Establishing and following a regular computer maintenance checklist schedule is good for your computer.

In order to maintain a computer properly there are a few things you will need to ensure. Yes, you will need to manually maintain your computer even in this highly advanced technological age. If it makes you feel any better however, computer maintenance has become much easier now than ever before. The required installations and actions are not quite as numerous, but there are still actions that need to be taken. Here are a few that you can add to your checklist:

Backups: Since the dawn of personal computing the concept of backups has been ingrained into our minds. If you fail to back up your data you will not only have personal issues, you may also have issues at work. Computers have been integrated into our lives to a point at which we rely on them for work, entertainment, and even schooling. Preserving our data is vital.

Purchasing an external hard drive or optical media will go a long way in helping you back up your data. In most iterations of the Windows operating system you will even find a function that permits you to create an image of the current configuration. It's not always perfect, but keeping your data up to date is key.

Virus Protection: This is never going to be easy, but luckily there are ways for you to keep the viruses under control! The most important thing to remember is that there are free virus protection programs out there, some of which are just as good as the paid software. No matter what you choose, make sure your virus definitions are up to date and that you're always on the lookout for new ways to keep yourself protected.

Defragment: This is without a doubt one of the most neglected maintenance items in the Windows lineup. Yes, the computer needs to be defragmented once in a while, preferably once per week. By doing so, you will give the computer the ability to return files to their rightful place, thereby making it much easier to access. This will speed up your computer significantly and is akin to cleaning up a messy room.

Windows Update: This does not need to be done every single day, but checking the Windows Update website every week or so will help greatly. There are often security holes and bugs that need to be fixed, and updating will normally solve those problems. In addition to that you can often obtain driver updates through Windows Update, meaning you will not need to search for those updates on your own.

These are a few rather basic essentials, but for the beginner, this is all that will be needed. Protecting your computer does not have to be difficult so long as you take the proper precautions and comprehend what your computer needs.