The Disk Defragmenter at Work

Another valuable tool to keep your computer running efficiently and smoothly is Disk Defragmenter. This tool tidies up fragmented files on your hard disk drive.

What are Fragmented Files?

As your hard drive gradually fills up with stored files, there comes a time when you need to delete redundant files to make more room. This leaves empty spaces from the deleted files scattered over the disk.

So, when you download a large file, or install more software, there may not be enough room in any single space on the disk to fit the entire file. Windows has no choice but to store the file fragments in several places. This makes for a fragmented file.

The more fragmented the files are on a drive, the more your computer’s performance and reliability suffers as the hard drive has its work cut out searching for these scattered pieces files. Hence it is slow loading your data.

Terminology

• A large file with the scattered parts is called a non-contiguous file.
• A file, not broken up into pieces, is called a contiguous file. System files are always contiguous. They should never be deleted or moved as they are necessary for the system operations.

Windows Defragmenter in Earlier Versions of Windows

In the earlier versions of Windows, the Disk Defragmenter was a vital tool. When you ran it, Windows displayed a graphic image of a fragmented drive showing the before and the after.

In Windows 7, the graphic display previously seen in the earlier versions of Windows is no longer visible. Instead, all the action happens behind the scene so you miss out on the graphics.

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