|
|
How to Defragment Hard drive
Your computer’s hard drive is susceptible to a number of errors In addition, it can be the source of problems that lead to common computer problems such as slow performance. Keeping your hard drive in tiptop shape helps protect its data while also preventing sluggish performance and other related computer problems. One of the must-do preventative maintenance steps involves defragmenting the hard drive. When a hard drive is fragmented, its files are broken into many pieces and scattered all over the hard drive. Windows takes far longer to access fragmented files than when the drive is neat and clean with all of its files nicely organized an in one piece. The defragment process takes fragmented file pieces, puts them back together, and realigns them on the hard drive so that Windows can quickly retrieve required files without having to piece the fragments back into a usable file.
A good analogy is a set of encyclopedias. Normally, a set is stored on a self in order, from A-Z. You know exactly where each book is. But what if each book is scattered all over your house? It takes a lot longer to find what you need when the set is broken up like this. A little housekeeping and efficiency is restored. The same is true of fragmented files. 1. Before you begin, close all unnecessary applications and disable any screensavers or automatic processes that may interfere with the defragmenter. Plan on not using your computer during defragmenting as operations can stop the defragmenter, causing it to start all over from the beginning. This is especially true for Windows XP systems. Improvements to the Disk Defragmenter tool have been made for Windows Vista where you can use the computer during defragging. The disk defrag tool is located in the Systems Tools folder. Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter. If you have Windows Vista, you have the option to run Disk Defragmenter on a regular schedule which is highly recommended. Go ahead and schedule weekly defragmenting by placing a check mark in the “Run on a schedule” box and clicking the Modify Schedule button. Choose how often, what day, and what time and then confirm your choices by clicking OK. 3. Click the Defragment Now (Vista) or Defragment (XP) button and select the disks for defragmentation. 4. If you have Windows Vista, you won’t see much other than a status message that says, “Defragmenting hard disk.” Windows XP users will see a graph with two bars representing the before and after disk usage and fragmentation. The “before” bar will show color coded files scattered across the bar while the “after” bar will continuously update showing how the files are being moved and realigned. At the end of the defragmentation process, the “after” bar will be dramatically better organized with contiguous files neatly organized on the left side and white space representing free disk space on the right. Depending on the fragmentation, the entire process can take several hours. A severely fragmented drive will take much longer to defragment than one with little fragmentation. After the defragmentation process completes, you should notice improved operating system performance.
|
COMPANY AWARDS
SCREENSHOTSFind duplicate files, clean up disk space |
