How do I "de-frag" a computer file that has an error?

Question

I have an online game. Works great, perfect load time, never choppy, but sometimes it will not load onto a server. I was told to "de-frag" the file--assuming that means fix the errors. I found the file on MY Computer, opened the file, right clicked it, and examined the options... nothing that offers de-fragmentation. What do I do to correct this?

Answer 1

You don't defrag files, you defrag disks. On Windows Explorer, open up My Computer, right click on a disk and select Properties, then Tools, then Defragment.

But I doubt that's your problem. I don't know what you mean by "load onto a server" (do you mean "load FROM a server"?), but there could be many reasons why you can't access files on servers, including network problems.

Answer 2

Unless you're computer's ancient it's under

Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Defragmenter

The list near the top of this windows shows your drives. For each one of them, select them, and then click 'Defragment' below. You can't de-frag files, just the whole drive at a time.

It will take a while. I doubt it will help with your problem. Try to think about what changed on your WHOLE computer when you started noticing problems, something probably changed

Answer 3

De-fragmenting refers to rearranging chunks of data on the hard drive so that they're grouped for optimum retrieval speed. Drives get fragmented through repeated saving and deleting files until accessing files (as games do behind the scenes) can become a slow process.

The problems you're describing are most like related to insufficient memory; de-fragmenting doesn't solve as many problems as people think. That being said, it's still not a bad idea to defragment once in awhile. To do so:

Right-click on your C:\ drive, go to Properties and then Tools.

Answer 4

de-frag will not "fix" any server related problems, only reorginize your files/folders to increase system efficiency. Try uninstalling the file and reinstalling it, then do ALL updates for windows and the game.

Answer 5

Defragging typically does not "correct errors". It consolidates files into useful storage blocks, and it may speed-up your machine, but it's not a correction type of thing.

Answer 6

1. Left click 'Star' (lower left side)
2. click 'Control Panel'
3. click 'Performance and Maintenance'
4. click 'Rearrange items on your hard disc to make programs run faster'
5. click 'Analyze', then 'Defragment'

Answer 7

David C has the correct info...don't bother with the others.