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PC Health Check — Help
Your privacy: this check runs entirely on your own computer. Nothing is
uploaded, nothing is installed, and it does not need administrator rights. You
can open the downloaded file in Notepad to read exactly what it does before running it.
How to run it
- On the main page, click Download PC Health Check. A small file named
PCHealthCheck.cmd saves to your Downloads folder.
- Open your Downloads folder and double-click that file.
- A report opens in your browser and is saved to your Desktop as
PC-Health-Check.html. You can re-open it any time.
Windows showed a blue "Windows protected your PC" box
This is normal and expected. Windows shows it for any free file that has not
paid for a digital certificate. It is a caution, not a virus warning.
- Click More info in the blue box.
- Click Run anyway.
Still nervous?
Right-click the file, choose Edit (or open it in Notepad), and read it.
It is plain text. It only reads your computer's specifications and writes a
report. It has no way to change anything or contact the internet.
My browser said the file "isn't commonly downloaded"
Some browsers warn about any file that few people have downloaded yet. Choose
Keep to finish the download. Again, you can inspect the file before running it.
Nothing happened when I double-clicked
- Check your Desktop for PC-Health-Check.html,
the report may have opened behind other windows.
- If a black window flashed and closed, the check ran and finished. Look for the
report on your Desktop.
- If your workplace computer is locked down by an IT department, it may block
the file. That is a policy on your PC, not a problem with the check.
What the report tells me
- Memory (RAM): whether you have enough, and if there are empty slots to
add more cheaply.
- Processor (CPU): your chip and how many cores it has.
- Storage: whether your main drive is a slow spinning hard drive (the
single best-value upgrade) or a fast solid-state drive.
- Startup programs: what launches when Windows starts, which affects how
long your PC takes to be ready.
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