what exactly is a disk defragmenter? and how do you use it?

Answer 1

Disk defragmentation is the process of making files and folders easier to access and make the computer run faster. It will shorten paths and fix broken shortcuts along with fixing broken shortcuts and deleting empty folders. There are also several other processes it does that not even I know.

To use it, go to Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools> Disk Defragmenter. Then select your C: Drive or drive that holds all your files and click Defragment.

This process can run very long depending on the amount of used space and can slow the computer down. But it is defiantly a good thing to do about every 2 months. I do!

Hope I can answer your question! Feel free to contact me with your solution or any other problems/details at any time, either on Yahoo! Messenger or by email.

Answer 2

As you run programs on your computer that are stored on your computer, they're moved to different places physically on the disk. Eventually, this slows these programs down because your hard drive has to read pieces of the programs from so many different places on the disk. A disk defragmenter is a program that moves and reorganizes all the programs and files back together so your computer can read them more quickly and efficiently.
In Windows, you can usually run the Disk Defragmenter by clicking Start --> Programs --> Accessories --> System Tools --> Disk Defragmenter. Or you can right-click the drive you want to defragment, then click Properties, and then the Tools tab, then 'Defragment Now'. All you really have to do is click the 'Defragment' button and the program takes care of the rest. Sometimes when it's done you'll notice that your computer and certain programs run a bit faster. But be aware the defragmentation can take awhile - several hours or more if you have an extra large hard drive.

Answer 3

Fragmentation is a Windows problem. Other, better coded filesystems used by other operating systems, such as ext3 on Linux, do not suffer from file fragmentation. If you're using Mac OS X, you also won't need to worry.

A disk defragmenter reduces the number of file fragments. You use it by selecting the file system you wish to defragment, and then starting the defragmentation process.

Answer 4

the best metaphor I have for you to understand what it is and why it is one of the most important things you need to run is:

imagine your hard drives are like your scalp, and files are strands of hair. to use a program a comb must go through the strands and access the areas it needs.

every time you open files and programs, or do anything with your computer it is like having a breeze blow your hair. after a while the hair becomes less and less accessible, slowing down your comb.

so a defragmenter is like having a good shampoo and shower that allows for the comb to get your hair back to straight. it orders all the files into their appropriate places.

so you need to run it every month or so, just to ensure stress free access, and good running of the computer. a computer that hasnt had it run in a long time will be slow and I have seen one that couldnt even defragment itself as 4 years had gone by without one been run. i imagine it would have been like combing out dreadlocks of files all over teh place in the wrong areas.

your RAM would be stressing on the multiple tasks trying to piece the bits together.

make sense now? hope so.

Answer 5

As you delete files new ones take their place. They may be larger or smaller causing splits in them. This causes things to run slower. When the splits reach a certain percent you run the disk defragmentation program in the system tools folder. It will let you know if it should be done and then do it for you.

Answer 6

Microsoft provided us with a utility to organize the sequential layout of our files on our hard drive. As we either add or remove programs from our computer, doing so can cause our files and programs to scatter themselves all over our disk drive. Then when we try to launch a program, our hard drive has to work much harder by searching many different areas of our drive in order to get that program to load for us. And this of course hinders our computer’s performance. So Microsoft’s Disk Defragmenter program addresses this issue by organizing all our programs and files on our hard disk in a sequential easy to search layout. This technical brief will show you how to organize the files on your hard drive.


For Windows XP

Begin by first clicking on the Start Button.

Then move your mouse over the All Programs icon to display all Start Menu folders.

If your Start Menu is set to the Classic View, move your mouse over the Programs folder instead.

Now, move your mouse onto the Accessories menu folder until it expands.

Then move your mouse onto the System Tools menu folder until it expands.

Now Click on the Disk Defragmenter icon to launch the program.

Then use your mouse to highlight the drive that you want to Defragment?

Then click on the Defragment button located on the lower left hand center of the screen.

Windows XP will analyze your drive first and then display a visual estimate of the final results.

And Windows XP will continually show you a progress indicator bar depicting its progress.

When Windows is finished it will ask you if you would like to quit the Defrag Program.

Select YES to quit the Disk Defragmenter Program and then reboot your computer.

Answer 7

A disk defragmenter is a system tool that organizes your files and documents on your computer. It will catagorize each file as red for fragmented files, blue as contigous files, green as immovable files, and white as free space. with these four catagories, the computer puts files into the best catagory. by doing this, your computer may work faster, keeps it organized and can even keep your computer working longer.
to use it:
1. go to your start button
2. select all programs
3. go to accessories
4. go to system tools
5. select disk defragmentor
6. select which drive you want to defragment: hard drive or removable drive
7. it will open, select defragment and wait patiently

you should also set this as a scheduled task. if you do not know how to do this you can contact me at [e-mail]

Answer 8

go to start menu all programs

Accessories
system tools disk defrag

open th e program click help all your answer willl be there

Understanding Disk DefragmenterThis section covers:

Why volumes become fragmented
Why files are not moved to some regions of NTFS-formatted volumes
Analysis and defragmentation displays and reports

Answer 9

Think of your hard drive as a series of cubes and the files you save as being made up of little blocks that fit in the cubes. When you save something each block goes into the next empty cube. If you delete something it makes a new empty spot which will then be filled by a piece of the next thing you save. When all the blocks of your file are not saved next to each other, it is fragmented. When your defrag runs, it basically puts everything back in order so it cuts down on the time that your computer has to look for the different pieces.

Answer 10

Got news for ya Linuxos, so do disc drives with Unix and Linux get fragmented. Any hard drive gets fragmented

Anyways back to your question:
The "C:>" gets all broke up (Fragmented) whenever "D:>" is take out because C love D, see?

No, what really happens is that over time (no matter what operating system is used) files and data get scattered through out the hard drive. This is because the application that creates the information can not contiguous sectors (like little mail boxes) to store the data/information so it finds the next sector open that it can store said data/information. This is in the simplest of ways is called fragmentation. What is it, to put data/information in contiguous sectors (adjacent to one another). It also helps speed up processes as well because now the data/information is right next to one another. Quicker to pick up the data/information.