In such cases, a PC-Diagnostics Novice Kit would save you lots of nerves and time. However, if you don’t want to test this elegant solution, you can do at least a few things which would help you maintain your PC in good shape:

• Run a defragmentation every month, even if your PC says it is not necessary. You can find the defrag command in Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Defragmnet
• Clear your cache and delete the temporary internet files every month. If you browse a lot, you can do this more often.
• Run your antivirus program every week. You can schedule it to start automatically each Friday, for example, at an hour you desire, so you won’t be working something important. It is known that running the anti virus will make all other programs slow down.
• Don’t install unnecessary software: you don’t want to be the tester of all software currently in alpha or beta stage. Let others chase the bugs, and learn from their experience. If you don’t know what a software does, try to find some reviews and read them prior to installing it on your system.

Keeping your PC clean and fast running is not so difficult after all. In fact, it is easier than installing a solar panel or some other do-it-yourself household operation. All you need is a bit of discipline or a PC-Diagnostics Novice Kit to help you, if you don’t think you can cope with all the above operations.