Defrag the Hard drive

DEFRAG that Ol Hard Drive


On all machines there is a tool we have all heard of called the defrag tool and Disc cleanup. These can work to your advantage for system speed in two cases.

SYSTEM DEFRAG:
On your machine you can find the Defrag tool as follows, on Vista simply type it into the Startsearch above the start button.
On Windows XP you have to go to Start then to All Programs, and then accessories and into the System tools folder- you will see Defrag there.

WHAT IS A DEFRAG?

System Defrag is much like if you were leaving a burning building with a stack of files, you would probably just toss them and run out the door. This is kind of what happens every day when you turn on and off programs on your computer. It just dumps files and other data in the first available spot and then shuts the program off.

This also happens when you turn your computer off.

Well the system does this over a period of time, when it starts a program or function it is now searching randomly all over the floor for the files it needs and it causes the machine to run slow while it hunts for the needed tool to operate properly.

A System Defrag picks up all these files and places them in the correct places and location all your programs need them in in order to run more quickly and efficiently. In essence, putting the Data back into the files they need to be in and in turn speeding up your computers processing power.

RUNNING A DEFRAG:
You should run a system defrag at least once a month. This will help your machine operate better and you will see the difference. The graphic is also informative as the machine will scan the surface of your hard drive looking for broken and failed areas and then locking them out so that your computer doesn't waste time reading those sections in the future.

Let the Defrag run and don't interrupt it or restart your machine during the process. It is generally good to also turn off your screen saver temporarily during this so that you can check on it and be sure it is running properly. If it fails during the Defrag, you can stop the process by using the Task Manager, by clicking Control - Alt - and Delete and entering the Task Manager and ending the process. If this happens your Hard Drive is probably on its last Sunday walk.

More Technical information can be found on Defrag here at - Defrag at Wikipedia!

You can find out more about system cleanup articles by me here:
Cleaning up your Startups
Keeping Internet Explorer Healthy
Software Salad
Adobe and Java
Update or not to Update
Ccleaner setup and operation
Toolbars of Death

DISC CLEANUP:

The good old Disc Cleanup tool. Well this has been around awhile and I will tell you whats its for- removing old junk, cache files and the like from your machine. There is NO harm in running this program as long as your computers system is healthy and in good running condition.

But if these residual files are the glue that is holding your machine together- miles of junk files and improperly removed Data and the like, this program COULD cause some harm. I have just recently discovered this with a young man who had a friend run this program and he had an expired Antivirus and the machine refused to work right afterwards. Technically this should be a harmless cleaning of old file Assoc and the like from your machine.

You can find the program in the same ways you found the Defrag on Xp and vista and running it would be advised once a month. Try and run this tool after you have done all other cleaning on the machine, this way all the files that might be laying around looking like they are junk- will already be neatly put away somewhere safe.

PEACE and TRANQUILITY:
The key to a long and healthy life is to take good care of yourself and not let yourself get bogged down by the repressions laid on us by our outside environment. The same is true for your computer. Again, don't just pay hundreds of dollars to get your machine repaired by a drop off and leave the machine repair shop. Demand to know what they are doing, so that you are better informed and can avoid the problem from occurring in the first place.

It is always better to get a Technician that you know or trust, or one your family knows and trusts. This way your more likely going to be able to ask Why? and How? So you are better informed and can avoid the same types of problems in the future. If I had a dollar for every dollar just wasted by people sending their computers to repair centers for assistance and not getting the QUALITY of help from the experience... well I'd be rich.

You would not just take your child to the Doctor and drop them off without getting answers on what happened and how to prevent the same issue in the future. Don't do any less for your computer, it is your friend, a member of the family don't treat it any different. Demand answers, and then learn from them- this will save you tons of money in the future, by allowing you to avoid issues that may cause your computer to have to be repaired.

Together we can make our relationship with our machines, one of Tranquility~

My name is Stephen and I work for a Major Computer Manufacturer. The truth is big companies don't manufacture anything, they are in fact only assemblers. Just as if I was going to build you a custom made computer with al the bells and whistles you wanted at your home. They don't make parts they simply put them together like a puzzle or a tinker toy, and then install software from yet another company. Know your manufacturer, and do some research, a computer CAN be a good investment or simply a spot in your life that will burn your money until its gone.

jwatson - has left a new comment on your post "Defrag the Hard drive":
Alrighty Stephen, I want to pose a question. Not to long ago I was downloading a newer version of CCleaner to keep it up to date, and Piriform has created their own Defrag program. So which do I use, the Defrag built into Windows, or Piriform's Defraggler? I used Defraggler and am not sure about the run times ; Defraggler might be a little longer, but dose it do a better job?

Stephen Phillips to jasewatson show details 4:04 PM (5 minutes ago) Reply
Well awesome question! In honesty I have never used it, I would avoid two things -- 3rd party (other than windows) backup programs and any kid of system cleaning and defrag tools, this is only because it is hard to see if the program isn't going to conflict with another program on your machine... see the article about robot programs for more on this! I Look forward to hearing from you again, and I am going to add this question and answer to the article as well - again, great question!

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