I have several orders of magnitude fewer problems with Windows than most anyone I know. When I share what I do with savvy folks who are having issues, I find t

I have several orders of magnitude fewer problems with Windows than most anyone I know. When I share what I do with savvy folks who are having issues, I find that NONE of them do all of the things I consider essential, that can be done with little knowledge. My easy-to-do essentials, In order of priority, from years of experience are: • I restart Windows frequently, at least daily, and anytime things seem "off" (rarely). I of course also restart any application(s) that seem(s) to be working poorly. I rarely need to do either. • I use an online backup service that archives changes (dropbox) so I can restore old versions of files in case I screw something up (about once every other month). • If I have a problem that repeats, I restart Windows in safe mode, and then turn off, unplug the POWER cord, and then hold the power button in with the power cord UNPLUGGED (fixes some electrical static issues. Works on other appliances as well) • I hide all services under Msconfig > services tab to see what is starting up that I might not need, and then uncheck some or even click "Disable all." You can generally turn anything off here without causing noticeable issues. Turn stuff back on and restart if concerns. • If one browser gives me a problem I switch to another (I have four installed). • I upgrade or reinstall Windows at least every 4-5 years or so. • I auto-install software updates and use anti-virus software. These basic practices give me many almost entirely headache-free years. Of course, I'm also fairly savvy about not installing extras with software, and avoiding clicking suspicious links or giving information to suspect websites, but these practices rely much more on experience, and can't really be considered "easy-to-do" in the same way the others can. Also, I used to use Apple products. I had so many problems, and couldn't figure out best practices to avoid them, that I stopped using Apple. Of course, YMMV, all I'm saying is that I'm not qualified to speak to stabilizing Apple setups, but I would expect that there are best practices that make a difference.