1 Maintaining the Windows O/S

2 Introduction Virus protection Remove old and unused files Scan hard disk Defragment hard drive Back up and updated recovery disks Keep system patches up to date

3 Viruses Introduction A program that has 2 functions: –Proliferate –Activate Potential sources: –Shareware –Downloaded files –Pirated software

4 Virus Types Only 4 types of viruses exist: –Boot sector –Executable –Macro –Trojan horse

5 Antivirus Tools Disconnect from the Internet! Specialized antivirus programs Antivirus programs work to protect computer in 2 ways: –Active mode (“seek and destroy”) –Passive mode (“sentry”)

6 Virus Prevention Scan PC daily for possible virus attacks Only install trusted software

7 Disk Cleanup Frees disk space and improves file system performance Select the choice to compress old files to free up a lot of space

8 Scan HD for Errors There may be errors on individual clusters on HD Important to check for bad clusters ScanDisk: –Standard –Thorough

9 Defragment Files may be fragmented in several sectors of HD Fragmentation can slow down the system Disk Defragmenter utility

10 Defragmenting Volumes Windows XP Professional attempts to save files in locations on the hard disk that are large enough to accommodate the entire file. If there is no suitable location, Windows XP Professional saves fragments of the file in several locations. This fragmentation of files on the hard disk decreases system performance because the computer must read file data from various locations on the hard disk. Windows XP Professional provides two methods of defragmenting: Disk Defragmenter, which is a snap-in tool. The defrag command-line tool. Both tools enable you to defragment files or volumes of any cluster size

11 Using Disk Defragmenter

12 Option Description Analyse Click this button to analyze the disk for fragmentation. After the analysis, there is graphic representation of how fragmented the partition is, and a dialog box appears informing you if the disk should be defragmented or not. Defragment Click this button to defragment the disk. During defragmentation, there is a graphic representation of the defragmented partition. Pause Click this button to temporarily stop analyzing or defragmenting a volume. Stop Click this button to interrupt and stop analyzing or defragmenting a volume. View Report Click this button to view additional information about the files and folders that were analyzed. Disk Defrag mentation Options

13 File Backup Data loss is inevitable! Must ensure that critical data is secure Create backup plan

14 Backup Plans 5 common types of backups: –Normal –Straight copy –Daily –Incremental –Differential