In addition to keeping it protected, don't overheat it lol. A laptop is not meant for 24/7 nonstop use.

Unless there is a new feature in a driver update that you need, or there is a problem with the way a device is functioning, there is no need to go out and update your drivers. Updates of drivers have actually been known to cause problems, which is the reason the driver tab for each device in Device Manager has a button to "Roll back to previous driver".

Also, do not have Windows automatically update your machine. It is best to have it set to notify you of available updates. Then when you are ready, you can click on the balloon (or icon if the balloon has timed out), read the description, select which updates you want, and download and install on your time schedule. Windows has been trying to get me to download and install an updated driver for my No-name-OEM Nvidia 7300LE video card, but I have already had to roll back once, and it's working just fine, so on the updates, I just skip it and normally download all the rest.

If you feel the need to search out an update, simply go to the device manager, click on the + in front of the category (ie:video card), then double click on the identified item, then in the new box click on drivers, and in that dialog box click on update driver and if desired let it search the internet for an updated driver. That is the easiest way in my mind to find updates - let Window do the searching for you.

As to downloads, I keep a download folder and sub-folders for each program name. This way I keep the download, and then install from the download folder. Some programs don't like that, so I put a copy on the desktop, install from the copy, then delete the copy. That way if you ever have to do a reinstall/recovery, the program is kept. (I actually keep my download folder off the machine - on my home networked storage device).

I am admittedly, a pack rat. I still have Lotus 1-2-3 files from the 80's on my storage device. But sometimes these old files come in handy. I had a good friend who worked with a group to assemble and print a booklet to use in a training session. About 3 months later, the group that was going to do the one for the new year asked if for any files, and he had deleted them all! While it may sound like you would accumulate a lot, I only have about 63GB of data files (excluding audio and video files). Audio files are not too bad, but video files will eat up HD space in a hurry. These are best keep on an external drive or network storage because of their size and the typcially limited laptop HD space.

For anti-malware and removing unwanted "free" programs that come on the laptop, the best advice I can give you is to re-read SpiritWinds post, and follow those directions.

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