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Recommended Computer Maintenance for
Windows 95/98/ME/NT4/2000

Regular maintenance can prevent many problems you may experience when using your computer.  Our recommended maintenance procedures help protect you against the most common causes of system crashes, slow performance, and damaged data. 

Why Perform Computer Maintenance

Regular computer maintenance is done to:

1. Repair disk errors--catch physical disk problems before you lose data and recapture lost disk space.
2. Defragment your disk--put pieces of files back together to speed up opening and saving them.
3. Backup important files--keep a sceond (or third) copy of all files you cannot afford to lose.
4. Update/patch software--to fix known problems in your OS and application software.
5. Protect your computer against viruses--it is critical to keep the anti-virus software up to date as new viruses are introduced daily.

Some of the procedures can be set to run automatically at preset time intervals in Microsoft Windows, some require that you be connected to the Internet, and some require that background processes be temporarily shut down.

Recommended Maintenance Timetable

Weekly Maintenance:

Check your file system for errors using chkdsk or scandisk.  Do not check for physical defects on your hard disk at this time.
Defragment your hard disk using Disk Defragmenter or Diskeeper.
Update your VirusScan DAT files.

Monthly Maintenance:

Check for physical defects on your hard disks when checking for file system errors.
Check for Windows updates using Internet Explorer 5.5.  Install all critical updates.
Check that you have at least 20% of each hard disk available as free disk space.
Upgrade VirusScan if you are not already upgrading it weekly.

As Needed:

Install Internet Explorer 5.5.  This only needs to be done once but you will probably want to upgrade to new versions as they come out.  It's best not to install an upgrade until it has been out for a while.  This gives time for other people to discover if there are problems with it.
Install the most recent service pack for Windows NT or Windows 2000.  Service Pack 6a is the current release for NT and is expected to be the last.  Service Pack 2 is the current release for Windows 2000.  Read the guidelines before installing a service pack!  Don't install a service pack until it has been released for a month or two - let other people find out if it's going to create problems.

Repair Disk Errors

Windows provides tools to check for file system errors and, in most cases, can fix them.  They can optionally be set to check for physical defects on the hard disk.  If there is data on a physically "bad sector", ScanDisk tries to move it to another location on the disk.  Physically damaged sections of the disk are marked in the file system so they won't be used in the future.

A warning about terminology.  The terms "hard disk", "hard drive", and "disk drive" are often used to refer to what you would see as "drive c:" or "drive d:", or "drive e:", etc., under Windows Explorer or My Computer.  The term "volume" is correct but is seldom used.  The terminology used within each utility below will be used to describe that utility.

Windows 95/98 - Run ScanDisk

1. Close all applications you are running.  This especially applies to background virus scanners.  If you have installed VirusScan, VShield is running in the background.  If you have the campus licensed version of VirusScan 4.0.3 (the VShield icon on the task bar will be a soldier with a cannon) you do not need to close VShield.  If you have the campus licensed version of VirusScan 4.5 (the VShield icon on the task bar is a shield with a big V in it) close VShield by right-clicking on the VShield icon on the task bar then click on Exit.
2. Click the button, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, then click on ScanDisk.
   
3. In the ScanDisk window, select a drive or drives to be checked for errors.  Clicking on a drive while holding down the Ctrl key allows you to select and deselect individual drives.
4. Under Type of Test, select Standard to check only the file system for errors; select Thorough to also test the drive for physical defects.  The standard test should be run once a week and the thorough test should be run once a month.
5. Select Automatically fix errors (There should be a check mark in the box to the left of "Automatically fix errors"
6. Click on the Advanced button.  In the Lost file fragments section of the ScanDisk Advanced Options window, select Free rather than Convert to Files.  Click OK to close the window.
7. In the ScanDisk window, click the Start button. 
   
   After scandisk finishes you will see a results window.  Lost clusters are common and are not something to worry about.  Cross linked files are unusual and result in one or more files being damaged beyond repair.  They usually come in pairs and ScanDisk will save them to a new location.  At best, one member of a pair will be damaged and the other won't.  You should try to determine why the cross linking occurred as this is a serious error. 
8. Close the Scandisk Results window by clicking on Close then close the ScanDisk window by clicking on Close.

Windows NT4/2000 - Run chkdsk

Log in under an administrative account! Click on the button then click on Run. Enter cmd in the Open: field then click OK.  This opens a command window. In the command windows enter: chkdsk [drive] /F <enter> or chkdsk [drive] /F /R <enter> Replace [drive] with the drive letter of the drive to be checked (e.g., use C: for drive C).  <enter> means to press the enter key on your keyboard.  /F tells chkdsk to fix any errors in the file system.  You should run chkdsk with /F once a week.  /F /R tells chkdsk to both fix file system errors and check the hard disk for physical errors.  You should run chkdsk with /F /R once a month. If there are any files open on the hard disk you will be notified that the drive cannot be locked.  You will be asked if you want to schedule the volume to be checked the next time the system is restarted.  You must enter: y <enter> You will be notified that the volume will be checked the next time the system restarts. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each of your hard disk volumes, e.g., if you have a drive c: and d: and you are doing your weekly chkdsk without checking for physical errors you would need to follow steps 4 and 5 twice.  You would enter chkdsk c: /F in step 4 the first time and you would enter chkdsk d: /F in step 4 the second time. You need to let chkdsk run on any disks that did not have open files.  Once it has finished you will need to shut down and restart your computer to run chkdsk on disks that could not be locked.  The disk with the operating system on it can never be locked so you will always need to shut down and restart your computer. If chkdsk reports lost clusters you will be asked if you want to Convert lost chains to files?  Normally you would not want to do this.  If you do choose to create files out of lost chains you will end up with a large number of small files ending with a .chk extension.  If you were working on a text file or word processing file and your system crashed, you may be able to patch together your work by cutting and pasting from these files. Running the chkdsk command with /R takes many hours.  It should be done at the end of the day and allowed to run overnight.

Defragment Your Hard Disk

Fragmented files are files that have been stored on two or more physically separate locations on your hard disk.  Fragmented files significantly slow down the performance of your computer and increase wear on the hard disk.  You should defragment your hard disks at least once a week.

Windows 95/98 - Run Disk Defragmenter

1. Close all applications you are running.  This especially applies to background virus scanners.  If you have installed VirusScan, VShield is running in the background.  If you have the campus licensed version of VirusScan 4.0.3 (the VShield icon on the task bar will be a soldier with a cannon) you do not need to close VShield.  If you have the campus licensed version of VirusScan 4.5 (the VShield icon on the task bar is a shield with a big V in it) close VShield by right-clicking on the VShield icon on the task bar then click on Exit.
2. Click the button, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, then click on Disk Defragmenter.
   
3. In the Select Drive window, select a drive to defragment (e.g., Drive C:) then click OK.
   
4. When defragmenting is finished, click OK.
5. If you have multiple hard disk volumes (e.g., drive c: and d: and ...) Disk Defragmenter should be run on all of them.

Windows NT/2000 - Diskeeper or Diskeeper Lite

Recommended Solution for Use on University-Owned Computers

Install Diskeeper and Configure to Automatically Defragment Hard Drives Periodically

1. Purchase the most recent version of Diskeeper by Executive Software.
2. Log into the Windows NT or Windows 2000 workstation as an administrator.
3. Install Diskeeper. Restart the machine when prompted.
4. Log back into the Windows NT or Windows 2000 workstation as an administrator.
5. Launch Diskeeper by clicking on , selecting Programs and clicking on Executive Software Diskeeper.
6. From the Diskeeper window click on Action and select Set It and Forget It from the drop down menu.
7. Within the Set It and Forget It - Disk Volume Scheduler window select the drives in the Disk Volume List that you would like to schedule Diskeeper to run. (Diskeeper can in the background with administrative rights even when a non-administrative account is logged in!)
   
8. From the Run field select the time of day that you would like Diskeeper to run or select Smart Scheduling. (If Smart Scheduling is choosen Diskeeper will automatically determine the optimum defragmentation schedule for each of your disk volumes and adjust it accordingly).
9. From the When field select the day you would like Diskeeper to run. (If Smart Scheduling is selected the When field will automatically be set to everyday).
   We recommend setting Diskeeper to run at least once a week during the evening. If you are unwilling to keep your computer running overnight set Diskeeper to run during lunch but be aware it may still be running when you come back to work and it slows down all other operations.
10. Click Start then click the Close button.
    

Second Best Solution for Use on University-Owned Computers

Use Diskeeper Lite to Manually Defragment Hard Drives

If you are unwilling or unable to purchase Diskeeper, Executive Software has a "Lite" version that is free.  Windows 2000 comes with Diskeeper Lite built in. Windows NT Users will need to download Diskeeper Lite and install it.

Windows NT Users - Obtain Diskeeper Lite Freeware and Install

1. Use a web browser and go to http://www.executive.com/downloads/menu.asp
2. Click on Diskeeper Lite Freeware. 
3. Fill out a user profile to download Diskeeper Lite.
4. Install Diskeeper Lite Freeware.
5. Read through the Diskeeper help files for full instructions on settings and usage of Diskeeper or Diskeeper Lite.

Manually Defragment the Hard Drives with Diskeeper Lite on Windows NT/2000

Diskeeper Lite is a repackaging of Diskeeper with a number of features disabled. It can’t defragment directories or swap files cannot be scheduled to run in the background. This can be done while you are working or at the end of the day if the machine will be left on overnight. This leaves the machine logged in as an administrator during defragmentation.

1. Log into your computer under an administrative account.
2. Click the button, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, then click on Disk Defragmenter.
3. Highlight the drive you want to defragment, then click on the Defragment button.
4. Be certain to log out of the administrative account as soon as you have finished using Diskeeper Lite.

We feel Diskeeper v.5 (and greater) is functionally far superior to Diskeeper Lite but even more important, its ability to be scheduled and run in the background makes certain that it is run on a regular basis. For university purchases, educational pricing is available directly from Executive Software in blocks of 20 licenses or more and must be ordered through purchasing.  As of 10/13/00, the educational price is $20.20 per license for twenty or more licenses of Diskeeper Workstation and $93.60 per license for twenty or more licenses of Diskeeper Server.  The price drops again at ninety nine licenses for Diskeeper Workstation and at fifty licenses for Diskeeper Server.  Contact Executive Software at 800-829-6468  to get a current price quote and part number or if you have questions.  Offices may want to make a group purchase to meet the 20-license minimum.  Executive software should only be contacted about university purchases, they will not sell to individuals at these prices! Single copies of Diskeeper Workstation can be found on the Internet for around $45.00.

Check Your Hard Disk Volumes For Available Space

Having enough free hard disk space for the creation of temporary files by both Windows and applications is critical. You should have at least 20% or 50MB of free disk space, whichever is larger, on each hard disk.  Check the free disk space on your hard disk volumes at least once a month. This should be checked immediately if you get an Out of Memory error message.

1. Double click on My Computer on your desktop.
2. Right click on the icon for the drive you want to check (e.g., Drive C:).
3. Click on Properties in the context menu that pops up.
   
   
4. The Properties window will tell you how much disk space you are using and how much is free. There is also a pie chart showing your disk usage.
5. If you have less than 20% free disk space on any hard disk you need to either delete files from that hard disk or move them somewhere else. You may also want to remove applications that are no longer being used. To delete files that are not being used on a Windows 98/ME/2000 system you can click on the Disk Cleanup button.
6. Click on OK when finished.
7. Applications should never be moved or deleted directly. To delete applications you no longer use or need follow the immediate steps below:
1. Click the button, point to Control Panel. Double click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
2. In the Add/Remove Programs window select the application that you wish to remove and click Change/Remove. Follow the instructions when prompted to uninstall the application.
3. Removing various Windows components such as Screen Savers can free up a lot of space. Caution: Be careful not to uninstall any components your system currently uses or you may seriously cripple your system. We recommend that only qualified computer support staff perform this operation. To do so click on the Add/Remove Windows Components button and select the various Windows components you want to uninstall.

Windows has no tool to move applications from one hard disk to another, but if you have more than one hard disk volume and one of them has a large amount of free disk space, you can uninstall a program then reinstall it to the hard disk with more free space. You can also purchase programs designed to move programs between hard disks. Partition Magic by PowerQuest includes a utility to move applications. Other utility packages may also have this capability.

Graphics, animations and music are among the biggest disk space hogs. They are large and easy to collect without being aware of just how many you have. Zip disks make a good removable media to archive (store without keeping a copy on the hard disk) seldom used files on. If available, tape is another excellent archive media. You should keep copies of important archived files on at least two separate removable disks or tapes.

Windows 95/NT4

Neither Windows 95 nor Windows NT has tools to find and delete unnecessary data or temporary files.

1. Periodically (immediately if less than 20% of a hard disk is free) go through your hard disks and delete or archive files that are no longer being used. Applications should never be moved or deleted directly.
2. To delete programs you no longer use or need follow the immediate steps below:
   1. Click the button, point to Control Panel. Double click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
   2. In the Add/Remove Programs window select the application that you wish to remove and click Change/Remove. Follow the instructions when prompted to uninstall the application

Technical support personnel, or  technically proficient home users, may want to download or purchase a utility to help free up disk space.   More Space by Contact Plus Corporation is a tool of this type which is available free with advertisements or for a fee.  It helps search for duplicate files, unusually large files, files that haven’t been accessed in years, etc. You can find More Space at www.contactplus.com/products/morspc/morespc.htm.  You will need to scroll down to and click on the link to More Space. You will be able to read about More Space and download a copy from this page.

More Space is an example of a utility that is designed to help free up disk space.  Computing Services does not specifically recommend it.  Similar utilities exist and may be easier or safer to use.  Any program of this type should only be used by people who are technically proficient! More Space can delete critical data or operating system files! This type of utility is very useful in the hands of a qualified person but can be disastrous if misused. Computing Services recommends this type of utility for technically proficient users only and is not responsible for any losses due to their use.

Windows 98/ME/2000 - Run Disk Cleanup

1. Windows 2000 users will only be able to clean up areas open to the account they are logged in under.  You will need to decide whether or not to log in under an administrative account.
2. Click on thebutton then open Programs, Accessories, System tools, then click on Disk Cleanup.
3. In the Select Drive window, click on the downward pointing triangle to select which hard disk volume to clean up.  Click on OK.
   
4. You will see a window telling you that the amount of disk space that can be freed is being calculated.  It will be replaced by a Disk Cleanup window with the General tab selected.  The categories of Files to delete that you see will depend on what is stored on the hard disk you are cleaning but may include:  Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files, the Recycle Bin, and Temporary Offline Files.  There may be more or fewer categories.
   
5. Select all of the categories of files you want to delete by clicking in the check box to the left of the category name.  A check means the files will be deleted and an empty box means the files will not be deleted.
6. Click on a category so it is highlighted then click on View Files if you want to see a list of the files that will be deleted in the highlighted category.  This can be overwhelming if there are a lot of files, but allows you to see exactly what will be lost if you delete the files in a specific category.
7. The More Options tab gives you access to delete Windows components or installed applications.  You should think carefully about how you use your computer before removing either.
8. In Windows 98, the Settings tab gives you the option to automatically run Disk Cleanup if you run low on disk space.
9. When you are ready to delete the files in the file categories you have selected under the General tab, click on OK.  You will be asked to verify that you want to delete files.  If you are certain, click on Yes, otherwise, click on No.  Disk Cleanup closes in either case but deletes the selected categories of files if you click on Yes.

Backing Up Your Data

A good backup strategy can save you from the agony of lost critical data. 

1. Organize your data so it is easy to back up. 
2. Set up a removable media device to back up your data to.
3. Perform backups on a regular basis.

Organize your data so it is easy to back up.  

You want all your data files (e.g. Word documents, Excel documents, email, etc.) to be in folders that are all inside a single folder on your hard disk.  Windows provides you with a folder named "My Documents" designed for this purpose.  In Windows 95/98/ME there is a single My Documents folder shared by all users while Windows NT/2000 creates a separate My Documents folder for each login account.  Backing up the "WinNT\Profiles" folder in NT 4.0 or the "Documents and Settings" folder in Windows 2000 will back up the My Documents folders for all users if you are logged in as an administrator.

Many programs default to saving files in the My Documents folder and programs that don't can usually be set to do so.  You will probably want to create new folders under the My Documents folder to keep data from different applications or projects separate.  You may need to read the documentation to learn how, but you should set each program to open documents from and save documents to the appropriate folders you have created under the My Documents folder.  If you do this consistently you will know where all your data is on your hard disk and won't accidentally miss backing up important data.

Choose what device you will use to back up your data.

The most common devices to back up data have been tape drives, zip drives and jaz drives.  More recently, CDRW drives (CD read/write drives) are  being used for backups.  Your decision will be based on how much data you need to back up, what devices you already have that could be used for backups, and whether or not you can purchase a new backup device.

The least expensive devices are Iomega  zip drives and disks.  Zip disks come in 250MB and 100MB sizes.  You must buy a zip drive designed for 250MB disks to use 250MB disks.  All zip drives can work with 100MB zip disks.  Zip drives come with software for backing up data to zip disks or you can copy the folder that all your data is under ("My Documents" or "Documents and Settings" to a zip disk if it will all fit.

Jaz drives come in 1GB and 2GB sizes and are similar to zip drives but are bigger and cost more.  They use the same Iomega backup software as zip drives.

CDRW drives can be used like a 650MB floppy disk when using CDRW disks and packet writing software that comes with the drive.  The disks you create will be readable only on other CDRW drives or CDR/DVD drives that support the multiread standard.  All drives capable of reading CDRW disks require software to be installed that supports reading CDRW disks.  You should use software that supports the UDF standard (most current CDRW packet writing software does) when writing files on your CDRW drive and install UDF reader software on computers with multiread CD or DVD drives that you want to read CDRW disks.  Drives with early implementations of multiread may not be able to read CDRW disks even with UDF reader software installed.  Free UDF readers are available from Ahead Software and Roxio.  CDRW drives may come with  backup or disaster recovery software but you should look carefully at the software bundled with a CDRW drive before purchasing it.

Unlike the previous devices, tape drives are designed specifically for backing up data.  They hold more data, 4GB to more than 40GB, and require running a backup program both to back up or restore files.  A tape drive cannot be used like a large floppy disk.  Windows 95/98/ME does not come with backup software so you must use the software, if any, that comes with the tape drive, or purchase backup software.  Windows NT has a backup program that works with most SCSI tape drives.  Windows 2000 has a backup program that works with any removable media that can be written to from within Windows (e.g. zip, jaz, CDRW) and most tape drives.  Tape is the least expensive media for very large amounts of data.

Develop a backup stategy.

You can just copy the files you need backed up onto removable media.  This cannot be done with tape, but works with zip, jaz, and CDWR disks.  It only works well if all your data fits on a single disk.  Using a backup program allows using tape and can span more than one disk or tape if necessary.  Backup programs also allow special backup series starting with a complete backup followed by backing up only files that have changed.  Initially, assume doing complete backups.  Ideally, you should back up your data on a daily basis.  This guarantees that you won't lose more than one day's work if your hard disk crashes.  In the stategies below, it also means you aren't completely dependent on any one disk or tape for your backups.  Removable disks and tapes also go bad.

Strategy One:  Gives you one work week of daily backups.

1. Label five media (disks or tapes)  Monday, Tuesday, ..., Friday.
2. On a Monday, put Monday's media into its drive then copy/backup your "My Documents" folder or "Documents and Settings" folder to the media.  Remove the media when all the files have been saved to it.
3. Repeat step 2 daily using the appropriately labeled media for each day.  Erase the data on the backup media from the previous week either manually or through the backup program you are using before performing a new backup to it.

Strategy Two: This is an extension of Strategy One.  It gives you one work week of daily backups plus one month of weekly backups. 

1. Label four media Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
2. Label five media 1st Monday, 2nd Monday, ..., 5th Monday.
3. On the first Monday of the month, delete any data already on your 1st Monday media then backup your data to it.
4. Backups on Tuesday through Friday will be the same as in Strategy One.
5. On the second, third, fourth, and fifth (if there is one) Monday of the month you would delete previous data then perform a current back up to the media labeled for that Monday.

Strategy Three:  This is an extension of Strategy Two.  It adds a year of monthly backups.

1. Replace the 1st Monday media in Strategy Two with 12 media labeled January, February, ..., December.  On the first Monday of each month use the media labeled for that month erasing the data from the previous backup to that media.  All other days of the month are as in Strategy Two.

Strategy Four:  This is the minimalist backup strategy and is a cut down version of Strategy One.  Use two media rather than five and label them A and B.  Back up your data files daily alternating between the two media.  This protects you against hard disk failure but not against viruses.  Destructive viruses often go undetected for relatively long periods of time and you may need a backup that goes back days or weeks to recover data damaged by a virus.  You should never use only one disk or tape for backups.  All media can fail so you should have at least two backups  in addition to working copies of your data.

Strategy Five:  This is the easiest strategy if it's available to you.  If you are faculty or staff at the university and your computer is on a LAN (local area network), you may be able to keep your files on a LAN file server where files are backed up to tape every night.  Check with your local computer support group to see if this is the case and what restrictions or costs might be in place.

Which strategy to use depends on how far back in time you want to be able to restore data from and how much effort you are willing to devote to backups.  Strategy Three is no more work than Strategy One, but requires more media and slightly more organization.  If you use backup software you may be able to use partial backups that are called incremental and differential backups.  Both start by doing a full backup followed by:

1. Incremental backups:  They copy only files that have changed since the last backup into a new backup set.  This is the most space efficient backup type but is the most difficult to do restores from.  You might be able to do a full backup plus four incremental backups on a single media.  If so, you would only need one disk or tape per week but might need to look in five different backup sets to find the right one to restore a file from.  A complete restore requires restoring all five backup sets.  Using incremental backups this way would lose a week's worth of backups if the media goes bad.
2. Differential backups:  They copy all files that have changed since the last full backup into a new backup set.  This means you only need to look in the full backup set and the most recent differential backup set to find the most recent version of a file.  You only need to restore the full backup set and the most recent differential backup set to know you have the most recent version of all your data.  Like the incremental backups, you might be able to put a full week of backups onto a single disk or tape and risk losing a full week of backup files if the media goes bad.

Complete backups on a daily basis are easiest to restore from.  You use your most recent backup to recover the most recent version of a data file or go back to the previous backup that is appropriate if you want an earlier version of the file.

Update/Patch Software

Install Internet Explorer 5.5 or Greater

1. If you don't already have Internet Explorer 5.5 (or greater version), get it from your local computer support personnel or download it from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie.
   IE5.5 gives you two useful tools. First, it gives you access to Microsoft’s Windows Update which allows you to easily install current bug fixes for Windows.  Second, it installs Microsoft’s Task Scheduler. 

Install Operating System Updates using Internet Explorer's Windows Update Tool

Internet Explorer 5.5 Windows Update tool connects to Microsoft's web site and checks your system to see if there are updates for Windows that aren't installed.  If there are, you can download them and they will automatically be installed.  You usually need to restart your computer at the end of an update session.  You should check for updates at least once a month. 
To update your operating system files:

1. Windows NT4 and Windows 2000 users must be logged in under an administrative account.
2. Make certain you are connected to the Internet.  This can be through a dial up connection or, if you are on campus, through a Local Area Network (LAN) connection.
3. Start Internet Explorer 5.5 then select IE’s Windows Update command under the Tools menu. 
4. On the Windows Update page click on PRODUCT UPDATES.  You may be asked if it is OK to install a program necessary to use Windows Update. If so, click on the Yes button. After a little processing you will see a list of available updates with instructions on how to download and install them.
5. Look to see if there are any critical updates listed. There is usually a Read this first link for each update that explains what the update does and who should and should not install it. Critical updates should always be installed unless you see a specific reason not to in the Read this first page that applies to you.
6. Look at the recommended updates. Use your judgment on whether or not to install any or all of them.  Except for Windows NT, one of the options should be the Windows Critical Update Notifier.  If you install this update it will periodically check your machine's installed updates against Microsoft's currently available updates while you are connected to the Internet.  If there are any critical updates available that you haven't installed, a window will pop up notifying you that new critical updates are available.
7. Look at other available downloads. Use your judgment on whether or not to install any or all of them.

Microsoft has periodically come out with Service Packs for Windows NT and Windows 2000.  The current versions as of 5/23/01 are SP6a for NT 4.0 and SP2 for Windows 2000.  Service packs contain bug fixes and, in some cases, significant changes in support for applications.  Applications often depend on capabilities added by a service pack and will not run without either that service pack or a later one being installed.  

Installing a service pack is potentially dangerous.  SP2 for NT 4.0 introduced so many new bugs that the operating system was unusable.  You should wait at least two to three months after a new service pack comes out to find out what problems, if any, are associated with it.  Even good service packs with no serious problems once installed can damage your operating system beyond repair during installation if a necessary step is left out.  The following items are not comprehensive but should always be completed prior to a service pack installation:

• Research what problems other people have had installing the service pack and how they solved them.  Use your judgment on how to use this information.
• Read the readme file that comes with the service pack or is available on Microsoft's web pages.  This describes how to install the service pack and includes known problems and special instructions regarding the installation.  It may contain instructions to uninstall certain Microsoft products if you have them installed then reinstall them after the service pack has been installed.
• Have a backup either of your entire system or of all data that you consider critical.  If anything goes wrong during the installation your backup may be the only copy you have.
• Create an up to date Emergency Repair Disk.
• Update all of your device drivers.  Download the most recent device drivers for all of your hardware from their manufacturer's web site then install them.  Follow the instructions that come with each driver.
• Document all changes you make so you can change them back after the service pack installation.  This should include settings inside a service or application if appropriate.
• Turn off third party services in the Services control panel.  You usually do this by changing the startup type to manual from automatic.  After rebooting the service will not be running.  Likely services include background antivirus checking and background defragmenting.
• Uninstall any programs known to create a problem when installing a service pack.

During the installation you will be given the option to create a backup folder that allows you to uninstall the service pack and go back to the way your OS was prior to installing the service pack.  If you have enough disk space available you should do this.  After the installation you should:

• Reinstall programs, if any, that you uninstalled prior to the service pack installation.
• Turn on third party services in the Services control panel.  Refer to your documentation to see what you turned off and how it was set prior to being turned off.  Return everything to the way it had been set originally.

If you install anything from your original operating system CD to your computer after installing a service pack you must immediately reinstall the service pack.  This guarantees you don't have software components from different service pack levels trying to work together.  This is critical!

AntiVirus Software

1. Go to http://www.sfsu.edu/~doit/helpdesk/av.htm to download and install the most recent version of VirusScan.
2. Verify that VirusScan is configured to update automatically via the Internet.

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Last Modified: 18 Mar 2005
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