How to Defrag Your Computer as Often as Possible

A disk defrag organizes all the information on a computer's drive.

A disk defrag involves the computer organizing all of the space on a drive in an efficient way. This allows the drive to operate faster and access information more effectively. Defragging a computer often will keep the drive(s) relatively organized and keep the computer operating quickly. A disk defrag can take several hours, and you should not do any work on the computer while the defragging is in process.

Instructions

1. Schedule a disk defrag. The only way to automate a frequent disk defrag on Windows (all operating systems) is by scheduling an automatic disk defrag. Scheduling a defrag once a week is considered a very frequent defrag schedule. It is only after some time (months) that the computer becomes slower and needs to be defragged. As such, a daily defrag is not necessary, although it can be done.

2. Open the Windows "Start" menu, then click "Control Panel," then "Performance and Maintenance." Click "Scheduled Tasks" to open the Scheduled Tasks window.

3. Click "Add Scheduled Task" in the Scheduled Tasks window. This will open the Scheduled Tasks wizard. Once it opens, click "Next" to begin.

4. Click "Browse" to locate the disk defrag program. In the file name dialog box, type "%systemroot%\system32\defrag.exe" (without quotes) to select disk defrag as the scheduled task. Click "Open" to continue.

5. Type a name for the task, such as "Defrag." Under "Perform This Task," select "Daily," "Weekly," "Monthly," "One Time Only," "When My Computer Starts" or "When I Log On." To perform the task as often as possible, select "Daily"; however, it is more advisable to select "Weekly" as the difference between the two is negligible. Click "Next."

6. Select the "Start Time," the time the computer will start to defrag. Choose a time when no one will be using the computer, such as very late at night or very early in the morning. Select the "Day of the Week" to perform the task and click "Next."

7. Enter your user name and password and click "Next." If you do not have a password, click "Next."

8. Check the "Open advanced properties for this task when I click Finish" box. Click "Finish" and an advanced dialog box will open.

9. Add the drive letter to be defragged in the "Run" command line. Put a single space between whatever is written there and type the drive letter; for example, the drive letter may be "C:". Click "OK."

References

• Windows XP: Schedule a Weekly Defragmentation
• Windows XP: Schedule a Task to Defragment Drives
• Microsoft Support: How to Automate Disk Defragmenter Using Task Scheduler Tool in Windows XP