This website shows you various system utilities that you can use to make your PC perform “like new” again.
Command Order From Your PC NOW!
It is all well and good for some computer nerd to tell you to “defrag,” but why do it? Defragmenting your hard drive (“defrag”) is very important… here’s how it works.
Think of your hard drive as a chart. This chart has (for visualization only, it's actually a lot more) fifty blocks… ten blocks across and five blocks down. Like this:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Now, when you install and uninstall programs frequently, the computer "forgets" what order pieces of programs is supposed to go in. So a good computer would look like this:
|Office | |Office | |Office | |ie | |ie | |ie | |ie | |other program | |etc | | |
|Office | |Office | |Office | |ie | |ie | |ie | |ie | |other program | |etc | | |
|Office | |Office | |Office | |ie | |ie | |ie | |ie | |other program | |etc | | |
|Office | |Office | |Office | |ie | |ie | |ie | |ie | |other program | |etc | | |
|Office | |Office | |Office | |ie | |ie | |ie | |ie | |other program | |etc | | |
A BAD computer (FRAGMENTED) would look like this:
|ie | |visual | | | |game | |Office | |ie | | | |itunes | |etc | | |
|some other program | | | | | |ie | |Office | |ie | | | |nothing | |etc | | |
|ie | |Other program | | | |BF2 | |fragged| |nothing | | | |other program | |etc | | |
|some other progran | | | | | |ie | |Office | |ie | | | | weird media | |etc | | |
|ie | |what | |itunes | |xfire | |corrupt | |ie | | | |other program | |etc | | |
NOW, each one of those lil blocks represents a "memory cluster." When the "pieces " of your program are not next to similar memory clusters containing the same programs, it creates slower response time. Think about this. It is the difference between you going to one store for all your needs versus going to seven stores. Which is faster?
When you defrag, it takes all that misfit, misplaced data and puts it in the right order again.
So It's A Mess! Now What??
Defragmenting your computer is quite simple, but it can take an extremely long time, especially if you do it infrequently. This is why it is best to start a defragmentation before a period when you will not be using your computer (like before bed).
To start your Defrag, click on the Start button and move your cursor over All Programs. Next, move that cursor to Accessories and then System Tools, then click on Disk Defragmenter. (I bet you did not even know it was there, did you?) When the program pops up, click the button that says Defragment and you will be on your way to a speedy and healthy computer.
A Deframentation should be run at least once per month and much more if you are installing and uninstalling a great deal of software. It sounds like a very in-depth process, but it is just replacing the bits of data that we corrupt and misplace. Now if only you could clean the garage with such precision...