COMPUTER/DIGITAL CAMERA CLUB
INSTRUCTIONAL INFORMATION
COMPUTER DE-FRAGMENT PROCEDURE
The more fragmented the volume (Hard Drive) is, the slower the computer's file input/output performance will be.
Volumes become fragmented as users create and delete files and folders, install new software, or download files from the Internet. Computers typically save files in the first contiguous free space that is large enough for the file. If a large enough free space is not available, the computer saves as much of the file as possible in the largest available space and then saves the remaining data in the next available free space, and so on.
After a large portion of a volume has been used for file and folder storage, most of the new files are saved in pieces across the volume. When you delete files, the empty spaces left behind fill in randomly as you store new ones.
Prior to attempting to De-Frag your computer, close or exit all operating programs which appear in the lower right corner, adjacent to the clock, including any anti-virus programs. Otherwise some of those running programs may cause the De-Frag process to occasionally re-start. Once you complete the De-Frag process and re-boot your computer the programs that were closed will return.
Go to PROGRAMS - SYSTEM TOOLS and Left Click (LC) on DISK DEFRAGMENTER. LC on the ANALYZE tab on the top Tool Bar, to view current condition of your Hard Drive. LC on the ACTION tab, then LC on ANALYZE. This will graphically show how Fragmented your Hard Drive is. To Defrag, LC on the ANALYZE tab at the bottom of the dialogue box.
Analyzing before defragmenting
Analyze volumes before defragmenting them. After analyzing a volume, a dialog
box tells you the percentage of fragmented files and folders on the volume and
recommends whether to defragment the volume. Analyze volumes regularly and
defragment them only when Disk Defragmenter recommends it. A good guideline is
to analyze volumes at least once a week. If you seldom need to defragment
volumes, analyze volumes monthly instead of weekly.
Analyzing after large numbers of files are
added
Volumes might become excessively fragmented when users add a large number of
files or folders, so be sure to analyze volumes after this happens. Generally,
volumes on busy file servers should be defragmented more often than those on
single-user workstations.
Ensure that your disk has at least 15% free
space
A volume must have at least 15% free space for Disk Defragmenter to completely
and adequately defragment it. Disk Defragmenter uses this space as a sorting
area for file fragments. If a volume has less than 15% free space, Disk
Defragmenter will only partially defragment it. To increase the free space on a
volume, delete unneeded files or move them to another disk.
Defragmenting during low-usage periods
Defragment file server volumes during low-volume usage periods to minimize the
effect that the defragmentation process has on file server performance. The time
that Disk Defragmenter takes to defragment a volume depends on several factors,
including the size of the volume, the number of files on the volume, the number
of fragmented files, and available system resources.
Defragmenting after installing software or
installing Windows
Defragment volumes after installing software or after performing an upgrade or
clean install of Windows. Volumes often become fragmented after installing
software, so running Disk Defragmenter helps to ensure the best file system
performance.
After you analyze or defragment a volume, you can view the results in colored horizontal bar graphs called the Analysis display and the Defragmentation display. You can also view the results in greater detail in the Analysis Report or Defragmentation Report.
Each bar on the Analysis and Defragmentation displays represents a grouping of dozens or even hundreds of clusters, depending on the size of the volume and the cluster. The analysis and defragmentation displays are not large enough to depict each disk cluster in a volume as a vertical colored bar. Because fragmented files, contiguous files, files that cannot be relocated from their current positions on the disk (unmovable files), and free space can all reside in the same group of clusters, the color of each vertical bar is determined by the following rules:
|
Color |
Description |
|
Red |
Most of the clusters are part of a fragmented file. |
|
Blue |
Most of the clusters are contiguous files with clusters in the group that contain only free space and contiguous clusters. |
|
Green |
Most of the clusters are part of a file that cannot be moved from its current location. |
|
White |
Most of the clusters are free space and contiguous clusters. |
The Analysis and Defragmentation displays provide an approximate view of a volume's fragmentation. They show less detail than the reports. Therefore, if you compare the results, you might notice discrepancies. For precise, numerical figures, use the Analysis and Defragmentation Reports.
Disk Defragmenter does not attempt to consolidate all of the free space on a volume. Although free space fragmented into hundreds of pieces adversely affects performance, free space split into a few pieces does not. Having all of the free space consolidated in a single location provides very little performance benefit.
You can view the Analysis and Defragmentation Reports after analyzing or defragmenting a volume. The Analysis and Defragmentation Reports provide detailed information about the volume that was scanned for fragmented files, including the volume size, the amount of free space available, the number of fragmented files and folders, and the average number of fragments per file.
You can view or print the Defragmentation Report only after you defragment a volume. The Defragmentation Report dialog box displays detailed information about the volume that was defragmented. The second half of the Defragmentation Report lists any files that were not defragmented.