Difference between revisions of "Defragmenting"

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Over the course of typical computer usage, your [[hard drive]] can become fragmented. When this happens, files or parts of files are stored in multiple locations on the hard drive and, consequently, the time needed to access them can increase, slowing down your entire computer.
  
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Over the course of typical computer usage, your hard drive can become fragmented. When this happens, files or parts of files are stored in multiple locations on the hard drive and, consequently, the time needed to access them can increase, slowing down your entire computer.
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Defragmenting your hard drive involves rearranging your files in a more sequential order so that they can be accessed quicker. Defragmenting will ''not'' change, move, or erase any of your data. You will ''not'' see any change in where your documents are stored, but the time needed to access them should decrease.
  
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Defragmenting your hard drive involves rearranging your files in a more sequential order so that they can be accessed quicker.  Defragmenting will '''NOT''' change, move, or erase any of your data. You will '''NOT''' see any change in where your documents are stored, but the time needed to access them should decrease.
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Defragmentation is not required, but it can help speed up your computer. If you have questions about it, you can contact [[Technology Services]].
  
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Defragmentation is not required, but it can help speed up your computer.  If you have questions about it, you can contact Technology Services.  Additionally, if you would like instructions for defragmenting your hard drive yourself, see below.
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==How to defragment your hard drive==
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# Open the disk optimization tool by searching for "optimize" or "defrag" in the start menu.
  
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;  Instructions for Defragmenting Your Hard Drive
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#2. Select your hard drive and click Analyze. *Note that if you have a SSD, this option is grayed out and not available as SSDs do not need to be defragmented.
  
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*  Open up My Computer and select the hard drive you wish to defragment.
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#3. If you want to defragment your drive, click Optimize. It's best to do this when you don't need to use your computer for anything else, so you can let Windows defragment the drive efficiently.
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**'''Note''' (You can defragment both your computer's internal hard drive and any external hard drives you own.)
 
  
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*  Right click on the selected hard drive and select Properties.
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When Windows is done, your drive should say 0% fragmented in the Optimize Drives utility.
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[[Image:defrag1.jpg]]
 
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*  On the top of the Properties Window, go to the Tools tab and click the Defragment Now buton.
 
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[[Image:defrag2.jpg]]
 
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*  In the Disk Defragmenter Window, click Analyze do run a quick diagnostic on your hard drive.
 
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[[Image:defrag3.jpg]]
 
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*  When analysis is finished (2-5 minutes), the Disk Defragmenter will tell you whether or not you need to defragment the disk.
 
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[[Image:defrag4.jpg]]
 
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*  If it is recommended that you defragment your hard drive, or if you choose to do it anyway, you can click the Defragment button.
 
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*  When defragmentation is finished (30-90 minutes depending on hard drive), you will receive notification along with any errors the utility encountered. 
 
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[[Image:defrag5.jpg]]
 
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**'''Note''' (It is not uncommon to be unable to defragment some files, especially larger ones, and as long as the rest of the hard drive was defragmented successfully, you should see an increase in performance.)
 

Latest revision as of 11:53, 5 May 2020

Over the course of typical computer usage, your hard drive can become fragmented. When this happens, files or parts of files are stored in multiple locations on the hard drive and, consequently, the time needed to access them can increase, slowing down your entire computer.

Defragmenting your hard drive involves rearranging your files in a more sequential order so that they can be accessed quicker. Defragmenting will not change, move, or erase any of your data. You will not see any change in where your documents are stored, but the time needed to access them should decrease.

Defragmentation is not required, but it can help speed up your computer. If you have questions about it, you can contact Technology Services.

How to defragment your hard drive

  1. Open the disk optimization tool by searching for "optimize" or "defrag" in the start menu.
  1. 2. Select your hard drive and click Analyze. *Note that if you have a SSD, this option is grayed out and not available as SSDs do not need to be defragmented.
  1. 3. If you want to defragment your drive, click Optimize. It's best to do this when you don't need to use your computer for anything else, so you can let Windows defragment the drive efficiently.

When Windows is done, your drive should say 0% fragmented in the Optimize Drives utility.

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