Here's what the conventional wisdom has you do:
1. Install whatever you want. If you dont' like it, no longer need it, or the trial period runs out, uninstall it. Windows has a system to do just that, so it must work fine, right?
2. Install windows updates - keep them up to date. There have been instances where this causes more problems than it could prevent. What was wrong with Windows before, anyway?
3. Install antivirus software and keep it updated. Anti-spyware/adware would be nice too, but it's not as necessary.
4. Install a firewall to keep nasty people and software out.
If it's all automated, then you'll be kept up to date, hopefully. Antivirus software can't prevent zero-day attacks - if your computer is one of the first to be exposed to a new virus - there is no anti-virus for it yet.
Even if you never get hit by something malignant, your PC will slowly degrade. It's a fact of life - Windows systems slowly degrade with use. Simply using them leaves garbage files all over the place - not just in temp directories, but in important system directories too. Programs clutter the registry, making it slower and slower - not just for reboots but for everyday use.
This means that most people have a PC that gets slow and annoying over time.
There's an alternative:
1. Set up your PC exactly how you want it. Hopefully it's a new PC - minty fresh PCs are best. If it's not, but the PC still has good performance, that's fine. Your PC will never degrade another day.
2. Install software to freeze your system. Microsoft SteadyState and Faronics DeepFreeze are two options.
3. Every time you reboot your system, it's back to the original minty-fresh state. It's the exact same system as the day you installed the software.
If you want to install new software, it's not a problem. Simply unfreeze your system, install the new stuff, and refreeze.
All your work should be saved to a separate location than your system's main drive. You can use a logical partition (if you have a D: drive, you probably have this), a second hard drive, or removable media. This is a good thing, because:
- Easily move to another PC. Need to work somewhere else? Just take the removable drive and do it.
- Make backups - most difficulties backing up are due to backing up the system. If your system is frozen and never changes, what's to back up?
- Want to travel? It doesn't get any easier than when you don't even have to tote around a laptop.
- Want to experiment? Install spyware, trojans and junk. You can laugh at them - they'll be gone with a system restart.
- Want to try a trial version of a program? Great - when you're done, reboot. If you don't like it, reboot. If you like it, you can even extend the trial period because it's so easy to reinstall.
Stop software problems forever using this strategy. Computer hardware rarely fails anymore, which means that most problems are actually software problems. This strategy gets rid of software problems for good.
http://www.RestartAndGone.com is James's favorite PC trick, but it's not a trick at all. It's a system that bans computer hassles entirely.