• Keep your computer in shape.hardware image by Ewe Degiampietro from Fotolia.com
  
  Computer maintenance constitutes a critical portion of overall PC usage. With the rate that we use PCs today and their prominence in our homes and businesses, maintenance cannot be neglected. Ensuring that your registry is without error, deleting unnecessary files and removing unused programs are all ways to maintain optimum performance from your PC. Utilize available programs to better enhance your experience with your computer.
  
  

Native Tools

• There are many native Windows tools that you can use without any download. Most of these are available by clicking on your Start menu and then "All Programs," then "Accessories" and finally "System Tools." Disk Defragmenter essentially organizes any clutter within your hard disk and helps to improve speed. Disk Cleanup cleans out temporary files and cookies. CHKDSK (check disk), used through your run command, is a tool that verifies your disk is error-free. Windows BitLocker is Window's encryption tool used to secure your hard drive and also compatible with flash drives. The Windows Troubleshooting Platform is a revamp from Windows Vista and is much more efficient and user-friendly. Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment is a GUI-based PowerShell host that provides debugging, tab completion and syntax highlighting. Group Policy started in Windows Vista but is improved in Windows 7. This is a set of rules that control your environment's user accounts and access. It is a central area for security for users.
  
  

Ccleaner

• Ccleaner is essentially the PC user's choice for system maintenance. It is small, free and cleans your machine of many things that are unnecessary (e.g., cookies, temporary internet files and unused documents). Ccleaner can also cut down on your startup time and further clean your registry of errors. On top of all this, it gives users the option to configure startup programs, delete programs and edit System Restore.
  
  

PC Tune-Up

• PC Tune-Up is a very simple application to use that does some things Ccleaner does, as well as some extras. PC Tune-Up cleans your hard drive, keeps your drivers up-to-date and ensures everything is running like new. You can back up your important items at up to 2GB. Some of the features are included are "Internet Optimizer," which speeds up your Internet connection, defragmentation, which maximizes your hard drive performance, driver update alerts, which makes sure your computer has the correct drivers and a scan report, which is an easy-to-read log of your PC's status. It sells for $39.99 per year, as of September 2010.
  
  

Soluto

• One of the most useful tools you can use today is one that makes your computer experience less frustrating. Soluto has technology that resolves the problem of long startups and other issues through two channels. Firstly, Soluto has a patent-pending, low-level driver that indicates which application is causing a current problem. Secondly, it utilizes the power of the community of PC users who contribute to the program to improve the user experience. Soluto has something called the PC Genome, which is a knowledge base of issues that cause problems for many users and this comes with the software. With the community, this knowledge base increases in quantity and quality.