I'm getting back into music on the computer after several years away.
Does anyone have any tips for, or links to, good maintenance procedure and handy apps, please?
I'd like to check the working condition of my hardware and OS (64-bit W7). 
I'm running a pretty old machine that I've just refitted with new hard drives, more memory and 2-core processor. It a dedicated DAW with no internet etc. Running great so far, but I'd like to tweak it if possible.
 
BR

BR, this thread should help:
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com/The-Sonar-x64Windows-7-x64-Install-Tweaks-amp-Compatibility-Thread-m1862515.aspx
 

Thanks very much, Mario. That's a keeper alright.
 
 
BR
 
 

Not DAW specific, but there are some handy free Windows tools in these lists.  A few of them are Win 10 specific, but many should work fine in Win 7 or 8.
 
Using Autoruns by Sysinternals is an easy way to get unnecessary startup and scheduled tasks under control.  That, plus using the correct power scheme for performance, and turning off Windows sounds should help a lot to avoid unnecessary interruptions or glitches.
 
The good news is that 64 bit computing is now the mainstream, and no longer bleeding edge.  As long as you use a 64-bit DAW host and stick with 64-bit plugins only, you should not have any conflicts there.
 
http://www.infoworld.com/article/3190027/microsoft-windows/top-30-free-apps-for-windows-10.html
 
http://www.infoworld.com/article/3112319/microsoft-windows/top-10-free-troubleshooting-tools-for-windows-10.html

A few handy PC test utilities ...
 
Latency Monitor - verify real-time audio compatibility
http://www.resplendence.com/latencymon
 
Complete hardware identification and sensors view
https://www.hwinfo.com/
 
Disk performance benchmark
http://crystalmark.info/software/CrystalDiskMark/index-e.html
 
PassMark PerformanceTest - PC benchmarking
http://www.passmark.com/products/pt.htm
 
 

As I was looking over some of the posts some are very dated. Makes me wonder if it would be a good idea to section  tweaks into separate folders with the year associated to easily find what are the most relevant tips based on the year chosen.

I noticed that thread was from 2009, regarding Sonar 8 and the dawn of the 64-bit DAW on 64-bit Windows.
 
Some of the advice in the original post is still relevant, but I don't think I would bother clicking any of the other linked posts included in the thread.

I use it every week to check the health of my HDDs. 
 
http://www.seagate.com/su...s/seatools-win-master/

kitekrazy1
I use it every week to check the health of my HDDs. 
 
http://www.seagate.com/su...s/seatools-win-master/

Meh. Seagate is the only drive that ever failed on me.  I'll be sticking with WD!!! 

abacab

kitekrazy1
I use it every week to check the health of my HDDs. 
 
http://www.seagate.com/su...s/seatools-win-master/

Meh. Seagate is the only drive that ever failed on me.  I'll be sticking with WD!!! 

 Drives that I had to RMA were WB Black.  BTW the above is a utility that scans drives for SMART testing. WD has one too.