What is disk fragment and how defragment your disk properly?

Today, in this post, we are going to discuss disk fragmentation. Here we explore all the points - What is it? How does it happen? And the most important - how to solve this?

So, let’s get started -

What is disk fragmentation?

Fragmentation, by definition, means "the state of being fragmented," or “something is broken into parts that are detached, isolated or incomplete.” Fragmentation is caused by adding and deleting files on your computer system. Disk fragmentation is a natural occurrence and is constantly accumulating each and every time you use your computer. When data, such as a file, is stored on a hard drive the operating system attempts to store that file in one section of contiguous, locations that are connecting without a break, space. When you have a new hard drive, storing data in contiguous spaces is not a problem. As you use the hard drive, though, files will be deleted from it and small pockets of space will be created on your hard drive. These small pockets of space on your hard drive is called fragmentation.

If the hard drive is heavily fragmented, there is the possibility that there will not be enough contiguous space available to store the file, and therefore the file will be broken up and stored in multiple locations on the hard drive. This causes the file to become fragmented. This is especially bad when installing new software on your computer because the program will now be installed over multiple locations on your hard drive. Now when you run this particular application its performance will be degraded because it has to be loaded from multiple locations on the hard drive.

Defragmentation to the Rescue!

To solve the fragmentation problem, software developers developed a type of program called a Disk Defragmenter. A defragmenter is an application that reorganizes the data on your hard drive's partitions in such a manner that the files are stored in as much contiguous space as possible. The defragmenter will search your hard drive partition and move data from one location to another location, so that the files stored there are one contiguous piece, instead of being spread throughout multiple locations on the hard drive's partition. This allows the programs and data to run more efficiently and quickly as the operating system does not have to read from multiple locations.

Why do need defragmentation?

Every computer suffers from the constant growth of fragmentation and if you don’t clean house, your PC suffers. Disk fragmentation occurs when a file is broken up into pieces to fit on the disk. Because files are constantly being written, deleted and resized, fragmentation is a natural occurrence. When a file is spread out over several locations, it takes longer to read and write. But the effects of fragmentation are far more widespread: Slow PC performance, long boot-times, random crashes, and freeze-ups – even a complete inability to boot up at all. Many users blame these problems on the operating system or simply think their computer is “old” when hard disk fragmentation is most often the real cause.

To keep your computer running its best, you should defragment, or consolidate files, on your hard drive. Defragmenting your hard drive improves your computer’s performance and is something you should be doing regularly.

How to defragment your hard drive?

• To defragment your hard drive follow the steps below -

• Choose Start→Control Panel→System and Security. The Administrative Tools window appears.

• Click Defragment Your Hard Drive. The Disk Defragmenter dialog box appears.

• Click the Analyze Disk button. This step checks whether your disk requires defragmenting. A drive with 10 percent or more fragmentation should be defragmented. If you’ve been using your computer for a while, the drive may show 50 percent fragmentation or more.

• When the analysis is complete, click the Defragment Disk button. A notation displays the progress of defragmenting your drive. When the defragmentation process is complete, the Disk Defragmenter dialog box shows that your drive no longer requires defragmenting.

• Click Close. The Disk Defragment dialog box and the Control Panel close.

 

You shouldn't feel as if you need to defrag your hard drives on any sort of regular schedule. Like all things, however, this will, of course, vary depending on your computer usage, the size of the hard drive and individual files, and the number of files on the device. If you choose to defragment process, just remember - it's completely safe and there are absolutely zero reasons to spend any money to do this task. There are many good free defrag tools available out there!

Hope this post will help you to boost your computer performance. You can share your experiences with us in the comment section. Thank you!