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other:win7maintain [2014/04/05 08:53]
jypeter Added Symantec notes
other:win7maintain [2016/03/01 15:02] (current)
jypeter More about cleaning
Line 2: Line 2:
 ====== Keeping your Win7 machine clean and up-to-date ====== ====== Keeping your Win7 machine clean and up-to-date ======
  
-===== Updating things ​=====+===== Software updates ​=====
  
 ==== Symantec Endpoint Protection ==== ==== Symantec Endpoint Protection ====
  
-<note important>​Only the virus definitions are updated automatically!\\ \\And there is **NO** automatic complete scan of the computer...</​note>​+<note important>​Only the virus definitions are updated automatically!\\ \\ And there is **NO** automatic complete scan of the computer...</​note>​
  
   * To perform a complete update, click on the Symantec shield icon in the right part of the taskbar, and the click on //​LiveUpdate//​   * To perform a complete update, click on the Symantec shield icon in the right part of the taskbar, and the click on //​LiveUpdate//​
Line 12: Line 12:
   * Adding an automatic complete scan: **TODO**   * Adding an automatic complete scan: **TODO**
  
 +===== Computer updates =====
 +
 +==== Updating Windows ====
 +
 +All the Windows updating settings are available from\\ Start => Control Panel => System & Security => Windows Update
 +
 +Click on Change parameters to select how and when Windows should be updated and select:
 +
 +  * Mises à jour importantes:​ read the warning below
 +  * Enable //Mises à jour recommandées//,​ //Qui peut installer les mises à jour//, //Microsoft Update// and //Afficher des notifications détaillées//​
 +
 +<note warning>​If you use putty, cygwin/X or other applications that may remain open a long time (e.g during the night, weekend, etc...) make sure to **select //​Télécharger les mises à jour mais me laisser choisir s'il convient de les installer//​** instead of the default //Installer les mises à jour automatiquement//​\\ \\ With a full automatic update, Windows will automatically restart your computer (if required) after an update, which will kill the open connections...</​note>​
 +
 +==== Dell specific updates ====
 +
 +//Start => All programs => Dell => **Dell Client System Update** or **Dell Command Update**//
 +
 +  * Choose to set up things manually
 +    * Download the files to a scratch directory: <​disk>:​\Scratch\<​your_login>​\Dell_System_Update
 +    * Check for updates every week (eg Saturday at noon) and just notify the user about new available updates
 +  * Start a manual check from the first screen
 +
 +==== HP specific updates ====
 +
 +FIXME
  
 ===== Cleaning the computer ===== ===== Cleaning the computer =====
  
 +==== Using the Disk Cleanup tool ====
 +
 +  * Right-click on the ''​C:''​ disk and select //​Properties//​
 +  * Disk cleanup => Clean system files
 +    - Other options => Clean restoration files
 +    - Select the file types you want to clean, and then //OK//
 +
 +==== Removing the user's temporary files ====
 +
 +Note: temporary files created by Windows (attachments opened when clicking in Thunderbird,​ etc...)
 +
 +  * [[other:​win7config#​displaying_hidden_folders|Display the hidden folders]]
 +  * Go to ''​C:​\Users\jypeter\AppData\Local\Temp''​
 +  * Delete the files (it will not be possible to remove the files/​folders that are currently being used by the system)
 +
 +==== Cleaning the Firefox cache ====
 +
 +Go to //Tools => Options => Advanced => Network// and click on **Clear Now**
 +
 +==== Cleaning the Internet Explorer cache ====
 +
 +Go to //Start => Configuration Panel => Network and Internet => Internet Options => General => Navigation history => Delete// and then select what you want to remove
 +
 +==== Cleaning the Java cache ====
 +
 +  * Start => Control Panel => Programs => Java => General
 +  * In the //Internet temporary files// section, Clear the cache by clicking on Parameters...=>​ Remove files
 +  * Note: it's also a good idea to reduce the maximum size allowed for the cache!
 +
 +==== Removing the hibernation file ====
 +
 +If you are on a desktop and you don't use the hibernation,​ you can gain a few Gb on the ''​C:''​ partition by removing the hibernation file. See the appropriate [[other:​win7config#​changing_the_sleep_or_hibernation_mode|tech note]].
 +
 +==== Cleaning some hidden Windows temporary files ====
 +
 +//Use with **caution**,​ only if you know what you are doing!// You will need to use the Administrator/​adminuser account
 +
 +An easy way to determine the space used by the Window directories is to run a Cygwin shell as an administrator and execute:\\ ''​du -sh /​cygdrive/​c/​Windows/​* | sort -rh''​
 +
 +=== C:​\Windows\Installer directory ===
 +
 +The hidden ''​C:​\Windows\Installer''​ directory can easily grow to more than 10 Gb, because Windows uses it for storing files it needs at installation/​update/​removal time. Unfortunately,​ some files that could be removed when they are not need anymore (//orphan// files) stay in this directory.
 +
 +You can use the [[http://​www.homedev.com.au/​Free/​PatchCleaner|PatchCleaner]] utility to (re)move these orphan files. Rather than removing those files, you should move them to a disk partition other than ''​C:​\''​ (e.g. ''<​some_disk>:​\Scratch\<​your_login>​\PatchCleanerMovedInstallerFiles''​) and free a few Gb of disk space on ''​C:​\''​. [[http://​www.ghacks.net/​2015/​12/​13/​patchcleaner-remove-orphan-windows-installer-files-to-free-up-disk-space/​|More details...]]
 +
 +=== C:​\Windows\Temp and C:​\Windows\Logs\CBS ===
 +
 +in some cases, the ''​C:​\Windows\Logs\CBS''​ directory may grow to several Gb, due to some log files rotation and compression problem. In that case, remove everything (that you can), except the latest file, ''​CBS.log'',​ and remove what you can in ''​C:​\Windows\Temp''​
 +
 +=== C:​\Windows\winsxs ===
 +
 +It seems that [[https://​support.microsoft.com/​en-us/​kb/​2795190|Windows may need all the files in this directory]]. Don't touch it...
 +
 +==== Cleaning the Start Up services ====
 +
 +//Use with **caution**,​ only if you know what you are doing!// You will need to use the Administrator/​adminuser account
 +
 +Some programs may install start up services that you don't really need. Disabling these services may free some memory and decrease a bit the CPU usage...
 +
 +  * Click on //Start//, then type //​msconfig//​ in the search box and launch **msconfig.exe**
 +  * Go to the //​Services//​ window, hide the Microsoft services, and uncheck the services that you know for sure you will not need 
 +
 +
 +===== Backing up the computer =====
 +
 +FIXME
  
 /* standard page footer */ /* standard page footer */
other/win7maintain.1396688034.txt.gz · Last modified: 2014/04/05 08:53 by jypeter