What is Defragging Your Computer?
Defragging your computer is the process that reduces the amount of fragmented or separated pieces of files that are stored on a hard drive. When a file is copied or placed on a hard drive, it is not always in the same place. When files are constantly added and deleted from a system, these file pieces can become fragmented on a hard drive. Defragging (also known as defragmenting) your computer is the process of organizing data on the hard drive so that file pieces are closer together.
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Causes
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A hard drive on a computer can become fragmented over time. This can happen when files cannot be placed on the hard drive in one contiguous segment. Files that are added to a hard drive can sometimes be placed in areas where there is available space, which can be on different sectors on the disk. When this happens, files become fragmented.
Purpose
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The purpose of defragging your computer is to help make it run faster. A computer will access data on the hard drive much quicker when it has been defragged, and needed files are located closer together. When files are located closer together, the hard drive does not need to work as hard to locate the data that is needed.
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Running
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Defragging your computer can be done by accessing the Disk Defragmenter option located in System Tools. Click on "Start" and then select System Tools from the Accessories program group. Click on Disk Defragmenter to analyze and defragment the computer system.
Problems
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Defragging your computer system is always a good idea, but problems can occur. One such problem are files on the hard drive that cannot be moved. There are known as immovable files, such as the system's swap file. These files are used by Windows and cannot be moved while the operating system is in use.
Options
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A few options can be used to limit the amount of fragmentation that takes place. One way is to partition the existing hard drive and use one area for system files that constantly read and write data. Another option is to use a separate hard drive and place some of the same system files on the secondary drive.
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