Defragmentation

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The Problem
When you add, delete, update and uninstall software/files, your hard disk starts to get fragmented, with bits of files separated across your hard drive, slowing down disk access and effecting your start up speed! 

 

The Solution

To keep your hard disk running at optimal performance, you can use a program called "Disk Defragmenter", which comes free with Windows and consolidates the files (brings them back together) for faster access.

 

The Method
(Please Note: This process may take several hours to complete during which you cannot use your computer for anything else)

Follow the steps below to defragment your disk

 

1. Left Click on your Start Menu and then left Click on the following as their menus open:  Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter

     You will see a window like the one shown below:

 

 

2. Select a Drive by Left Clicking on it and Click on Analyze.

 

This process could take a while depending on the amount of data on your disk.

 

Once the analysis is done, you will be shown a graphical representation of the disk’s fragmentation level. Windows will inform you if defragmenting is required. In order to successfully defragment you need to have at least 15% of the drive free (unused space). If you do not have this space, you might want to consider deleting a few files or upgrading to a larger hard drive.

 

To defragment a drive, select the drive by Left Clicking on it and Click Defragment. Depending on the level of fragmentation and the capacity of your drive, this can take a long time. You might want to run this process overnight as you should not run any other application while defragmenting your disk.