Expert or not, new computer or not, there are some things that everyone must do for their PC, to safeguard it and prepare the computer for any emergency, not to lose data in the event of a break or to repair it quickly and easily. Here we often talk about tricks and more or less complicated operations, which can also be overlooked; in this case, however, we are talking about operations that everyone should do on a Windows PC, alone or with someone to help them, at least once.
Unfortunately these are somewhat boring things, preparatory to face future problems well that will sooner or later present themselves to everyone.
The number of these mandatory things to do on Windows can be reduced to 5 basic operations .
READ FIRST: The 10 things that everyone must know how to do with the computer
1) Create a system recovery disc
A recovery or recovery disk is a backup copy of the system so that if something doesn't work anymore, you can always go back to the system default settings.
The recovery partition is shipped with most PCs that are purchased ready and it is a recovery partition at the factory settings.
Few PC manufacturers still supply the Windows installation disc, however, reinstalling from scratch may not always be ideal.
It is therefore worth creating a recovery disk so that the system, even after a breakdown or serious error, is reinstalled with all the programs, drivers and documents that you had before.
In practice you create an exact copy of the main disk on a spare hard disk so, in case of problems or if you break the disk, you can replace it or you can do a complete recovery of everything automatically.
In another article, how to make the disk image of Windows 7 without using external programs.
In Windows 8.1 the procedure is the same only that the Backup of system images function is hidden inside the File History function in the Control Panel .
Who wants a more solid solution, as a plus for the most forward-looking and good users, you can clone the disk to have a backup as a system image
2) Back up your data
Discounted and even boring to repeat it, but backing up important files is essential in order not to lose all photos, music, videos, documents and personal files.
It is not necessary to create a system image of the computer and save all the contents of the hard disk, the constant is to save personal data on another disk or in a cloud space.
In another article, the list of important folders and files to be saved on a Windows PC and any free programs for automatic backup of these files on another disk.
3) Write down the Windows product key
If you bought a PC with Windows already installed or if you bought Windows separately, do not forget to mark the product key somewhere that can be found.
The product code is essential to reinstall the system from scratch and for those who have original Windows it would be a shame to have to buy it again or look for different solutions that are much more uncomfortable and not legal.
Another article says how to recover the Windows product key .
4) Create a Windows emergency boot disk
Sometimes it happens that the PC does not start or load Windows when it turns on and they are really painful.
Before moving on to restoring from a backup, it is worth attempting an emergency boot using a USB flash drive or a previously created DVD, which resets the settings, eliminates the effects of any malware or unpacked programs, without however deleting documents and personal files.
Creating the recovery disk or USB stick of Windows 8 and 7 is something that all PC users must do, because it is not difficult, it requires little time and little effort.
This is a much smaller disk than a backup image and is just a set of tools to repair Windows system errors.
5) Make an antivirus and antimalware recovery disk
Viruses can strike at any time, and getting rid of them often isn't easy.
If you are unfortunate enough, it can happen that the malware takes your PC hostage, makes it unusable or, worse still, not bootable.
In these cases, always in order not to reinstall everything from scratch which is a fatal boredom, it is advisable to use a previously downloaded antivirus emergency disk.
In this case it is not a set of repair tools, but an antivirus program that starts instead of Windows and is capable of removing any infection.
In another article, the best emergency antivirus for PC startup scans .
I recommend, among the various choices, to create a CD with Avira Resque CD, Combofix or Hiren Boot CD.
It is true that the latter operation can also be done from another computer, at the very moment when there is an emergency.
READ ALSO: 10 things that every Geek can do on the computer
