Windows accesses files by looking them up in the File Allocation Table, which stores the segments of the file in whichever memory space is available. Over a period of time, hundreds of broken up files lie all over the hard drive. The computer then takes a lot of time to load a file as it has to search for the fragments of the file all over the hard drive.
Disk defragmentation helps to put these fragments together so as to reduce the time taken to access the file. While some people are of the opinion that defragmentation leads to optimising the pc, others are of the view that too much of it can shorten the life of hard disk. If you are in doubt, you can consult a computer repair technician to know how often should defragmentation be done.
Before defragging your pc:• Take a backup of your files on a CD or external hard disk.
• Close all running programs inclucing the ones in the background like antivirus etc. (Enlist the help of remote pc support personnel to put off the hidden programs if you do not know how.)
• Ensure constant power supply. If the power goes off in the midst of a defragging session, it could lead to permanent damage of the hard drive.)
There are many ways to defrag your computer.
From the Control Panel• Start > Control Panel -> Performance and Maintenance.
• Select Scheduled Tasks and double-click on ‘Add Scheduled Task’.
• When the Wizard opens, click on the Next button and then Browse to C:\WINDOWS\system32.
• Click defrag.exe and then the Open button. Now give it a name and set the frequency with which the defrag must run. Follow the wizard to Finish.
• An icon with the name you have given appears in the right pane. Right click on the icon and select Properties.
• In the Run text box, you can add the drive you want to defragment like this: C:\WINDOWS\system32\defrag.exe d:
• Click the OK button and the task will be executed at the scheduled date and time.
From the registry
Note: This method involves making changes in the registry. So, if you do not have enough knowledge about the registry, please get in touch with an online computer repair company such as fixit99.com or computer technician who will help you to take a backup of the registry before you make any modifications.
• From the Start Menu, choose Run. Type ‘regedit’ in the box and press Enter.
• In the registry editor that comes up, browse down to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
• Navigate to Software\ Microsoft\ Dfrg\ BootOptimizeFunction.
• In the right pane check ‘enable’ is present. Otherwise you have to create a new one. This is done by
o Right click in the right pane and select New-> String value.
o Type in Enable.
• Now double-click on Enable to bring up a box where you can change the values.
• Type ‘N’ to disable the automatic defrag program or ‘Y’ to enable the disk fragmentation to happen automatically.
• Exit the window and reboot your system.
All in all, it is a balance between the speed of the computer and the life of the hard disk. So schedule your pc accordingly.
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"Copyright 2010 Fixit99.com, Mike Scherenberg. For more information or to view this original article, please visit http://www.fixit99.com
