Speed Up Access To Data With Disk Defragmenter

               If you suffer from a slow computer that crashes or freezes then you can use a free computer maintenance tool like Microsoft Disk Defragmenter that will not only speed up access to data but also speed up your computer in general.

                This is because as your computer ages and more files are stored in your computer’s hard drive your computer becomes slower as it tries to find information scattered over various parts of your computer’s hard drive. Learning how to make your computer faster is as easy as learning about Windows Disk Defragmenter, a free computer maintenance program.

HOW TO RUN DISK DEFRAGMENTER

You can access Disk Defragmenter several different ways. One way is to click on the START button, then ALL PROGRAMS, then ACCESSORIES, then SYSTEM TOOLS, and then click on Disk Defragmenter.

Or, you can open My Computer and right-click on the drive (usually C:) that you want to defrag. Then click on Properties from the resulting menu. From the Properties window click on the TOOLS tab. In the middle of the TOOLS tab window, under Defragmentation, click on the "Defragment Now..." button.

Once you open the Defragmenter MMC (Microsoft Management Console) you will see the window shown below. Near the top you should see all of the existing volumes on all of your hard drives. You must select or highlight the drive that you want to defragment if you have more than one. If you only have one, like mine here, a selection is not necessary. 

Near the bottom of the MMC you'll see several buttons. You can click on the "Analyze" button and the defragmenter will scan your hard drive and then tell you if your hard drive needs to be defragmented. Or, you can just click on the defragment button and the process will begin.

Once the process begins the MMC will look similar to the one below. You'll notice different colors in the two windows. Red is for fragmented files, so if you see a lot red you really need to defragment. Green is for unmovable system files, blue is for contiguous files, and white is open space. Ideally, what you want to see is solid blocks of green and blue and white.

Once done you'll be prompted to view a report or just close out the MMC.