How to speed your computer up by using the defragment tool

Sometimes when you save a file or install a new program part of this program is stored in different locations on your hardware. The program will run slowly because of the extra time it takes the system to locate and retrieve these different parts. The defragment tool arranges the parts together including the free space on your computer to allow the programs to load faster. This is a step by step how to use the tool.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A computer running Windows

1. Uninstall any programs that you have not used for a year and get rid of all the documents and other files that you do not need before you start. You can use the tool Disk Cleanup to clear up these files. Then empty the trash once this is done.
2. If you have programs setup to automatically run at different times shut them off or choose a time that no programs are set to run.
3. You can start the defragment tool by going to “Start”, “All Programs”, “Accessories”, “System Tools”, and click “Disk Defragmenter”. A shorter way is to go to “Start” and click “Run”. Type “dfrg.msc” in the box and click “OK”.
4. This will open a window where you can select a drive. Most computers have their main drive labeled as (C:). Choose your drive and click “Defragment”. You can watch the progress as your files are sorted.

Tips & Warnings

• The first time that you do this it could take all night for the system to sort the files.
• You can set this up as a task to run as normal maintenance once a month.
• If you receive an error that it could not complete due to files in use by another program try defragmenting the computer in safe mode.