PC-Maintenance-Guide

Title: PC Maintenance Guide with PowerShell Reference Description: Step-by-step procedures for Windows PC maintenance, with inline PowerShell commands and an automated script. Last Updated: 2026-02-26 Author: Keith S. Crawford // @tsudo on Github & Twitter DISCLAIMER: Use at your own risk. LICENSE: CC-BY-SA 4.0 — Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Automated Script

Most steps below can be run unattended using the included PowerShell script. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process -ExecutionPolicy Bypass
.\PC-Maintenance.ps1

Pass -DryRun to preview actions without making changes:

.\PC-Maintenance.ps1 -DryRun

Prerequisites

Run PowerShell as Administrator — right-click the Start button → Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Terminal (Admin)
A recent backup or system restore point is recommended before starting
Internet access is required for update steps

Utility Links

Tool	Purpose
BleachBit	Deep junk-file cleaner (open source)
CCleaner Portable	Registry & temp-file cleaner
PatchMyPC Home Updater	GUI third-party app updater
Revo Uninstaller Free	Deep uninstaller with leftover cleanup
Ninite Installer / Essential Apps Bundle	Batch install common apps
TeamViewer	Remote support
Sysinternals Live / Suite	Advanced system diagnostics
CPU-Z	Hardware identification

Maintenance Procedures

Step 1 — Create a System Restore Point

Create a restore point before making any changes so you can roll back if something goes wrong.

Script: Automated (optional, prompted)

# Enable System Restore on C: if not already active
Enable-ComputerRestore -Drive "C:\"

# Create a restore point
Checkpoint-Computer `
    -Description "Pre-Maintenance $(Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd')" `
    -RestorePointType MODIFY_SETTINGS

To restore later: open System Properties → System Protection → System Restore.

Step 2 — Clear Temporary Files

Removes cached and temporary files from user and system locations to recover disk space.

Script: Automated

# User temp folders
Remove-Item -Path "$env:TEMP\*"                    -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Path "$env:TMP\*"                     -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Temp\*"       -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# System temp folder (requires Admin)
Remove-Item -Path "$env:SystemRoot\Temp\*"         -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Run built-in Disk Cleanup with a saved profile
# First-time setup (interactive): cleanmgr.exe /sageset:1
# Run silently with saved profile:
cleanmgr.exe /sagerun:1

Tip: Run cleanmgr.exe /sageset:1 once to choose which categories (Windows Update Cleanup, Thumbnails, etc.) are included in the silent profile.

Step 3 — Empty the Recycle Bin

Script: Automated

Clear-RecycleBin -Force

Step 4 — Flush the DNS Cache

Clears stale DNS entries that can cause slow page loads or broken connections.

Script: Automated

# Flush
Clear-DnsClientCache

# Verify the cache is clear
Get-DnsClientCache

Step 5 — Configure & Run Storage Sense

Storage Sense automatically removes temp files and old Recycle Bin content on a schedule.

Script: Automated (registry configuration)

$regPath = "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\StorageSense\Parameters\StoragePolicy"
New-Item -Path $regPath -Force | Out-Null

Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name "01"   -Value 1   # Enable Storage Sense
Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name "04"   -Value 30  # Run frequency: every 30 days
Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name "2048" -Value 30  # Delete temp files unused > 30 days
Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name "08"   -Value 1   # Clean up Recycle Bin automatically
Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name "256"  -Value 30  # Delete Recycle Bin items > 30 days old

# Open the Settings page to confirm
Start-Process "ms-settings:storagesense"

Step 6 — Windows Updates

Note: The old wuauclt.exe /updatenow command is deprecated on modern Windows. Use UsoClient or the PSWindowsUpdate module.

Script: Automated

Option A — PSWindowsUpdate module (recommended for scripting):

# Install the module once (from PowerShell Gallery)
Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate -Force -Scope CurrentUser

# Check for available updates
Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate
Get-WindowsUpdate

# Install all updates without auto-rebooting
Install-WindowsUpdate -AcceptAll -AutoReboot:$false

Option B — Built-in UsoClient (no extra module required):

# Trigger a scan-and-install cycle
UsoClient.exe ScanInstallWait

# Open Windows Update settings to review results
Start-Process "ms-settings:windowsupdate"

Step 7 — Microsoft Office Updates (Manual)

Office updates through its own Click-to-Run channel and cannot be fully automated without the C2R client.

Manual steps: Open any Office application → File → Account → Update Options → Update Now

Script: Automated for Microsoft 365 / Click-to-Run installations

$c2r = "${env:CommonProgramFiles}\microsoft shared\ClickToRun\OfficeC2RClient.exe"
if (Test-Path $c2r) {
    Start-Process $c2r -ArgumentList "/update user" -Wait
    Write-Host "Office update triggered."
} else {
    Write-Host "Click-to-Run client not found. Update manually via File > Account."
}

Step 8 — Windows Store App Updates

Script: Automated (WMI trigger)

# Trigger a Store update scan via MDM WMI interface
$wmiObj = Get-WmiObject `
    -Namespace "root\cimv2\mdm\dmmap" `
    -Class "MDM_EnterpriseModernAppManagement_AppManagement01"
$result = $wmiObj.UpdateScanMethod()
Write-Host "Store update scan result: $($result.ReturnValue)"

# Open the Microsoft Store to verify / install updates manually
Start-Process "ms-windows-store:"

Step 9 — Third-Party App Updates (winget)

winget is Windows' built-in package manager, available on Windows 10 1709+ via the App Installer package.

Script: Automated

# See what can be upgraded
winget upgrade

# Upgrade everything silently
winget upgrade --all --silent --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements

# Upgrade a single app by ID
winget upgrade --id Mozilla.Firefox

Tip: Install winget by searching for App Installer in the Microsoft Store if the command is not found.

Step 10 — System File Checker (SFC)

Scans Windows system files for corruption and repairs them from a cached copy.

Script: Automated

# Run as Administrator — takes 10–30 minutes
sfc /scannow

# Check results in the CBS log
Get-Content "$env:SystemRoot\Logs\CBS\CBS.log" |
    Select-String "corrupt|repair|Cannot repair" |
    Select-Object -Last 30

If SFC cannot repair files, run DISM (Step 11) first, then re-run SFC.

Step 11 — DISM — Windows Image Health Repair

Repairs the Windows component store that SFC relies on. Requires internet access to download replacement files from Windows Update.

Script: Automated

# Quick check — reports if the image is flagged as damaged
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

# Full scan — slower, more thorough
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

# Repair — downloads and replaces corrupted components (~10–20 min)
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Run DISM before SFC when the system is heavily corrupted or SFC keeps failing.

Step 12 — Disk Optimization

Optimize-Volume automatically selects the correct action: TRIM for SSDs, defragmentation for HDDs.

Script: Automated

# List all fixed drives with size information
Get-Volume | Where-Object { $_.DriveType -eq "Fixed" -and $_.DriveLetter } |
    Select-Object DriveLetter, FileSystem,
        @{N="Size GB";   E={[math]::Round($_.Size / 1GB, 1)}},
        @{N="Free GB";   E={[math]::Round($_.SizeRemaining / 1GB, 1)}} |
    Format-Table -AutoSize

# Analyze a specific drive
Optimize-Volume -DriveLetter C -Analyze -Verbose

# Optimize one drive (auto-selects Defrag or ReTrim)
Optimize-Volume -DriveLetter C -Verbose

# Optimize all fixed NTFS drives
Get-Volume |
    Where-Object { $_.DriveType -eq "Fixed" -and $_.DriveLetter -and $_.FileSystem -eq "NTFS" } |
    ForEach-Object { Optimize-Volume -DriveLetter $_.DriveLetter -Verbose }

Step 13 — Review Startup Programs (Manual)

Autoruns from Sysinternals provides the most complete view of programs that launch at startup or login.

Script: Launcher only (review is manual)

# Launch Autoruns directly from Sysinternals Live (no install needed)
Start-Process "\\live.sysinternals.com\tools\Autoruns64.exe"

# Quick list of startup entries via built-in PowerShell
Get-CimInstance Win32_StartupCommand |
    Select-Object Name, Command, Location, User |
    Format-Table -AutoSize

# Check enabled scheduled tasks that run at startup/logon
Get-ScheduledTask |
    Where-Object { $_.State -eq "Ready" -and $_.Triggers.CimClass.CimClassName -match "Logon|Boot" } |
    Select-Object TaskName, TaskPath |
    Format-Table -AutoSize

Disable suspicious entries in Autoruns by unchecking them — this is safer than deleting them outright.

Maintenance Schedule

Frequency	Tasks
Weekly	Clear temp files, empty Recycle Bin, flush DNS, Windows Update
Monthly	winget upgrade, Store updates, Office update, Storage Sense run
Quarterly	SFC scan, DISM health check, disk optimization, Autoruns review
Annually	Full backup verification, hardware dust cleaning, review and remove unused apps

Quick-Reference Command Table

Task	PowerShell / Command
Create restore point	`Checkpoint-Computer -Description "Backup" -RestorePointType MODIFY_SETTINGS`
Clear user temp files	`Remove-Item "$env:TEMP\*" -Recurse -Force`
Empty Recycle Bin	`Clear-RecycleBin -Force`
Flush DNS cache	`Clear-DnsClientCache`
Open Storage Sense	`Start-Process "ms-settings:storagesense"`
Check for Windows updates	`Get-WindowsUpdate` (PSWindowsUpdate module)
Install Windows updates	`Install-WindowsUpdate -AcceptAll -AutoReboot:$false`
Trigger update scan (built-in)	`UsoClient.exe ScanInstallWait`
Update Office (C2R)	`& "${env:CommonProgramFiles}\microsoft shared\ClickToRun\OfficeC2RClient.exe" /update user`
List winget upgrades	`winget upgrade`
Upgrade all apps (winget)	`winget upgrade --all --silent`
System File Checker	`sfc /scannow`
DISM image repair	`DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth`
Optimize drive C	`Optimize-Volume -DriveLetter C -Verbose`
View startup programs	`Get-CimInstance Win32_StartupCommand \| Format-Table -AutoSize`
Launch Autoruns	`Start-Process "\\live.sysinternals.com\tools\Autoruns64.exe"`

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PC-Maintenance-Guide

Automated Script

Prerequisites

Utility Links

Maintenance Procedures

Step 1 — Create a System Restore Point

Step 2 — Clear Temporary Files

Step 3 — Empty the Recycle Bin

Step 4 — Flush the DNS Cache

Step 5 — Configure & Run Storage Sense

Step 6 — Windows Updates

Step 7 — Microsoft Office Updates (Manual)

Step 8 — Windows Store App Updates

Step 9 — Third-Party App Updates (winget)

Step 10 — System File Checker (SFC)

Step 11 — DISM — Windows Image Health Repair

Step 12 — Disk Optimization

Step 13 — Review Startup Programs (Manual)

Maintenance Schedule

Quick-Reference Command Table

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PC-Maintenance-Guide.md

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PC-Maintenance-Guide.md

File metadata and controls

PC-Maintenance-Guide

Automated Script

Prerequisites

Utility Links

Maintenance Procedures

Step 1 — Create a System Restore Point

Step 2 — Clear Temporary Files

Step 3 — Empty the Recycle Bin

Step 4 — Flush the DNS Cache

Step 5 — Configure & Run Storage Sense

Step 6 — Windows Updates

Step 7 — Microsoft Office Updates (Manual)

Step 8 — Windows Store App Updates

Step 9 — Third-Party App Updates (winget)

Step 10 — System File Checker (SFC)

Step 11 — DISM — Windows Image Health Repair

Step 12 — Disk Optimization

Step 13 — Review Startup Programs (Manual)

Maintenance Schedule

Quick-Reference Command Table