Disk Defragmentation Back to the previous page
(DEFRAG for windows 98,ME)
Saturday, April 28, 2001
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Hi again!
I know, my tomorrows are longer that your tomorrows, but here we go...
Disk fragmentation is a process that happens over time with normal use of the
your computer. Files are written and removed from the hard drive, and may
become fragmented. When you install a program to your hard drive it just
goes wherever there is space on the hard drive, and if there isn't enough room
for it to have all the files together, then it just puts the files that won't
fit some where else on the drive. Your program will work, but it will be
"fragmented", not all together. "Everything works better
when we work together, right?!" So you have to run Disk defragmenter
(defrag) once a week to keep your programs running smoothly, and this really
helps your whole computer run smoother, more efficiently. You can run
Defrag in normal mode, and in Safe mode, but not in Dos; but you will be able to
get it done in one of these modes. It is very good to do this on a regular
basis; your computer will run faster with less freezing up, because your drive
will be less fragmented and your programs more efficient.
Here are the steps to run Defrag in normal mode (As with scandisk, be sure you
have disabled your anti-virus software and your screensaver. This will
disrupt the process and it will take longer.):
1. Click on Start, click on Run, and type, defrag, and click OK. This is
the shortest cut I know!
2. Or you can click on Start, Click on Programs, Accessories, System
tools, and click on "disk defragmenter" in that menu.
3. A box will pop up that has 3 buttons at the bottom, OK, EXIT, &
SETTINGS. Click on settings, just to make sure that they are set
correctly. You should have a checkmark by:
a) Rearrange program files so my programs
start faster.
b) Check drive for errors.
c) A dot by: Every time I defragment my hard drive.
You don't have to check these every time, they will remain the same (default) if
you just leave them that way. After you have checked the settings, click
OK, and then OK again at the Defrag box. That will start the process, and
it will defrag one or more hard drives, if you do not interrupt the process.
4. In the defrag box, you will see "Which drive do you want to
defragment?" Just below that you will see the bar showing Drive C:
physical drive. If you have more than one hard drive you can click in
here, and choose "all hard drives", or just leave it at Drive C
or choose the hard drive that you want to defrag other than Drive C. If
you're not sure if you have more than one hard drive, just click on "all
hard drives" to be sure, and then, click OK. Now, you can turn off
your monitor, and walk away from your computer and let it do it's thing,
or, if you're curious, you can click on "show details". You can
click on "legend" to understand what the heck all those colored boxes
mean. This is entertaining for about 2 minutes, and then gets
nerve-racking; so try it for a minute or two, and then when you're sick of it,
click on "hide details" at the lower right corner of this big box.
Now, you can walk away, and know what's going on.
A couple more things, if you have power management set to manage your monitor,
just move your mouse, to check the progress of the defragmentation when you come
back to turn on the monitor. If you press a key on the keyboard, it might
interrupt the defrag process,
and then it will start over. You'll understand this frustration if you try
to do this process during the day, and you're waiting to check your email,
or do your homework (or your newsletter :) ). Also, be sure you run
scandisk first, to have a successful defrag.
Now, if you can't get Defrag to run in normal mode, you can run defrag in Safe
mode just like Scandisk in Safe mode. In fact, just run Defrag in Safe
mode right after Scandisk in Safe mode.
Steps to Defrag in Safe mode:
Steps to restart your computer in safe mode:
1. If your computer is on and at the desktop, you click on Start,
Shutdown, restart. After the first screen appears, you click on F8 at the
top of your keyboard and hold down the key. Your may hear some beeping,
but just keep holding F8 down until you see a screen that shows 4 or 5
choices to start your computer in. Type the number on the keyboard
that corresponds with Safe Mode, usually #3, and then press Enter on the
keyboard.
2. Your computer will appear muted and gray, and this is normal. A
screen will pop up that tells you that you are in Safe mode, click OK with your
mouse. You will reach the desktop after that.
3. Then just click on Start, Programs, Accessories, system tools, and disk
defragmentation. Click OK in the box and let it run as we just discussed.
4. When it's finished, restart your computer, as usual (start,
shutdown, restart).
I run defrag every other day, you don't have to run scandisk every day;
just be sure you run it once a week and you will be successful. When you
run Defrag that often, it doesn't take as long to get through, and your computer
runs better and more efficiently.
You can set defrag and scandisk to run routinely through task scheduler, and I
will give you those instructions in a couple weeks. Some people like to
have the power over these utilities and don't wish to set up a routine, but it
can be very helpful, and you might like not having to think about it.
We'll talk again in a couple weeks. Hope you have found this newsletter
informative and helpful.
I appreciate all of you. Remember that I will have all these monthly
issues of my newsletter available at my websites, along with other information:
http://www.rockyreport.com
And
http://www.internetguideandmore.com
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