Is Your PC Healthy? Here’s How to Check.

Whether your computer is your lifeline for work, a source of entertainment, or a way to stay connected, it is the backbone of your digital existence, next to your phone, of course. However, just like every well-oiled machine, your computer needs regular tuning to keep running its best. 

A lagging system, unexpected crashes, or security vulnerabilities could indicate that your PC needs a thorough health check. If you are experiencing any of these issues, here is a guide. We’ve detailed why PC health checks are important, how to check whether your PC is healthy, and how My Computer Works can help you stay ahead of any computer health problems.

Why Regular PC Health Checks Matter

Many users don’t consider their computer’s health until something goes wrong, at which point the issue might have escalated to require complex troubleshooting or costly repairs. 

Fortunately, routine PC health checks help mitigate the issues that are often seen with a PC that is not as healthy as it could be:

• Improve Performance: To speed up your system, you can locate and fix slow processes, discard unnecessary files, and manage startup programs.
• Improve on Security: Regular checks help find malware, outdated security patches, and other vulnerabilities before they become serious threats.
• Extend Hardware Life: Keeping your computer clean, updating drivers, and monitoring its components will help avoid premature failure.
• Avoid Data Loss: If a hard drive is about to fail or a software issue is imminent, early detection can sometimes provide sufficient time to back up important files before disaster strikes and you lose all or most of them.

How to Perform a Comprehensive PC Health Check

A proper PC diagnostics check means having a detailed look into your system’s hardware and software aspects. Here’s how you do it if you are asking yourself how do you run a diagnostic on a PC:

1. System Performance Check: Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Once in this menu, inspect CPU, memory, and disk usage and identify resource-intensive applications that may slow your system.
2. Execute Security and Malware Scans: Run virus and malware scans using built-in antivirus software or third-party security tools like Windows Defender. Make sure to configure the firewall and all other security settings appropriately.
3. Free up Disk Space: Delete unnecessary files on your desktop and empty the recycle bin. To avoid PC health issues, you can use built-in utilities like Windows Disk Cleanup or third-party applications to deep clean your PC.
4. Update Software and Drivers: To ensure improved performance and security, keep Windows, drivers, and applications updated.
5. Hardware Health Monitoring: Monitor CPU and GPU temperatures with tools like HWMonitor to check for overheating issues. You can run built-in diagnostics on hard drives, including CHKDSK or SMART status checks.

Each step should help you perform a comprehensive health check on your PC and assess its current health status. As you move down the list, you’ll find any issues that might need to be addressed, which we can help you with at My Computer Works. 

What Should You Look for in a PC Health Check?

When performing a health check, consider the following main areas while also testing PC performance:

• Startup Time: If your PC takes too long to boot, go and review the startup programs, disabling the ones that aren’t necessary.
• Memory and CPU Usage: Find the resource-intensive applications.
• Disk Health: Check for storage errors and fragmentation that slow down performance.
• Security Risks: Scan for malware and check for any software that is outdated or missing security updates.
• Cooling and Temperature: Ensure that your device is not overheating, as this may cause performance problems and damage to the hardware.

Microsoft PC Manager vs. Third-Party Tools: Which One Should You Use?

Depending on your device, it usually comes with an updated PC management tool – Microsoft PC Manager. This tool has basic system optimization features, such as cleaning junk files, scanning for security issues, and monitoring performance. While helpful in maintaining a healthy PC, it’s common for third-party applications to offer more in-depth features.

Popular Third-Party Software for PC Health Checks:

• CCleaner: It helps clean temporary files and startups, cleans for faster execution and equipment operation, optimizes starting-up applications, and improves efficiency.
• Malwarebytes: This is specialized software that is adept at malware and other security threat detection and removal.
• HWMonitor: A nifty tool that monitors the temperature of the CPU, GPU, and hard drives to avoid overheating.
• CrystalDiskInfo: This tool provides insights into the hard drive’s health and warns of impending failures.
• Advanced SystemCare: A complete suite of tools for optimizing, securing, and cleaning your computer.

How My Computer Works Can Help You Stay Ahead of PC Issues

Even with PC diagnostic tools and running a PC health checker, diagnosing and fixing PC problems can be a long and complex process, and that’s precisely where My Computer Works comes in. Our team of experts can:

• Perform In-Depth PC Diagnostics: We check system performance, security, and hardware for possible issues before they become big problems.
• Provide Expert Troubleshooting and Repairs. We offer tailored solutions if your PC is running slowly, overheating, or experiencing connectivity issues.
• Offer Proactive Maintenance Plans: Our team can implement ongoing support plans to help mitigate problems before they disrupt your life or work in any way.
• Offer Security Measures: We implement best practices, such as setting up two-factor authentication and securing networks and software that protects your data from cyber threats.

Keep Your PC Running Smoothly with Regular Health Checks

After following this guide, you should know how to test whether your PC is healthy. However, you shouldn’t feel frustrated if you need help troubleshooting complex technological utilities and third-party applications to identify if your PC needs help. 

At My Computer Works, our dedicated service team can help you take proactive steps alongside troubleshooting to ensure your PC is as healthy as possible. So, if you need help diagnosing your PC’s health, contact us here for professional assistance and expert solutions.