Defragment Your Hard Drive Regularly

Difficulty: Easy How Long: 30 Mins - Days How often: Depends on analysis, analyze weekly Fragmentation derives from adding and subtracting files and applications to your hard disk. When files are deleted from the hard disk the empty spaces are filled at random as new items and are stored creating a very unorganized database of files and folders. Defragmenting is the process of moving files on your hard disk to be more accessible for retrieval, which in turn increases speed of computer performance. Basically the act of Defragmenting rearranges files on your hard disk for the best possible performance. Since the hard disk is the slowest component of the computer (because it is the only component with moving parts) it is important to keep it as healthy as possible. The longer the read/write heads on your hard disk take to find the files on the disk the slower your computer performs. It is very important to keep disk fragmentation as low as possible to help sustain a healthy hard disk and fast performance. The best way to tell if your system needs defragmented is to run the Disk Defragmenter Utility. For Windows Operating System: ·Click Start ·Go to Programs ·Go to Accessories ·Go to System Tools (on some machines the utility may be in Accessories) ·Click Disk Defragmenter ·Select the Volume (ex. C:, D:, etc.) you wish to analyze ·Click Analyze Disk to see if the volume needs defragmented or not ·If it says you should defragment, then click Defragment (For Advanced users you can also run defrag X:, with X being the volume you would like to defrag, in the command prompt) Defragmenting can take anywhere from 30 mins to a couple days (no exaggeration, trust me I ve seen it on older computers) at a time depending on how large the volume is and how bad the fragmentation is on the drive. Newer model computers usually take no more than and hour or two to defrag, but it ultimately depends on the condition of the drive. Video Tutorial Available Click Here My name is Sergio Woods and I ve been studying computers for over 7 years now. I have a great deal of knowledge in aspects ranging from Internet Administration to software programming to hardware and component installation. In my studies I have come to realize that there are very general things even the most casual computer user should know how to do in order to keep their computer running at its peak performance. I feel the need to share my knowledge with any and everybody who has the desire I do to learn everything there is to know about the most revolutionary entity in our society. Also I ve realized that there are a lot of people charging people an arm and a leg to give very common computer advise which is not worth that much at all. Sometimes people just need a little push in the right direction, and Computer Maintain.com is here to give you that push. Remember your comments and recommendations are greatly appreciated. http://computermaintain.com