The first preventive step you need to perform is to take an inventory of your computer system. This information will be vital if you later have to contact technical support or have your system serviced.
Start by noting your serial number and model number. With this information, your system manufacturer can determine the components of your system. If you've added components to your system, note the model and version numbers of the components. You'll find this information in the documentation that accompanies add-on hardware.

A definite must-have program to complete a system inventory is Belarc Advisor, a free program showing a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware, missing Microsoft hotfixes, anti-virus status, CIS (Center for Internet Security) benchmarks, and displays the results in your Web browser.

Beyond these basics, you need to get details of your system's configuration. On Windows PCs, this means copying and printing a few important system files that will come in handy if you later have a problem or need to speak to a tech-support person. The simplest way to preserve your system configuration files is to run the Sysedit program. With Windows 95/98/ME, click on Start, RUN, type SYSEDIT in the blank window, and click OK. It will bring up all your system files -- from AUTOEXEC.BAT to SYSTEM.INI -- in Wordpad windows. From there, you can save them to a floppy disk and print them out. In Windows 3.1, you'll find the Sysedit icon in the Main group. With Windows XP/2000, you can go into Accessories, System Tools, System Information to find and print this important data.

If you own a Mac, you don't need to copy system files, but you should make a list of all the INIT and CDEV files -- collectively called system extensions -- that load on start-up. Conflicts among these files are a common source of program crashes on Macs. You can see a list of these files using the Extensions Manager Control Panel, which also lets you turn off one or more extensions so that, by process of elimination, you can identify which one is causing you problems. One limitation of Extensions Manager is that it doesn't let you print a list of extensions. If you want a list, you have to print the Screen.

Step 2. Make an Emergency Boot Disk

If your computer develops a problem that keeps it from accessing your hard disk, you need some other way to boot your system. The answer is an emergency boot disk.
Macintosh systems come with either a bootable CD-ROM or a bootable floppy disk, as does Norton Utilities for Macintosh -- a must for all Mac owners. If you are using Win95/98/ME, you need to make an emergency boot disk, which you can make with the Add/Remove Programs control panel. Select the Startup Disk tab, and you're led through the process.

On Windows XP, you can generally boot directly from the Windows XP CD-ROM, however in some cases you may still need a set of boot floppies. In this case, click one of the links below to download a program to create boot floppies for Windows XP Home or Windows XP Pro editions.
Under Windows 3.1, you have to create the disk yourself. Go to the DOS prompt and enter the following commands. Be sure to have a blank floppy handy.
FORMAT /S A:
COPY C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT A:
COPY C:\CONFIG.SYS A:
COPY C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.INI A:
COPY C:\WINDOWS\WIN.INI A:
Now, if you can't boot from your hard disk, you will have a way to get your system started so you can deal with the problem.
For other Windows Operating Systems, visit bootdisk.com to download a boot disk creator for your version of Windows or DOS.

Step 3: Tuneup Your Hard Disk Regularly

Because it is the place where you permanently store your applications and, more important, the data files you create with those applications, your hard disk requires special attention to keep it operating at peak efficiency. Disk scans for "lost" files and bad sectors will prevent most disk problems before they occur, while running a disk defragmentation utility will improve the performance of your system.

Every day, you create new files, delete unwanted ones, and write updated versions of current files to your computer's hard disk. Because of the way Windows and the Mac OS assign disk space to files, your hard disk can become fragmented over time (i.e., your files get placed in pieces all over the hard disk, because there is no contiguous space large enough to hold them). A fragmented hard disk slows disk access and makes it harder to recover from disk errors.

To defragment a Windows 95/98/ME/XP hard disk, use the Disk Defragmenter program in Programs/Accessories/System Tools. On a Mac, use a utility such as the Speed Disk tool that comes with Norton Utilities for the Macintosh. You should defrag your hard disk every six months. You should also defrag it after you have created or deleted a lot of files in a short span of time.

Occasionally, a storage area called a sector on your hard disk goes bad. A utility called a disk scanner detects such "hard" errors and keeps a table of such sectors so that your operating system doesn't try to use them to store files. In addition, a disk scanner detects "soft" errors, where the operating system has lost track of pieces of one or more files.

ScanDisk (found in Programs/Accessories/System tools) is Windows 95/98/ME/XP built-in disk scanner, and it detects both hard and soft errors. On the Mac, you can use the Disk First Aid program that comes with your system or the more powerful Disk Doctor utility included in the ubiquitous Norton Utilities for Macintosh. You should run a hard disk scan at least every month. In addition, if your computer crashes or you accidentally shut down without going through the proper shutdown procedure, run a disk scan as soon as you reboot.

Step 4: Store With a Plan

You have lots of reasons to keep the files on your hard disk organized. First, it makes it easier to do "housecleaning" -- deleting files you no longer need. Second, keeping data files in their own well-labeled folders reduces the risk that you will inadvertently delete an important program or data file. Finally, a well-organized hard drive is easier and faster to back up.

Create folders for each program and place only the appropriate data files in them. Alternately, create folders for each member of the family. Give files and folders names that will make sense even after you've forgotten why you created them.

In addition to organizing your files, at least every two months you should delete files you no longer need. A disk filled to within 5 percent of capacity is more prone to errors -- and a lot slower -- than one that is not so chock-full.

Step 5: Backup Your Data

Backing up your files simply means making a copy of them so that if the original is lost or damaged, you can use the copy. You can back up your hard disk to floppies, to a Zip disk, to a tape drive, or to any other media like USB Flash Drives.

How often you back up depends on how valuable your time is. If you're working on an important file, save it to a floppy as well as to your hard disk. If you're running a home-based business, you should invest in a reliable backup system and back up on a daily basis.

Most families can get by with a less rigorous backup schedule. Back up the files in your data folders (see Step 4) once a week, and perform a complete system backup every six months. You can back up your data files simply by dragging their folders to the icon for your floppy disk. If you're a Windows 95/98/ME user, you can use the Backup program in Programs/Accessories/System tools. This lets you check off the folders you want to back up.

The best backup strategy is to have a full image backup of your hard drive along with incremental backups. This way if you have a hard drive crash, you can restore the image backup and then each incremental backup in succession. The best programs I've found for making a true image backup of your hard drive are:

Norton Ghost and Acronis True Image

Both provide easy ways to backup directly to CD-RW or DVD-RW drives. For incremental backups you can use CD-RW or DVD-RW disks or use the newer USB Flash Drives to backup data quickly. This is especially good for financial data like Quickbooks or MS Money or word processing files such as resumes, inventory lists, etc.

Unfortunately people dont realize the importance of backing up their computer data until they experience a hard drive failure and lose some precious data.

Dont wait! Backup your data today to avoid such problems!

Step 6: Keep Viruses at Bay

Though the threat posed by computer viruses -- small software programs that can harm your programs and data -- is sometimes overblown in the popular press, it is still real. As the Internet has developed, so has the frequency of virus attacks and the ways they can infect a computer. Viruses can attack via email, via security breaches in the operating system, and other ways.

Virus protection software works at many levels. It can scan every disk you put into your floppy drive and check every program for a hidden virus -- before you run the program. It can even scan all the files on your hard disk for viruses. With the viruses being sent via email nowadays, users should configure their virus utility to run when they start up their computer.

If you do not have an anti-virus utility on your computer, you should go to one of the online antivirus utilities to scan your system.

Online Virus Checkers

Trend Micro Housecall - will scan and remove threats
BitDefender Scan Online - will scan and remove threats
Ewido Online Scanner - will scan and remove threats
Panda Activescan - appears to only scan for but not remove threats
McAfee FreeScan - appears to only scan for but not remove threats
eTrust Antivirus Web Scanner - will scan and remove threats
Symantec Security Check - will scan and remove threats
Dr.Web Online Check - user can upload and test for threats on particular files.

Step 7: Stick with the Program

Once you've installed a program on a Windows system, don't rename the program's directories or move its files from one place to another on your hard disk. If you do, your computer will likely lose track of key files. You can put your data files -- the ones you create with the application -- almost anywhere (although see Step 5). If you must change the location of an application or any of its subsidiary files, you should first uninstall the application and then reinstall it.

Never try to manually delete an application on a Windows system. Most applications make additions to system files when you install them, so it's best if the application has its own uninstall program. If an application doesn't come with an uninstall option, try the Windows 95/98/Me/XP Add/Remove Programs Control Panel. If the application doesn't support the Windows 95/98/Me/XP uninstall function, use a commercial utility such as Quarterdeck's CleanSweep 3.0 or MicroHelp's Uninstaller.

As the Windows uninstall utility is not always reliable about removing all the pieces of an application, you may want to use one of the commercial utilities in all cases. They do a better job.
I would also recommend using a Registry Cleaner program like Registry First Aid or CCleaner to cleanup left-over registry entries and temporary files.

Step 8: Keep Up-to-Date

Software drivers let your applications talk to important peripherals. It's a good idea to check with your computer's manufacturer at least four times a year for the latest updates. The easiest way to do this is to access the manufacturer's Web site; most companies normally make updated drivers available for download. If you don't have Web access, call the vendor's tech-support number.

You should keep your Windows based computer up-to-date via the Windows Update Service on the web.
In addition, there are online sites that help with PC maintenance such as PC Pitstop.

Step 9: Keep It Clean

Dust can make the chips inside your computer run hotter and also clog cooling vents. At least once a year, unplug your computer, open the case, and blow out the dust. Do not wipe it with a rag; use either your breath or an aerosol can of compressed air.

Your mouse and keyboard will also require occasional cleaning. You can pop off the key caps on your keyboard to get at dirt and hair between the keys. You can also remove your mouse ball to clean it and the rollers inside the mouse. Use a commercial spray cleanser applied to a cotton swab to clean your keyboard and mouse.

Step 10: Shut Down Gracefully

Windows 95/98/ME/XP, Windows 3.1, and the Mac OS all provide a menu-driven method to shut down your computer. Don't ignore these methods. Turning off power to your system while it is still running can be a disaster.

Give your system the time it needs to flush caches, close files, and save configuration information before you pull the plug.
To Turn off Windows 95/98/ME/XP computers, click on Start, Shut Down, and choose Shut Down and click OK.

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