How does disk defragmenting work? When should it be done?

Question

How ocassionaly should I do it?

Will I lose any of the files in the process? Will I need to install programs again?

Answer 1

I recommend that DEFRAG weekly or monthly, depending on how much you use your computer. I would do this AFTER you use Disk Cleanup.

Use the CHECK DISK feature about once a month also. Open MyComputer then Right Click on the C drive and pick PROPERTIES. Click on the TOOLS section and hit the Check Now button. Check BOTH options, then click YES when it tells you that it will run the test after you restart. Close everything, then restart your computer. This will run for about an hour.

Answer 2

That's rubbish. The speed boost will be noticeable if the level of defragmentation is high and high defragmentation is as a result of the movement of data on your hard disk. If you save and delete large files often then significant defragmentation can occur within days.

Basically your computer saves your files in blocks of data. It tries to use blocks on your disk that run together however as you add and remove files from your system then finding blocks that run together is harder for your computer and it has to increasingly split your files over different parts of the disk. This is what is called fragmentation. As the files are spread over the disk the computer has to work harder to retrieve your data and as this takes longer it slows down the speed at which you can access your files.

The good thing about defragmentation is that you can't run it too often and the more often you run it the less time it will take. If you left it for a year you could be defragging for hours as there would high levels of fragmentation meaning that the disk has to spend a lot of time sorting all this out so that your files are placed in as close a proximity as it can. However if you defrag regularly then this process can be completed in minutes.

My personal recommedation is to run this once per week and to schedule it to run when you are not using your system ie when you have gone to work or in the middle of the night when you are asleep.

Answer 3

How it works...i have an analogy for you.

When you start a program...its similiar to your hard drive zooming around looking for the right book in a library to get. Your hard drive zips around to where it is supposed to be and grabs that book and reads it.

As you use your computer, you keep changing what information is being stored in that library...and your computer may be reading a book and say..."oh yea, i want to keep this page on this table so i can read it again soon." and rips it out. After doing this over and over...sooner or later...when you tell that hard drive to find a book...it now has to zing all over the library trying to find all the pages it left laying around so i can read the whole book the way it is supposed to. Luckily, hard drives do this way faster then a human could actually possibly do in a real library...but the slowing down of the hard drive accessing is still real and eventually will become quite noticable. Disk defragmenting tells your computer to take some time and gather all those pages up and put them in their books now so later we don't need to tinker around with you trying to find stuff. The books are all put back together for you to mess up again:D

Scan disk goes through that same library and finds all the 'junk' you have left scattered about that the library doesnt need a record of. Maybe you have some sweepstakes letter mixed in with a pile of book pages...you are telling the computer to find what kinda junky stuff the library doesnt need laying around and throw it away before you want it to organize.

How often to use it is user preference...i think one a month should be a minimum though.

Answer 4

I would do it once every couple weeks. If you install and delete a lot of stuff then I would do it more often.

Think of it as building blocks. When you install a program you are stacking more blocks and when you delete you are removing the blocks in the middle, where they were stacked.

When you defrag it is like taking all of the blocks or (files) and restacking them to make more room and make your computer run faster.

Answer 5

Defragmenting helps clear space on your drive and makes your computer run faster by moving files around so that they are arranged more efficiently. There's a good page explaining it at http://www.geekgirls.com/windows_defrag.htm

You don't have to do it very often, although it depends upon how full your disc is and how much you use your computer. Once or twice per year is enough for light users.

Answer 6

It takes bits and pieces of the same file that are scattered all over your hard drive and puts them in the same place for easier and quicker access.

At least once a month.

Answer 7

It will only speed up your computer if it hasn't been done for a long time. Like a year or so. Don't think it will make it blazing fast.