Here is the process of what I do to maintain a Windows computer:
Vacuum the dust out of the inside of the case, and the power supply, the intake grills, the optical drives, the CPU heatsink and duct -- all the places that air flows. I check the sounds that the fans make to see if they are wearing out or not.
Install CCleaner and EasyCleaner. I use these to remove unneeded files from the hard drive, and I run the Registry clean up tools in these as many times as it takes until they find no more issues. I use CCleaner first, and backup it's changes, then EasyCleaner, and the reboot; and repeat until they find no errors. This typically takes about 6 cycles. Removing all the temporary files and all the uninstallation files from Windows then makes defragmenting the hard drive a little faster. Also, the Registry gets to be very problematic the longer it goes between cleanings.
Install Startup Control Panel by Mike Lin and use it to remove unnecessary programs from running at start up, to streamline the use of RAM. Anything that it turns out that you need something, you can easily reselect it.
Install Spybot Search & Destroy, and run it to find Trojans and malware and tracking cookies, and then to "immunize" the remaining files. This is an invaluable tool with situations with machines infected with malware programs.
Install Microsoft Update, which supplants Windows Update, since it updates all Microsoft programs as well as Windows. I then install all the recommended updates and many of the optional updates. I specifically avoid some, like Desktop Search, and on Dell machines, I do not install any driver updates. Obviously, this requires lots of rebooting.
I run the Windows defragmenting utility as many times as it takes to finish in say a minute or less. This utility is not very thorough, so it takes it about 6 or 8 times to streamline the hard drive files as much as possible, if it has not been done often enough. It is free, though. If you want a good defragmenting program that does it right in one pass, I like one called Perfect Disk.
Upgrade/update the antivirus program and/or definitions, and run a full machine scan. Also schedule it to run once a week. It is amazing how fast these scans can be on a completely defragmented machine. If you want to continue to use your WinXP machines, I highly recommend using something like ESET Smart Security: This includes a robust software firewall as well as a very good antivirus, that is a bit less CPU intensive as AVG, as well. The Windows XP firewall is almost useless, especially after a computer gets infected; as it does nothing to stop *outgoing* Internet access. This is how you can prevent Trojan programs from "calling home".
Repair any driver issues in the Device Manager. On Dell machines, you typically need to go to Dell.com for the specific drivers, by looking up the specific model.
Create a Registry Restore Point after all is cleaned up. This would let the system be rolled back to a known "clean Registry" if it get infected by malware. Creating a new Restore Point after installing any new programs or cleanings, in the future would be a good way to help maintain a computer.
Vacuum the dust out of the inside of the case, and the power supply, the intake grills, the optical drives, the CPU heatsink and duct -- all the places that air flows. I check the sounds that the fans make to see if they are wearing out or not.
Install CCleaner and EasyCleaner. I use these to remove unneeded files from the hard drive, and I run the Registry clean up tools in these as many times as it takes until they find no more issues. I use CCleaner first, and backup it's changes, then EasyCleaner, and the reboot; and repeat until they find no errors. This typically takes about 6 cycles. Removing all the temporary files and all the uninstallation files from Windows then makes defragmenting the hard drive a little faster. Also, the Registry gets to be very problematic the longer it goes between cleanings.
Install Startup Control Panel by Mike Lin and use it to remove unnecessary programs from running at start up, to streamline the use of RAM. Anything that it turns out that you need something, you can easily reselect it.
Install Spybot Search & Destroy, and run it to find Trojans and malware and tracking cookies, and then to "immunize" the remaining files. This is an invaluable tool with situations with machines infected with malware programs.
Install Microsoft Update, which supplants Windows Update, since it updates all Microsoft programs as well as Windows. I then install all the recommended updates and many of the optional updates. I specifically avoid some, like Desktop Search, and on Dell machines, I do not install any driver updates. Obviously, this requires lots of rebooting.
I run the Windows defragmenting utility as many times as it takes to finish in say a minute or less. This utility is not very thorough, so it takes it about 6 or 8 times to streamline the hard drive files as much as possible, if it has not been done often enough. It is free, though. If you want a good defragmenting program that does it right in one pass, I like one called Perfect Disk.
Upgrade/update the antivirus program and/or definitions, and run a full machine scan. Also schedule it to run once a week. It is amazing how fast these scans can be on a completely defragmented machine. If you want to continue to use your WinXP machines, I highly recommend using something like ESET Smart Security: This includes a robust software firewall as well as a very good antivirus, that is a bit less CPU intensive as AVG, as well. The Windows XP firewall is almost useless, especially after a computer gets infected; as it does nothing to stop *outgoing* Internet access. This is how you can prevent Trojan programs from "calling home".
Repair any driver issues in the Device Manager. On Dell machines, you typically need to go to Dell.com for the specific drivers, by looking up the specific model.
Create a Registry Restore Point after all is cleaned up. This would let the system be rolled back to a known "clean Registry" if it get infected by malware. Creating a new Restore Point after installing any new programs or cleanings, in the future would be a good way to help maintain a computer.