Each year, during the second week of February, falls a seldom-noticed day: National Clean Out Your Computer Day. But maintaining good computer hygiene can and should be part of your routine every day.
Computers have become our go to when we want to store anything we deem significant, however, many people tend to forget to clean them out just like we would our closet or pantry. Are you really going to wear that dress from 10 years ago? Do you really need to keep that can of salsa that expired 4 years ago? The answer is no! The same cleaning process should be considered when it comes to the documents, pictures, files, and emails on your computer.
Why you should take part
It keeps all of us organized!
Let’s be honest…we all keep plenty of documents saved to our desktop or downloads folder without even thinking about it. National Clean Out Your Computer Day is a great time to re-organize random documents into folders by subject which will make life easier when looking for a specific document in the future.
It makes our computers perform faster
Techniques that will help your computer purr like a kitten again include: deleting unnecessary files, uninstalling unused applications, and managing the applications that run on startup.
It saves us from getting hacked
While you should always have an antivirus program running, a full system scan in honor of National Clean Out Your Computer Day is a great way to double-check for anything that looks suspicious.
How to observe National Clean Out Your Computer Day
Back, back, back it up
Hopefully, your data is backed up regularly to provide peace of mind in case anything happens. OIT recommends using a cloud storage solution, in accordance with the Secure Computing Standard for Computers. Visit the OneDrive service page to find out how to sync your university-issued Mac or Windows device with OneDrive.
Vaccinate against malware
Make sure you have anti-malware and antivirus software (for the majority of university devices, this will be Microsoft Defender) and run a full scan. This is a great time to clear out any suspicious messages in your inbox and set up filters to catch spam messages more effectively.
Purge CU Boulder Records
A lot of us hoard files just in case we need them someday, but did you know that CU's Administrative Policy Statement 2006 stipulates requirements for the destruction of records? Employees should familiarize themselves with the CU Boulder records retention schedule. To learn more, review the campus guidance for record handling.
Machine Deep Clean
We may not want to think about it, but our computers are a hodgepodge of germs. They attract all kinds of dust, food particles, and more on a daily basis. During this day of awareness, give your machine a little bit of TLC. Use an anti-static cloth to clean your computer screen, a can of compressed air to deep clean your keyboard, and grab a cotton swab to get dust out of those hard-to-reach places.