2006-12-14 15:37:34 · 6 answers · asked by Sherri S 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Laptops & Notebooks
when something is caused to be in smaller pieces rather than a whole
2006-12-14 15:39:00 · answer #1 · answered by joelius24 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The scattering of parts of a file throughout a disk, as when the operating system breaks up the file and fits it into the spaces left vacant by previously deleted files. (answers.com)
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(1) Refers to the condition of a disk in which files are divided into pieces scattered around the disk. Fragmentation occurs naturally when you use a disk frequently, creating, deleting, and modifying files. At some point, the operating system needs to store parts of a file in noncontiguous clusters. This is entirely invisible to users, but it can slow down the speed at which data is accessed because the disk drive must search through different parts of the disk to put together a single file.
In DOS 6.0 and later systems, you can defragment a disk with the DEFRAG command. You can also buy software utilities, called disk optimizers or defragmenters, that defragment a disk.
(2) Fragmentation can also refer to RAM that has small, unused holes scattered throughout it. This is called external fragmentation. With modern operating systems that use a paging scheme, a more common type of RAM fragmentation is internal fragmentation. This occurs when memory is allocated in frames and the frame size is larger than the amount of memory requested. (isp.webopedia.com)
2006-12-14 23:41:40 · answer #2 · answered by earth_angel 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When the hard drive is asked to save data it puts it on the drive as quickly as possible by putting a piece in the first available clear spot on the drive - but if is too small to fit all the data in that spot it goes to the next clear spot and put a piece of the data there and so on and son. In essence it broke up the data and that's called fragmentation. When you de-frag a hard drive you are reorganizing all the pieces of data so they files are nest to each other rather spread all over.
2006-12-14 23:46:17 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
fragmentation in computer terms it is actually breaking your memory into smaller parts so that memory accessing in easier.
2006-12-14 23:43:15 · answer #4 · answered by almon 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The disk parts and pieces.
2006-12-15 01:51:04 · answer #5 · answered by Janice 10 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its when an object breaks apart, like explosives.
2006-12-14 23:41:13 · answer #6 · answered by NOS4blood 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋