications point to the desired location. If you are in a networked environment and users are to place their data on a network resource, make sure each user profile is using the correct path. © 1995-2004 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. “Tech Toolshed” and its logo are trademarks of CNET Networks, Inc. Reproduction of this publication in any form is prohibited. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. Archive, then delete ZIP files. Create a script or manually search the hard drive for ZIP files and place them in a quarantine area before deleting them. Allow them to be there for a specified amount of time (two weeks, for example) and then delete them. Inform users to check this area for their files to see whether anything needs to be saved and instruct them to save this data in the correct location (network drive) instead of the local system. Archive a user’s browser bookmarks. Create an automated script to copy the Internet favorites or bookmark file to a network resource to ensure that this part of user data is transportable in the event of a system failure. Reestablishing these items can become difficult because users may not be able to remember exact addresses for frequently used Web URLs. Organize/scan the desktop for important or unnecessary files. There is nothing worse than a desktop littered with important data that should be kept elsewhere or large downloads that are just taking up space. Coordinate with users and be sure that data is kept in the correct locations and large downloads are actively used, extracted, or deleted. Review system logs. Take a look at the Windows Event Viewer and any application logging that may be on the system for potential issues. Check printing configuration. Ensure that systems have the correct printer driver, connected printers, and number of printers. Sometimes, users may set up printers individually, which can degrade performance or remove functionality if similar or compatible drivers are installed com- pared to the designated printing configuration. Check for “missed” software removals. Over time, a system may have been omitted during a rollout. Looking for correct versions of enterprise applications and correct inventories can save possible troubleshooting efforts later. Check page file configuration. Open virtual memory configuration and make sure that the page file size and location are correct for the amount of free space on the drive and the amount of memory installed on the system. Inspect Services configuration. Open the Services applet of the Windows Control Panel to ensure that the Windows-based services that are running and set to Automatic at startup are con- sistent with your configuration. © 1995-2004 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. “Tech Toolshed” and its logo are trademarks of CNET Networks, Inc. Reproduction of this publication in any form is prohibited. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. Check through the Device Manager. Open the Windows Device Manager to look for any devices that are not operating correctly or that may have been removed. Subsystem components may report an error if they’re incorrectly configured or not working. Double-check the BIOS configurations. Ensure that all explicitly required features enabled in the BIOS are used. Disable features you don’t want available. Features such as Wake-On-LAN, Boot From CD-ROM, USB Boot Devices, and BIOS Password Disabled may not be necessary in the event of false Wake-On-LAN broadcasts or security concerns. © 1995-2004 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. “Tech Toolshed” and its logo are trademarks of CNET Networks, Inc. Reproduction of this publication in any form is prohibited. 49. 50. Tech Toolshed creates first-rate, affordable resources for today’s stretched technology professionals. We work closely with seasoned, in-the-trenches support technicians, network administrators, and IT managers to build dependable, convenient, and timesaving tools you can trust. Use them right now to overcome challenges, eliminate errors, and maintain smooth operations. For less than the cost of typical overnight shipping fees alone, Tech Toolshed delivers proven, field-tested solutions today. 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Driver updates can optimize. dusty environment. Clean the display device. Use a cleaner on the surface of the display unit to remove finger- prints, dust, or other imperfections on the screen. Clean the floppy drive with canned. prohibited. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. Archive, then delete ZIP files. Create a script or manually search the hard drive for ZIP files and place them in a quarantine area before deleting them. Allow them to be there for a specified amount