10 Things You Should Never Do to a Windows PC

Most Windows PCs don’t get slow, broken or hacked because Windows failed. They get that way because somebody clicked the wrong thing, took a shortcut, or said, “I’ll just do this once.”

Here are ten things you should never do to a Windows PC, starting with the mistake that leaves you nowhere to go when something breaks.

Prefer to watch instead of read? Here’s the full video — or skip it and keep reading below.

1. Never Make a Major Change Without a Restore Point

Before you install a major driver, change the Registry, run a debloating tool or start “optimizing” Windows, create a restore point (search Start for Create a restore point, then Create). It’s a rollback point for Windows, drivers and settings, not a backup of your files, but it gives you a way out if your five-minute improvement turns into a two-hour disaster. (More: System Restore Is NOT a Backup.)

2. Never Install a PC Cleaner or Speed Booster From an Ad

You know the ones: big flashing warning, “Your PC has 47 critical errors, click here to make it 300 percent faster.” No. Just… no. Best case, it does almost nothing useful and asks for forty bucks a year. Worst case, the software you installed to protect your computer is the thing you needed protection from.

3. Never Use an Administrator Account for Everything

The first account Windows sets up is usually an administrator, and most people use it for everything: email, browsing, downloads. User Account Control still asks before programs get full privileges, but you’re often one prompt away from approving them, and how many people actually read those prompts? Use a standard account for everyday work and keep a separate administrator account for actual administration (Settings → Accounts → Other users).

4. Never Disable Antivirus Because an Installer Tells You To

If an installer says “Please disable antivirus before continuing,” stop right there and ask why it needs your security software off. Legitimate software can occasionally trigger a false positive, but the answer isn’t “Fine, I’ll disable everything and hope for the best.” Check where the file came from and who published it. Don’t turn off the smoke detector because the beeping annoys you. Find out what’s making it beep.

5. Never Reuse the Same Password Everywhere

Your Microsoft account password matters in particular: it may be tied to your Windows sign-in, OneDrive, the Microsoft Store and password recovery. Reuse it somewhere else, and one breached website may hand somebody a very useful key. Use unique passwords and a password manager if you’re comfortable with one. If you’d rather go old-school, write them down and store them somewhere secure. (Start here: Lock Down These Accounts First.)

6. Never Download Cracked or Pirated Software

Key generators, “pre-activated” copies, the $200 program somebody mysteriously uploaded to a forum for free: you’re about to run modified code from an anonymous person on the internet. Some cracks get flagged because of how they modify software. Others are simply malware wearing a pirate hat. Unless you’re ready to reverse-engineer it yourself, you don’t know which one you downloaded. That’s not a discount. That’s an open door with a welcome mat.

7. Never Ignore a Pending Restart for Weeks

“Restart required.” Close it. Close it again. Three weeks later, Windows is still waiting. Some updates, driver replacements and system changes can’t finish until the computer restarts, so now you’re troubleshooting a machine that hasn’t finished the changes you already told it to make. Windows Update isn’t nagging you because it’s lonely. Restart the thing.

8. Never Plug In a Random USB Device

Found one in a parking lot? Handed one by a stranger? Curiosity is exactly what an attacker is counting on, and the danger doesn’t necessarily start when you double-click a file. A malicious USB device can pretend to be a keyboard and start typing commands. If you genuinely don’t know where it came from, it doesn’t get a turn in a computer you care about. Mystery USB drives belong with mystery food from the back of the refrigerator.

9. Never Keep Important Files in Only One Place

If the only copy of your documents and pictures is on your computer, you don’t have a backup. You have a future regret waiting for a convenient time. Drives fail, files get deleted, computers get stolen, and ransomware doesn’t care that the machine is six months old. Keep another copy on an external drive, a reputable cloud backup, or preferably both, and make sure the backup is actually running. (Here’s how to check: Your Backup Might Be Useless.)

10. Never Use Reset This PC as Your First Move

Something breaks, and the first instinct is “Forget it, reset the whole thing.” But Reset This PC isn’t a diagnostic tool. It’s a fairly large hammer, and there are usually smaller, safer things to try first: System Restore, Startup Repair, Safe Mode, a driver rollback, removing a bad update. And even when a reset is the right move, you back up first. (Read this before you click it: Don’t Reset Your PC Until You Do These 7 Things First.)

The Short Version

1. Create a restore point before any big change.
2. Never install “PC cleaners” from ads, cracked software or random USB drives.
3. Use a standard account day to day, and unique passwords everywhere.
4. Don’t disable antivirus because an installer asks, and don’t ignore restarts for weeks.
5. Keep your files in more than one place, and never reset as your first move.

Stay grumpy.