Defrag the hardrive to improve performance at work

Defragmentation is the one simple step your business can take to improve your computers performance and it is probably the one step that never gets done. When was the last time you defraged your computer? If you answer "what is defrag", then chances are it has never been done. What is Defrag?

Well, as you work with your files and pictures, Windows breaks these files into pieces and stores them all over the drive. It also keeps an index of where these pieces are located. What happens is the more you work, the more the files are broken up. So it takes the Windows Operating System more time to search for these fragments until it has enough to present you with the file. As these pieces become smaller and more scattered it has an effect on your system performance. And as hard drives become larger, this fragmentation of data slows the computer's performance considerably.

Fourtunately the defrag process is really easy:

1) First go to the Start button then Control Panel.
2) In the Control panel select Administrative Tools.
3) From the Administration tools window select Computer Management.
4) Now select Disk Defragmenter from the right hand window panel- high-light the drive you want to defrag (normally C:)
5) Then click the bottom button that says Defragment.

What you will see is a bar that shows Estimated Usage Before Defragmentation and it will show a bunch of different color stripes all mixed up.The goal is to get large blocks of uninterupted color and you will see this happening in the bottom window- Estimated usage after defragmentation.

The larger the hard drive the longer this is going to take, so plan on doing it at night when your business is closed. There is after market software that will do this same function but you can get by nicely with the built in Windows function. You can even make this easier by using Scheduled tasks to have your defrag run at night, all you have to remember is to leave the machine on. This is also a good place to schedule your virus and spyware scans ... but make sure you schedule them to run on different nights to keep the machine from choking.

Also, disable your screensaver, if you have one turned on. Just right click on your desktop and go to properties, then screensaver, then change it to none before starting the defragmentation process. This defrag of your hard drive should increase your system's performance and speed up work at the office.

Chris Kaminski has been working in computer repair and web development for the last 20 years. Kaminski is CEO and head technician for Computerguyslive.com, an online computer repair company based in Asheville, NC. Visit Computer Guys Live online for computer repair and check out the invaluable Wireless Connection Guide.

Hot Topics In Computers

    Choosing a Laptop Computer Based on Hardware and Software Needs

    Laptop computers are one of the most desirable techie gadgets. A laptop is a portable computer that could comfortably be used while on a person's lap - hence the name. It contains all the basic and ne...

    How To Properly Install A New Video Card

    Your video card is one of those components in your computer you want to both learn as much about it as possible and to learn how to remove the old one and install a new card quickly.Playing those awes...

    Why CRM Projects Fail

    1 Overview

    This articles looks at some of the human? i.e. people-related factors that can cause a CRM project to fail. We then look at why, for those businesses already utilising Microsoft Outlook f...

    Three Things All Affiliate Marketers Need To Survive On The Internet

    When it comes to being an affiliate marketer, every single one of them are searching for the highest paying market. Occasionally, they tend to think there is some formula available that is pure magic ...

    Why Easy To Use Software Is Putting You At Risk

    Title
    -----
    Why Easy To Use Software Is Putting You At Risk

    Can Easy To Use Software Also Be Secure
    ----------------------------
    Anyone who has been working with computers for a long tim...

    Tips On How To Choose A Satellite Internet Service Provider

    Satellite internet access is one of the ways that you can have a broadband internet connection that will allow you to surf the web at high speeds. But not only that, it's also the only broadband inter...

    How to Use Computer Data Recovery Software

    Often our computer files are messed up because our computers will write our files when we are done using them wherever there is available space. This is why it is important to use computer data recove...

    The Solution To Finding Your Lost Files - Data Recovery Companies

    When the worst happens to your computer and all your files disappear, never worry! There are a number of quality data recovery companies that are able to restore your critical files quickly and easily...

    How To Make Money In Computer Repair

    Every home seems to have a computer or computer-related product these days, so the idea that you can make money as a computer repair technician isn't so far-fetched. Computer repair is a necessary ser...

    Finding Your Niche To Get Started In Affiliate Marketing

    Getting started in affiliate marketing is really quite easy, but too often, many people mistakenly think it's a lot easier than it actually is. In most cases, the only thing you need to do to join an ...

    Office Help is Just a Click Away

    "The Internet has revolutionized many business sectors and has single-handedly created one - virtual assistance." ("More firms use virtual assistance" by Nick Eason, CNN.com)

    For many years busine...

    Adware Removal Tips

    Have you tried (and failed) to remove those annoying pop-ups known as adware? There may be reason. You can manually remove adware components one by one, but there is a good chance you would miss some ...

Most Recent Computers Supplements

Interesting Today:

Most Recent Computers Blogs:

Releated to Computers:

Computers Links:

Computers Computers Rss feeds.