[Svartalfiar]

Run a complete system backup at least once a month with a backup boot thumb drive. Run system updates manually from the control panel.

One I've used before is Macrium Reflect Free. Been a while, but I think they offer the full suite free for personal use on one or two machines.

[Bob434]

yes they do- great backup- another option is to get rollbackRX- it is system restore on steroids- it starts BEFORE windows boots- so you can roll the system back even when it won’t start- There is a free edition, but it limits to only a few snapshots- the program only costs about $50 or so- well worth it- viruses are a thing of the past- if you get one- do a rollback- easy peasy- virus is completely gone