Over time, systems evolve, computers change and, consequently, the way we work on them and do maintenance also changes. Those who come from past versions of Windows, especially from XP, Vista and Windows 7, when installing Windows 10, will have to review the way to keep the computer fast and stable, because there are numerous changes that Microsoft has made from the point of view security, updates, file management and recovery .
For example, a PC today is no longer formatted but, to use a term used by Microsoft, it "resets" itself with a complete reset that returns Windows to its original state.
Another example is related to device drivers, which today update automatically and which, with the exception of exceptions, hardly need to install manually anymore.
In this article we see the main changes in the care and maintenance of Windows 10, with a summary of the important operations and those that instead no longer need to be done
1) Windows updates
Microsoft has imposed an automatic update system in Windows 10, a bit aggressive, but still effective in the goal of keeping all the computers as up to date as possible.
This certainly improves the security of the system, although it has created some discontent due to the theoretical impossibility of not being able to ignore an update that can only be deferred.
Windows Update is now fully automatic and brings updates of new features, security, drivers, fixes and definitions for the internal antivirus.
On how Windows Update works in Windows 10 and how to block updates refer to a specific guide.
2) Antivirus
As already mentioned above, in Windows 10, as well as in Windows 8, the antivirus is already present inside it and is called Windows Defender.
It is a basic antivirus, not as powerful as other antivirus programs in detecting unknown threats, but still good for a conscious and careful use of the computer.
In another article we saw how Windows 10 antivirus works and when it would be better to install one instead.
3) Clean up unnecessary files and free up disk space
This is a maintenance operation that still remains to be done even with Windows 10.
Cleaning up unnecessary files serves above all to free up disk space and can be done easily with automatic programs such as Ccleaner.
Windows 10, however, has added a convenient function to know what's on the disk, to understand which files occupy it so as to delete them if not needed.
Just go to Settings -> System and then to Storage to see the space used by the Windows folders and to explore the weight of the files and the space occupied on the disk.
If you don't like it, you can always install the Treesize program to look for recent files, large files and disk space control in Windows
4) Backup and restore
With Windows 10, backup is integrated into the system and there is no need to use an external program.
Unless specifically required, you can go to Settings -> Update and security to activate the backup on another disk.
If this option is left active, Windows manages everything automatically and, in case of problems, it will allow you to restore the saved data.
In addition, in case you do not have a backup and in the case of a serious problem, there is no more talk of formatting the computer and reinstalling Windows 10 because just use the reset option found in Settings -> Update and security -> Recovery - > Reset your PC .
Following this operation Windows will return as new and just installed, with no more programs and files on it.
For all the details of recovery, see in another article how to repair and restore Windows 10 in any negative event, even if the PC no longer starts.
The same article also explains how to create a recovery unit, to be kept ready in case of problems.
An important thing to do is to turn on system protection in Windows 10 to create restore points and undo changes if you make mistakes.
5) Check the programs that start automatically
If before Windows 8.1 this was an operation that required an external tool, you can now control each program that starts automatically with Windows directly from the task manager, very simple and clear.
The Windows 10 and Windows 8 task manager guide explains how to proceed.
6) Check the memory and disk usage of processes
Thanks to an enhanced task manager, it is much simpler than it was in Windows 7 to control processes and their impact on computer performance.
Also in the task manager guide (see point 5), it is explained how to monitor memory and CPU usage and also which processes use the disk the most by slowing down the PC.
7) Software updates
In Windows 10 and Windows 8.1, the applications installed from the Microsoft Store update themselves.
This however does not apply to normal programs which will always be re-downloaded if a new version is released.
As already seen, there are automatic tools to manage program updates among which Sumo (which is the last in the article in the article) is one of the most valid.
8) Uninstall unnecessary programs
The removal of the programs in Windows 10 has not changed and has all the defects of the previous versions.
Those who want to do very clean things can then use an uninstaller program such as IOBit Uninstaller, which when removing a program deletes each file without leaving traces of it.
9) Glary Utilities Pro
If you like the idea of having automatic computer maintenance, Glary Utilities Pro is also a great choice for Windows 10, which contains useful tools including: disk cleaning, quick worrying, context menu management, startup management and other things
But be careful that automatic programs like Glary include tools that are now increasingly obsolete and potentially dangerous, such as cleaning the registry, absolutely to be avoided .
Even defragmentation is useless in Windows 10 since it is automatic and is indeed to be disabled if an SSD is used.
To do this, search for dfrgui in the search bar of the Start menu, click on Change settings, then on Choose and deselect the SSD disk in the defragmentation schedule.
Microsoft has tried to make Windows 10 as secure and easy as possible so that even without touching anything (as most non-experts do) the computer should remain stable and without slowdown problems.
Of course, however, some things you need to know how to do and what said above should always be remembered whatever PC you use.
