Open task manager and check cpu, ram & disk usage

Processor model, age

Amount of RAM

Hard drive free space

Delete temporary files – go to both of these locations (%temp% and c:\windows\temp) in File Explorer and delete everything

Check hard drive health – in HD Sentinel

Turn off Disk Defragmentation on SSD drive – open Files Explorer, right click any drive, select properties, Tools tab, click Optimize, turn of defragmentation

Turn off fast start up – 
Control panel / power options / Choose what the power buttons do / uncheck “Turn on fast startup”

check if System Restore is on and configured properly for drive C – open File Explorer, right click This PC, Properties, System Protection, select drive C, configure, Turn On, set to 15gigs

Check event log

Run disk check – do this to each drive – Right click drive, select properties, click tools, click Check, click Scan drive

sfc /scannow (1st open command prompt as administrator)
(if it finds error that it can’t fix then run
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
sfc /scannow
https://pcpar.net/2020/08/09/dism/)

Update Drivers

Windows update – Settings, Updates & Security

Check on backup – iDrive, Easeus Backup, Carbonite

Update backup program – iDrive(right click icon next to time), Easeus (open program)

Check AntiVirus if it is active with a license

Firewall set to Private Network – Settings, Network & Internet, click on either ethernet or WiFi, click the named connection at top, select Private

Check startup programs – Task Manager, AutoRuns (sysinternals.com / Download / Autoruns / Sysinternals Live)

check for garbage programs that were installed – Control Panel / Programs and Features

Scan for Malware – Malwarebytes.com free version

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update browser – should be automatic

chrome – remove notifications from settings – ellipse, Settings, search for “notifications”, site settings, notifications, scroll down and delete unwanted from Allowed list

chrome, firefox – remove extensions (chrome – ellipse, More Tools,  Extensions)

Delete browser temp files, just temp files, no cookiescheck on backup – iDrive, Easeus Backup, Carbonite

Software to install on a New computer – Drivers, AntiVirus, Adobe Acrobat, Chrome, HD Sentinel, VLC player

More for new computers – change Registry for long file path (run REGEDIT)