How To Defragment Your Hard Disk Drive

Learn how to defragment your hard drive for optimum performance.

You may have already done defragmentation numerous times, but do you really know what good it does for you and your computer?

In the context of computer administration, defragmentation is the process that minimizes the amount of fragmentation in file systems. It can be done using a built-in Microsoft Windows Utility designed to be an easy-to-use tool that anyone can utilize to keep those fragmented files in check, even without extensive computer knowledge.

Remember: This is a very lengthy procedure so make sure that you have nothing else important to do before defragmenting your drives. In some unlucky cases, the whole process can even turn into a whole-day appointment. Another thing that should be remembered and practiced at all times is it's recommended that you perform defragmentation first before "scan disk".

Please diligently follow these simple procedures in defragmenting your hard disk:

1. Open "My Computer".

2. Right click on the drive that you want to defrag — C, D, E, F. The number of drives will depend on the number of partitions you created during the installation and configuration of your Operating System.

3. Select "Properties". After right clicking on the desired drive, a pop-up box appears with several selectable options — one being "Properties" located at the bottommost part.

4. Click on "Tools". The Tools tab is one of the tabs you will find on the properties box. This tab contains all the helpful tools you need to take care of your files and your hard disk. Scan Disk (Error-Checking), Defragmentation, and Backup are the three tools found in this tab.

5. Click on the "Defragment Now" button. After clicking, a new window appears titled Disk Defragmenter; in here is where the whole defragmentation happens. Inside the window you will find all the active drives of your computer.

6. Select the drive that you want to defrag and hit the "Analyze" button located at the bottom. Before you can defrag a drive, it is advisable that you let the utility analyze the drive first. The purpose of this is to avoid unnecessary defragmentation. Sometimes drives will not have any fragmented files therefore no need to perform this lengthy process. After analysis you are sure to get only two recommendations, either to or not to defragment the analyzed drive.

7. Hit the defragment button and wait until the process gets completed.

That's about it. Just simply follow those detailed procedures, then I assure you that not only will you be extending your hard disk's lifespan, but you will also be experiencing a smooth and fluid performance. There goes your tips on how to defragment you hard disk drive.