Disk Fragmentation is the one common reason for reduced system performance. It happens when large files are saved onto your hard disk. In this process, your files will be saved in smaller fragments and are scattered wherever the room is available on your hard drive. When you try to fetch a file, then the hard drive needs to scan the entire disk and find all the fragments of the file, rearrange them, and then offer to the user. Thus, it is a very tedious process and reduces the system's performance.
However, this disk fragmentation becomes inevitable during the usage of the computer, and over time it significantly affects your computer speed. But is there any way to reduce or avoid the fragmentation on the computer? Of course, you can avoid fragmentation easily; you are at the right place here. Here are the tips you can use to avoid hard drive fragmentation:
Move all the Internet temporary files:
When surfing the internet, lots of temporary files will be created under the path: CI\WINDOWS\Temporary Internet Files, which results in disk fragmentation and thus slow down the computer. Hence, one needs to change the location of these temporary files to avoid fragmentation. To accomplish this, first create a new directory on another partition to store all your temporary files, for example, D drive, and then, go to Start -> Control Panel -> double click Internet Options -> click Settings, then within Internet Temporary Files -> click "Remove folders" to the directory you just created. This will reduce the fragments generated in the C drive, thus optimizing your PC performance.
Updating and reinstalling of software:
The software and drivers present on your hard drives should be updated regularly, to improve the performance of your system and this also avoids fragmentation considerably. Windows and Mac OS have features of giving automatic alerts to let you know when your machine needs an update. So, you just require updating them manually.
Uninstall all the unnecessary software programs installed
The presence of unwanted software programs on your hard drive is one of the reasons for causing fragmentation on your hard drive. If you feel any of the software programs installed on your computer are no longer needed and are unwanted, then just uninstall them. This is because; it consumes lots of space on your hard drive which ultimately results in sluggish behavior of PCs. Hence, you need to find and locate all these unused software and uninstall them. Whenever you uninstall software programs, you would free up bigger space which prevents your hard disk from becoming heavily fragmented.
Perform regular hard disk defragmentation
Actually, defragmentation is the process of rearranging the files on your hard drive to improve speed and performance. In case of fragmentation, all your files will be divided into small pieces and scattered all over your hard drive. However, when you defragment the drive all these pieces will be collected, rearranged, and will be saved in a single location. Thus helping your hard drive to manage the data efficiently and free up a lot of unused space on your disk. Before defragmenting your hard drive, take the data backup.
To perform defragmentation one can make use of the default tool called “Disk Defragmenter” and follow these steps
1. Click on “Start” and go to “All Programs” and then scroll down and click “Accessories”
2. Select the “System tools” option, choose “Disk Defragmenter” and wait until the program finishes analyzing your hard disk
3. Now click on “Defragment Now”
The program will shut down automatically when it has finished defragmenting your hard drive. This defrags your hard drive. Even though this default tool could perform defragmentation successfully, it has its own limitations. It’s a very tedious and unsafe process as a single error might result in a hard drive crash. Thus, it is advisable to use a safe and secure defragmentation tool. One such tool is Remo Drive Defrag, which can defrag your entire hard drive just by a few mouse clicks.
Conclusion:
Performing maintenance of the computer system is often the responsibility of each and every computer user. The tips explained above are some of the ways to prevent the fragmentation of files out of your hard disk that improve the system's performance. However, you may still find other factors that you need to consider and be aware of with regards to computer upkeep.
