Notes on simple things you can do to keep your computer running smoothly.    Doing these things quarterly would be more than adequate (accept backing up of course).  These things should make you computer run faster but it may only make you feel better but either is good.

 My first suggestion is that if your computer does not already have a This PC or equivalent icon on your desktop.  Clicking this icon brings up a folder containing the following folders:  Desktop, Document, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos and 3D Objects (Still have not figured out this one, apparently it is useful if you have a 3D printer.)  To add this icon, right click on a blank area of your desktop, then select Themes along the right side, then scroll down to Desktop icon settings (it is under Related Settings.  Now click on three Computer box at the top,  then apply.

Has any one stolen one of your passwords:
Go to https://haveibeenpwned.com/ and enter your email addresses and user names you use.  They will tell you if your e-mail address is linked to any sold passwords.  If so, it will tell you what account and when.  They found two associated with me.  One I was almost certain of before hand.  In my case I had not used that password anywhere else and the accounts were not at all significant so it was not a big issue but if I had used the same password for a lot of accounts it could have been.  You should always use unique passwords for critical accounts like those where money can be spent or your e-mail account.  If someone can get into your e-mail account, they can go to one of your other accounts and claim they lost the password and the firm will typically e-mail you something to allow you to reset the password.  This brings up another thing.  Companies often e-mail a notice when your password has been reset. If it was not reset by you act immediately.  You will want to keep track of the date you updated your passwords because the accounts that were compromised will stay on the list so you need to know if you changed the password after the compromised. 

Password Managers
A password manager is a pain but it is a lot less of a pain then remembering each different password or changing every password you have if one is compromised.  It is also nice to have access to our list of passwords from both your PC and cell phone or in my case between spouses.  In any case it is useful for someone else to have access to your passwords in case disaster strikes.  You probably do not plan on dying or being incapacitated in the next few weeks but it is a possibility. I keep some non password stuff like insurance account information in with my password for specifically that purpose. My wife and I share one account as neither one has an account we want to hide and we trust each other. As my wife is coming down with dementia, this has been a godsend.

I use Keeper Password Manager and Data Vault to keep track of all my passwords.  It is free on one device but much more voluble on multiple devices like your PC and smart phone.  It keeps the passwords in the cloud so you have a common list between multiple devices such as multiple computers, smart phones, and tablets.  There is a place for comments that in some cases for me go to multiple pages because it is a common place to keep notes about everything that requires a password.  I even use it to keep track of the combinations on my padlocks.  The cost is $29.95/Yr. for one account and an unlimited number of devices. I believe there is an option to have separate spousal account at a reduced rate.  It organizes the passwords in individual files which are  then placed in folders like Local, Medical, Computer software, Retail etc.  You can add it to your prosper as a plug in which makes it a little easier to use but you can not see all your notes associated with the account so I usually go directly to the password manger.  One odd quirt is that if you want to change the time before it autmaticly logs off, and you probably will, it is only an option from  the plugin to your browser version although is also changes the base version.
You might think the option of storing comments along with the password would be of little use but I use it extensively.  For example along with the password for my bank, I store all my account numbers, charge card numbers (so I can past them in without having to get the card out of my wallet), How I report plans to travel, how to download tax forms etc.

If you want a free one, try LastPass, the paid version got high marks from PC Magazine. I gave it a quick try and it seems quite good, in fact I can not find an area where it is worse except I am nervous when the data, encrypted admittedly, is only saved on the cloud or my smart phone, not on my PC.  It does have some advantages including a spell checker built in, an obvious advantage for someone like me.  Another one is that it has an easy way to separate notes from sites and has a wide variety of notes already available. It also saves previous passwords which is a very good idea.  In Keeper, I often note my previous password because sometimes you need it.  Premium adds, quicker response to problems, the ability to share passwords with others not on your account.  For a video on LastPsss click HERE.  Some sites say the free version will not work across multiple platforms like PCs and cell phones but I have not had trouble doing that.  It has a nice emergency access feature.  This would be particular good if no one else has your password. How it works is if you have not logged into LastPass  in a specified period of time, max is 30 days, it will assume something has gone wrong and it will e-mail your contact person with info on how to get into your account.

Disk Cleanup:  This task deletes a lot of files that you do not even know you have like temporary files, web pages you have looked at, cookies etc.  It also empties the wastebasket.
On Windows 10 systems (and probably windows 8), in the search window in the lower left of the screen that you see when you click the start button, enter "Disk Cleanup" then click on the "Disk Cleanup" label that shows up above.  You will have the option to select various categories of files to clean up as well as what disk drives to clean up.  Drive C: is the most critical.  This program does not delete the history files associated with programs like Word.  There are third party programs which do a more through job but also delete the history file associated with programs like Word.  CCleaner is the best known one and one I use.

Hard Disk Error Checking:  This task checks the hard disk for errors.  You can request that the program try to fix the error or to just mark the spot bad so it will not be used in the future.
Open windows explorer to the spot where you can see the various hard disks you have.  If you have a quick link to "My Computer" or "This PC" that will take you directly to the spot you want to be in. Then right click on the disk you want to check and select PROPERTIES   > TOOLS  > ERROR CHECKING.
If you want to run a more robust hard disk error check, use chkdsk.  Click HERE to see how. 
The checks are somewhat independent so sometimes when chkdsk will not run, the disk error checking discussed above will still work however if ether one gives problem it is a sign that the disk is starting to go bad and you so start thinking about replacing it. This check can also be run on a computer that will not boot, see HERE.  Also some anti-virus programs including Kaspersky regularly check your hard disk.  It warned my that my oldest hard disk (salvaged from a previous computer) was on it's last legs even though it had not done anything suspicious.