Prevention is better than cure, right? What OS maintenance best practices do you follow to prevent problems before they happen? I'm interested in everything from regular cleanup routines to update management to backup strategies. What OS maintenance best practices have made the biggest difference in reducing system issues and improving stability?
My top OS maintenance best practices: regular backups (both system image and file backups), keeping Windows and drivers updated, running disk cleanup regularly, defragmenting HDDs (not SSDs), checking disk health with CrystalDiskInfo, monitoring temperatures, and cleaning dust from the system. Also, uninstalling unused programs and managing startup items. These OS maintenance best practices prevent many common problems.
I'd add to those OS maintenance best practices: regular malware scans, checking for and removing browser extensions you don't use, clearing temporary files (CCleaner or built-in Disk Cleanup), and monitoring event logs for warnings and errors. Also, creating system restore points before making changes. And perhaps most importantly: don't ignore small problems. Address them before they become big problems.
Documentation is an often overlooked OS maintenance best practice. Keep notes of changes you make to your system: driver updates, software installations, settings changes. This makes troubleshooting much easier when problems arise. Also, test backups regularly a backup you can't restore is useless. And consider using virtualization for testing risky software or updates before installing on your main system.