How to Keep Your Computer Running Fast and Smooth
De-fragment Your Hard Disk Regularly
The way your computer stores files to the hard disk is a lot less pretty than what you see in your Windows Explorer file browser. The Windows operating system translates the digital mess of what is actually recorded on your hard disk so you can understand it. It also translates your clicks, drags and keystrokes into instructions the hard disk understands. The hard disk is read and written to in a sequence and through references rather than through the directory tree structure you may be familiar with. There are also many hidden files and some abstract data recorded to your hard disk that Windows constantly accesses.
Over time, with perpetual reads and writes to the hard disk, the way that the data is organized there becomes less and less efficient. For example, a digital photo you have saved may be split up into a dozen or more segments and an instruction set for associating and locating those pieces. YES! WHAT A MESS! Also, files that your computer needs to access very frequently may be stored on a part of the hard disk that is the slowest to read, while your report on Dinosaurs from the 3rd grade (or some other equally obscure file you’ll never look at again) is stored on the fastest part of the disk. When your hard disk gets in this gross state of disorder it is said to be fragmented, and your computer begins to crawl.
Fortunately, Windows has a built in tool, “Disk Defragmenter”, which can correct the data fragmentation on your hard disk fairly quickly. The tool can be accessed by clicking:
Start – > Programs – > Accessories – > System Tools – > Disk Defragmenter
The program is very easy to use. Once you have started “Disk Defragmenter”, all you have to do is click the “Defragment” button and let it do its magic. The time the process takes to complete depends on how bad the fragmentation of your hard disk is. If you have not “defragged” your hard disk before, you will probably see an improvement in your computers performance as soon as the process is complete.
Note: Complete Step 1 before defragmenting your hard disk since there is no sense in rearranging data you are going to delete anyway. Failing to do so will also unnecessarily slow down the defragmentation process.
Note: You can defragment your hard disk as often as you like. The more often you do so, the less time it will take.
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