How to Defrag Your Computer

A computer's operating system stores files on the hard drive using a method called a file system. In many file systems, rather than looking for a block of free space big enough for the whole file, the operating system will break up the file and store it in pieces. When this happens, the file is said to be fragmented. Over time, your files will be spread out over so many small pieces that accessing them becomes very slow. Windows includes a utility that can defrag your filesystem by analyzing the files, moving them to a temporary block of space, and then storing them back in the filesystem in contiguous blocks. The following steps apply to Windows XP, but also apply to previous versions of Windows.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Windows 2000, XP or Vista
• A few hours you can spare for your computer to be down

1. Click on the Start menu and mouse up to Programs. On Windows Vista, this menu item will be called All Programs. An alternative method is to right-click on My Computer and select the Tools tab. You can start Disk Defragmenter from one of the option buttons on the dialog.

2. Mouse over to the Accessories items in the program list.

3. Choose the System Tools option. Click on the program called Disk Defragmenter.

4. Hit the option button called "Analyze" that appears when Disk Defragmenter begins. Clicking this button will cause Windows to do a rough analysis of the file system and report how fragmented the file system is, given as a percentage.

5. Decide whether or not to continue with the defrag process, depending on the results of the analysis. If the file system is not very fragmented, such as two or three percent, Windows will report that you do not need to defragment at this time, although you still have the option to do so.

6. Click the Defragment Now button. On some versions of Windows, you will see an optional graphical representation of the file system as the operating system performs the defragmentation.

Tips & Warnings

• There are spaces are a result of files being deleted, leaving "gaps," or files being changed so that they are shorter than they previously were (such as deleting several pages from a word processing document). The file system uses these gaps to store chunks of new files or ones that grow larger.

• On Windows Vista, there is no Analyze option.

• When Windows is finished, your files will be stored on the hard disk in contiguous pieces, making access time faster.

• If you have a very large hard drive, an extremely fragmented file system, or an older, slower computer, the defrag process can take hours. Plan on doing your defragmenation during a time when you will not need the computer for several hours. Windows has the ability to schedule automatic defragmentation for a time of your choosing.