Surfmore.net
E-School 7-20-01 - Disk Maintainence Tutorial 2
 
Is your computer running slower then it should? Does it take a long time to load programs and do anything on the internet? Well, you disk may need to be "Defragmented". Many people do not realize how important it is to do this on a regular schedule, and many have no idea what it is. Every time you use a file, your computer has to find it, read it, and possibly write to it. When your computer writes to a file, it most likely writes it to another part of your hard disk. It is up to your computer to go and find the other part(s) of the file, put it back together, then read and write to it. These parts, or "fragments", of a file can reach numbers from 2 to as many as 300 or more, per file. This is when it really slows down your system. What the defragment utility does is take all the broken parts and put them back together as best as it can. That way, when your computer needs to work with a file, it won't have to go looking for 300 different parts and put each in its specific order. Here's what to do:

 

 

  • Step 1 - Double click on "My Computer" to open it. Right-click on the drive that you wish to defragment ("C:" is the important one that you want to defragment.) From here, select "Properties."
  • Step 2 - This will open up a new window, click on the "Tools" tab.
  • Step 3 - Click on the button, "Defragment now" to begin. This may take a while so you may want to save this when you don't plan on using the computer. Once this take is complete, you should notice a great increase in performance from your computer.
  • TIP- You should use this utility when you are not using the computer. This will decrease the time it takes for it to finish.

 

Next week we will cover how to automate many of these tasks so that you don't have to. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please email us at jeanhill@surfmore.net or call (931) 363-7700.