Chances are, being a computer user, you may have come across a never-heard-before term known as ‘defragmentation’ which supposedly, speeds up your computer. Well, for those of you who doubt the truth or the efficacy of this fact, let me clarify your doubts and put your worries to rest. It’s true. Defragmentation of a computer does speed up the computer and improve computer performance. Now how does it do this? Well, it reorganizes and optimizes the way that data is stored on the hard disk. To know more about the concept and principle of defragmentation, how to do it, etc., read ahead.
Defragmentation – How to Do It
Before we look at how to defrag a PC, I would like to explain in brief, the fundamental concept and principle of defragmentation. Basically, your hard drive is a storage device which consists of thousands of sectors and clusters. All the data that is stored on your hard disk, is stored in these sectors and clusters. Now, when data is copied onto the hard disk, it is done so in a sequential manner, i.e. the file is stored in successive or sequential clusters or sectors on the hard disk. Therefore when the data is to be retrieved for read operations, the disk head does not have to scan back and forth the entire surface of the hard disk. This minimizes the time required for data retrieval and consequently, speeds up the proceedings. However, this sequential storage tends to become scattered over a period of time or with the addition of large volumes of new data. This resultant scattering (known as fragmentation) slows down the data retrieval process and consequently, the computer’s operating speed.
I guess a simple household example of a stack of laundry would make things even more easier to understand. Consider a scenario wherein you need to collect all your clothes and put them in the laundry basket. Now if you have the habit of scattering your clothes all over the house, it will take a long time to find every single piece of clothing and put it in the basket. In contrast, if you have the habit of systematically folding all your clothes neatly and storing them in neat piles next to each other, then the time required will be significantly less. This is the analogy that is used in case of defragmentation of a computer. Now that you have a basic idea about the concept of defragmentation, ‘how to do it’ is the next question that we will look at.
How to Defrag a Computer
The following methods of defragmentation are for Windows operating system users. For illustration purpose, I will explain using the example of Windows XP.
Defragmentation – How to Do It #1
This is the first (and the most common) method of defragmentation. Click on ‘Start’ at the bottom-left of your computer screen. Through ‘Programs’ and then through ‘Accessories’, navigate to the ‘System Tools’ folder. You will come across an application by the name of ‘Disk Defragmenter’ among the list of programs in the ‘System Tools’ folder. Click on that application. For your benefit, here is the path once again:
Start =>Programs =>Accessories =>System Tools =>Disk Defragmenter
Clicking on the application will open an application window. You can select a drive (for example C:\) and then click on ‘Analyze’ to find out whether that drive requires defragmentation or not. The graphical report that is displayed will give you an idea about the amount of existing fragmentation on that drive. Clicking on ‘Defragment’ will start the defragmentation process. This process can take a considerable amount of time (ranging from a few minutes to a couple of hours). For efficacy purposes, it is strongly recommended that you do not simultaneously execute any other applications or programs in the background, during the time that the drive is being defragmented.
This was a simple guide on defragmentation & how to do it. I hope you have understood how to defrag a computer. You can read more on how to clean up a computer and ways to speed up your computer. For Windows Vista users, the operating system is configured by default to automatically initiate the defragmentation program once a week. There also exists a few third party defragmentation softwares and applications which claim to do a better job than what the default Windows disk defragmenter does. However, I haven’t used any of them, therefore I wouldn’t be able to comment on the truth of their claims or their efficacy.
