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Introduction

Have you noticed that opening large files on your computer is taking longer than normal? Does the performance of your PC seem to be slowing down in general? These are clues that indicate that your hard drive may be fragmented. Routine creation and deletion of large numbers of files often causes your hard drive to become fragmented, causing you to notice a marked slowdown in system performance. You can optimize your computer's file storage with the help of a "defragmenting" tool, freeing up space on the hard drive and making your PC run more smoothly.

What is Fragmentation?

Fragmentation degrades your system performance when reading or writing files from or to your disk drives. As you save files to your hard drive, they are broken down into smaller pieces, and stored in any open spot available on the disk. As files are modified, they can become larger and outgrow their original spot on the hard drive. The PC must then find somewhere else to save the overflow. Individual pieces of the file are not all stored together, but in the first available slot that is found. Ideally, a drive should read a file from disk by locating the beginning of the file, then read it from beginning to end. If your drive is fragmented, the computer locates the beginning of a file, reads a small part of it, then has to search for another part and read it, and so on, until the entire file is found and read.

Putting the Pieces Together

Defragmenting your drive re-arranges files in continuous blocks, so that in the future your computer can retrieve them more efficiently. A defragmented disk may last longer because the wear and tear on the mechanical parts of the hard drive is reduced.

Manufacturers recommend that you defrag your hard drive before installing new applications or transferring large numbers of files. You should also run a defrag utility after performing major disk maintenance, such as archiving or deleting a large number of old files. Defragmenting your hard drive is easy, and doing it once a month can greatly increase your system performance. Here's how:

• Make room. You must have at least 15 percent usable free space in order to defragment your drive. If your drive is severely fragmented, you might have to delete some files to make room for the computer to shift information around.
• Analyze this. Run an analysis tool like the one included in Norton Utilities to see how much of your drive is fragmented. Ideally, the drive should be no more than 3% fragmented.
• Run the defrag utility. Use a quality tool like Norton SystemWorks, which allows you to perform a defrag AND full optimization while your PC is running. Optimization arranges files on the hard drive so that the most important and frequently accessed files are at the beginning of the drive Norton SystemWorks uses intelligent analysis to place file types in the best order for optimal performance. Norton SystemWorks also limits future fragmentation by placing files intelligently on the hard drive and allowing frequently modified files to grow.
  
  

Conclusion

Remember to defrag monthly-or more if you are installing and removing large files frequently. After defragmenting with Norton SystemWorks, you'll enjoy a well-organized drive that gives you fast, efficient access to all of your files.

Related Links

• Product: Norton Utilities
• Norton Downloads
• Viruses & Threats: Conficker Worm (aka April Fools 2009, April 1st Virus)