How to Scan and Defragment a Disk
If your computer seems slow, one possibility is that your hard disk contains errors or is fragmented. Scanning and defragmenting your hard disk is recommended as a way of deleting unnecessary files and optimizing the performance of your computer.
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Disk Defragmentation
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In most Windows computers, you can find Microsoft's scanning and defragmenting tools in the System Tools folder, which can be found in the Accessories Folder: click Start, then Accessories, then System Tools. Different versions of Windows may use slightly different terminology. In Windows 7, it is called "Disk Defragmenter."
Scanning Before Defragmenting
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For Windows XP and earlier versions, you should scan the disk before running the defragmenter. For XP, go to My Computer, right-click on the disk you want to scan, and click Properties. On the Tools tab, click "Check Now" in the Error Checking section, "Automatically Fix File System Errors," and then click Start. For Windows 98/Me, the Scandisk program is located in the same section as the Defragmenter: click Start, then Accessories, then System Tools. Again, check the "Automatically Fix File System Errors" box, and run the program. Once you have scanned or cleaned up the disk, go to the Disk Defragmenter program, select the disk you want to defragment, and click Start. The process may take some time. You should not run any other programs that access the hard drive while it is being defragmented. Different versions of Windows have different options for defragmentation.
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Other Tools
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Some users recommend using other software to more efficiently defrag your hard drive. Examples include Auslogic's Disk Defrag, available as a free download. A key advantage of these programs is that they are often faster. Some companies may have products that cost money that claim to speed up your PC, or more efficiently clean or defragment your hard drive; however, the benefits are not obvious. Defragmenting is good, but not really worth spending more money.
Other Operating Systems
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You do not need to scan/defragment your hard disk on a Mac or any Linux/Unix-based system. The file system of these operating systems does not, strictly speaking, become fragmented.
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