Here is the ULTIMATE and extremely thorough list for performing computer maintenance on a PC running Microsoft Windows XP. 

To begin with, everyone needs a speed tune-up. Apply these SAFE and EFFECTIVE speed tweaks to optimize your copy of Microsoft Windows XP. HOW TO SPEED UP YOUR COMPUTER PERFORMANCE LINK 

Delete JUNK Files from your computer - They take up space, they slow you down everytime you have to pass them over when looking for other files.

Delete Temporary Files - To delete your temporary files, go to C:\Windows\Temp and delete everything you see in there. Open up Internet Explorer, click on Tools > Internet Options and click on "Clear History" in the window that shows up. Click "Yes" to clear your history of website.This would be like your temporary internet files and windows files. These folders mass up with all sorts of useless content when you visit websites or install new software. Some software installs are never clean and so they leave behind a bunch of junk files and data files that you will never ever use again.

Clear Your PREFETCH Folder - This folder can be located at C:\Windows\Prefetch. Locate the folder, double-click to go inside it and delete all the files inside. These files are automatically marked by Windows to be pre-loaded all the time so that your programs will start faster when you run them. Because of how the Windows prefetch folder works, the files sit in your ram banks for fast access by reserving part of your memory. Over time, the prefetch folder is often loading files to programs that you no longer use and even programs that are no longer installed. So it's your job to regularly cleanse the Windows prefetch folder to keep it up to date and only loading files for the programs that you use often. 

Scan your Start-Up Programs - Everytime you start Windows, a list of processes or programs are usually loaded up to start automatically with Windows. Some of these programs were selected to start automatically when you installed the program. Others were either voluntarily or involuntarily selected to start by you. over time, it slows down the booting time of Windows XP and slows down your computer overall while in operation. To clean up your start-up list, go to Start > Run > and type in "msconfig". A window will pop up, and you click on the "Startup" TAB. You can start unchecking programs to keep them from starting up. If you are a beginner at this, I highly recommend for you NOT to uncheck everything you see there. Most of it is related to important drivers and software for your Windows XP and programs that you use daily. Alot of the junk is 3rd party software that's most junk advertisements or software that claims to start up their programs faster (which you don't need to have running all the time). There are alot of spyware that can be stopped by unchecking them from this list. The problem is that most people do not know which .exe files are good to run and which are bad.  A great list of .exe's to check can be found here: http://www.lafn.org/webconnect/mentor/startup/PENINDEX.HTM This site will tell you which software is safe and which are most likely to be spyware or crap programs running in the background and wasting space. Another place to stop programs from starting up automatically is a folder that is located at Start > All Programs > Startup. Inside that folder are programs that automatically startup when Microsoft Windows XP starts up. Simply delete the icon from that folder to keep them from starting up automatically.

Removing programs - Get rid of programs you never use! There are tons of free programs that came with your computer. They look cool and you don't want to get rid of them but then again, you never use them. Don't feel guilty, a lot of them aren't much use to anybody else either. The one thing you should feel guilty for is allowing these programs to sit on your computer wasting space that your other valuable data and more important programs could be using.

To remove these programs, go to Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs. Scroll down the list and remove things you don't use. BE CAREFUL about programs you don't recognize. They are either spyware which you don't want, OR, important components or drivers that your computer needs to function. Search up the program's name on www.google.com to see what it does. 

Hard Drive Maintenance: All the components in your machine are easily replaceable at any cost. Your hard drive is the most valuable because it contains all your data which can not be bought at a local computer retail store. By taking care of your hard drive, you are protecting your most valuable priceless digital asset - DATA.

Defragmenting Your Hard Drive - Go to "My Computer", right-click your hard drive (most likely the "C" drive), and click on "Properties". Then click on the "Tools" TAB and click on the "Defragment Now" BUTTON. 

Check your Hard Drive For Errors - Go to "My Computer", right-click your hard drive and click on Properties again. From the Tools TAB, click on "Check Now" button inside the Error-Checking box. Scandisk checks your hard drive for errors by scanning every sector on your hard drive to make sure that it works. An error on your hard drive basically means that the microscopic surface space on your hard drive is someway damaged physically and that data cannot be reliably written and stored on it. When you run this error-checking utility, the bad sectors and potentially bad sectors on your hard drive are marked so that Windows will not store any information on it. Checking your hard drive for errors periodically gives Windows an early warning of potential hard drive failure. Upon detection of  a bad sector, Windows moves the file off the sector before it goes bad and the operating system is corrupted and Windows won't start. Most people get blue screens when Windows XP fails to start because the data is corrupted from a bad sector. In this case, a error-checking utility called "checkdisk" (chkdsk is the DOS name) is run from the command prompt to fix the broken partition and to try and repair bad sectors. 

Security - There are tons of viruses, trojans, spyware, and hijackers out there. It's important that you scan your computer for viruses and spyware regularly to prevent these computer infections from either taking over your computer or exposing your private data to hackers. 

Virus Scans - Run them weekly and use whatever program you like. If this is a public computer, I highly recommend scanning almost daily since people are known to download crap onto your PC. I recommend Grisoft's FREE AVG AntiVirus Software .
Spyware Scans - Do this the same way you would against viruses. Make sure you have anti-spyware program installed on your computer. You can use Lavasoft's Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition or Grisoft's AntiSpyware FREE .

PHYSICAL Maintenance - These tasks are usually not required but should be performed at least every now and then.

Check the fans - Open up the side panel of the tower to see if all your fans are spinning. If you see a dead fan on the CPU, it's probably the reason why your computer kept turning off. Bad airflow or air circulation means your computer components are running hotter and will fail sooner over time.

Remove Dust from the inside of your PC - Open up the side panel if you can and use a compressed air can to blow out of all the dust. DO NOT USE A VACUUM ON YOUR COMPUTER. They hold a lot of static charges and will zap your computer components dead. There are however specially made vacuums for personal computer that do not shock your PC parts but it's cheaper and faster to just have a compressed air can.

So now you know how to do computer maintenance on your PC. Do this regulary to keep your computer running smooth and reliably. Do neglect your computer and it will run perfectly for years to come. More PC maintenance tips coming soon! 

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