Why Defragment Your Hard Disk Drive ?

When files are created or saved on to your PC, it is written into the hard disk area. For a more technical description about hard disk and how data is saved, you can refer to : ????????????

As files are saved into sectors on the hard disk randomly it causes fragmentation in the long run. This is similar to you having your project files for a particular project stored all over the cabinets in your room. And when you search for it, it naturally takes more time to retrieve the data you want. In order to make a smoother search, you now sort out the files into a single compartment in a cabinet that can be easily identified so that retrieving the information within is a breeze. This is similar to the Defragmentation concept in the handling of data on your hard disk drive.

When and How to do it ?

When you find that your PC is taking a longer time to retrieve your files or run a program, you might want to do a defragmentation of the hard disk to improve its performance.

There is a program that comes with your Windows XP that does this function. Goto Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Fragmenter to activate it.

Selecting Analyze will make the program test out your hard disk to see how fragmented your data is. It even advised you to go ahead with the Defragmentation process or not.

Selecting Defragment will activate the Defragmentation process. As this is a slow and agonising function, it is advised that you only defrag your hard disk drive while having your lunch or meeting that could take several hours of your time. You should not be working on the PC system at this point in time.

How often you want to do this function depend on how much you have move, introduce or delete your files or programs from the hard disk drive. Usually the best indication is that the time to run or retrieve your files seems longer than usual. You can also make it a habit to do it once a month, its all up to you.

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