As i explained in the previous content ( simple tricks to increase system space pt2), De-fragmentation can be carried out in more ways than one. For a home user, these methods of De-fragmentation are more than adequate to free up enough hard drive space for your use.
De-fragmentation – How to Do It
Before we look at how to De-frag a PC, I would like to explain in brief, the fundamental concept and principle of De-fragmentation. 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 De-fragmentation of a computer. Now that you have a basic idea about the concept of De-fragmentation, ‘how to do it’ is the next question that we will look at.
De-fragmentation – How to Do It #2
The second method is much shorter than the first. Click on Start and then click on Run. Type the words “cmd” and hit Enter. This will open a command prompt window. Type the words ‘defrag’, followed by a space, and the name of the drive that you wish to defragment, followed by a colon. For example, if you want to defragment drive D:\, you will have to type defrag d: and hit Enter. It will automatically initiate the entire defragmentation process, i.e. drive analysis + defragmentation.
