what does defrag a computer mean?

Question

i was told i have to defrag my computer but what does it do and how do i do it?

Answer 1

run a program that reorganizes data on the hard drive in a more efficient manner.

Look in your Windows start menu:
All Programs,
Accessories,
System Tools,
Defrag

Answer 2

Defragmenting your hard drive is a good way to speed it up.

As you use your computer adding files and programs, the hard disk begins to fill up. Deleting files or removing programs creates small empty areas among the other data that the computer will reuse. After awhile, the computer is no longer saving information in large blocks. Instead, it stores information in the many little empty nooks and crannies of your hard disk. The result is that one program or file is broken up, or fragmented, into little pieces and stored in many different areas of the hard disk. The computer ingeniously keeps track of the addresses of each piece of data and puts it all together when it is needed. Yet, obviously, the more broken up the information is, the longer it takes to access the data and the slower the computer becomes.

Your Windows computer comes with a program that will defragment your hard disk. This process reunites all the data into large blocks and gathers all the free space on the hard disk into one block making data retrieval faster and easier for the computer. Usually you will be able to find the disk defrag program by clicking on the Start button, then choosing (All) Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and finally clicking on the Disk Defragmenter. If you have any trouble finding it, simply click on Start, then Help. Click on the Search tab and type in the word "defragment." The computer will give you a link to the defrag program.

It may take some time since this is your first time doing it. You should do it at least once a month if you are downloading lots of things.

Answer 3

Defragmenting. The more you use your computer download/install programs, files etc. Your files get scattered around on the hard drive, so your computer runs a little slower as it needs to do extra work to find the fragmented file. Defragmenting puts all the files in order and all right next to each other as much as possible.

Answer 4

Assuming you are talking about a Windows box, defragging moves a file's data's physical location on a platter so that the drive head can read a file's data without having to jump to different locations. It improves the performance of your hard drive and its longevity.

To run the defrag, go:
Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter

Answer 5

Defragment a hard drive- Is a process of re-arranging the information on your hard drive into a neat and organized clump of information.
Imagin your computer as a piece of paper - you write information and fill up the sheet - but through the time of filling up that sheet you have erased a bunch of things - now you have a bunch of gaps in between the information - Now, when you defrag the hard drive you are cleaning up those empty spaces and rewriting it in a nice neat order at the top of the sheet - and it will leave you with a bunch of room at the bootom of the sheet . This process will also let you know if you have any bad sectors on your harddrive - Bad sectors are like holes in the paper that you can't write on - so the computer will skip those areas on the hard drive in the future.
Hope this helps,
Cheers!

Answer 6

To defragment your computer means to put the many pieces of a file together. The thing is, when you write things to your hard drive, they don't save in one file. They sometimes get scattered around and broken around. Whether it will make your computer faster depends on how fragmented the files are, because more pieces means more searching by the computer to find the pieces and use the file.

Answer 7

it make you hard disk as read only mode, and makes the computer work more faster then early, go to my computer, click the drive which u want to defrag it will not defrag the C drive where programs & windows files is there.

right click the drive icon go to properties click tools > click defrag
other dialog box will open click anaslys first and next defrag

Answer 8

It just reorganizes the hard drive, to make it a little more efficient.

Not all that important.

I defrag my hardrive every 6 months or so. But do a disk cleanup first (don't compress if asked), so it will do a better job. Or never bother.

Answer 9

It just means that the computer moves things around on your hard drive so your computer can find it faster...it organizes all the scattered files on your hard drive and puts them together, and don't worry it won't delete anything....

Answer 10

hit the start button and go to all programs then go to accessories then go to system tools the click on disk defragmenter and then the rest is easy

it bunches all your files together instead of them being all scattered through your harddrive and it will make your comp faster