In
Addition to the 'Normal'
Daily to Quarterly Tasks:
Defrag Your Hard
Drive(s):
The program
Disk Defragmenter takes all
of the scattered bits of
program data and groups them
together in the front of the
drive. It used to be a vital
part of computer maintenance;
however, since the advent of
the NTFS file structure of
Windows XP, it has become
less important and has less
an impact on computer
performance.
But that does
not mean “no”
impact or performance. Just
like it never hurts to wash
and wax your car, a
semi-annual
‘defrag’ of your
hard drive partitions helps
to keep your computer running
at peak efficiency.
Defragmenting a hard drive
can be a very tedious and
time-consuming process, and
due to both the NTFS system
and the larger hard drives
now in use, it may take a
considerable amount of time
(from 15 minutes up to 2-3
hours).
Before running
defrag, uninstall any
un-needed programs, delete
any old, unnecessary files,
duplicate photos, movies,
etc., rearrange your files
and folders, and run CleanUp (One
of our maintenance tools)
to remove any unnecessary
files. One can also save
additional disk space by
disabling system restore and
rebooting. This, of course,
deletes all saved system
restore points, but these can
take up to 12% of the space
on the boot disk.
Windows
XP Instructions
Windows
ME Instructions
Windows
98 Instructions
Most every
part of your computer
requires occasional attention
-- from defragging the hard
drive to reviewing security
settings to cleaning the
monitor and mouse. If you
don’t set up a regular
schedule, it’s likely
you’ll never get around
to many of these important
tasks. Use this information
to build a comprehensive
maintenance routine and
follow the guidelines. The
schedule can vary depending
on your individual use. The
payoff will be a healthy,
reliable, and safe
computer.
Computer
housekeeping is really a
snap. A little diligence will
keep your computer
clutter-free and speedy.
