How to Defrag Your Computer With Windows XP Home Edition

Defragment your computer's hard drive using Windows XP's Disk Defragmenter utility.

Your computer's hard drive does not always save files in a linear manner. While certain portions of a given file may be stored in the same area on the disk, other parts may be placed somewhere else. This behavior is known as fragmentation. As increasing number of files are saved on the hard drive, the level of fragmentation increases and response times slow. Fortunately, Windows XP provides a Disk Defragmenter utility that helps improve performance by reorganizing the hard drive and optimizing file placement. Access the utility and start defragmenting your drives with just a few clicks.

Instructions

1. Double-click the "My Computer" icon on your desktop. If you do not see the icon, click the Windows "Start" button and select "My Computer" instead.

2. Right-click the icon of the hard drive you want to defragment and select "Properties." The C: drive is the primary hard drive on most Windows machines.

3. Select the "Tools" tab.

4. Click "Defragment Now."

5. Click the "Defragment" button to start the process.

6. Return to Step 2 to repeat the defragmentation process on additional hard drives.

References

• Microsoft Support: How to Defragment Your Disk Drive Volumes in Windows XP
• The Elder Geek: Disk Defragmenter Screen Image