Importance Of Disk Defragmentation
Why is disk defragmentation so important?
Disk defragmentation is an essential task that must be performed regularly. If left undone, you risk complete system failure, or even permanent physical damage to your hard drive. Yet, it is one of the most overlooked, or altogether forgotten, elements of keeping your computer in peak operating condition. To understand a little better, let’s look at how your computer works.
Your entire hard disk space is divided into 512 byte chunks. These are known as sectors, and they in turn are packed together into larger chunks known as clusters. A typical file, even a text file or simple e-mail, is larger than any one sector, so it’s likely stored in multiple sectors. Larger files, like those needed to run programs, will be broken up and stored in multiple sectors across several clusters. The larger and more complex the program, the more clusters it will occupy.
When a file is deleted, it isn’t actually removed. The sectors or clusters it occupied are simply marked as “free” or “empty.” As new files are added, they’re placed in the first available empty or free space on the drive. The same is true when a file is edited or moved. With tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of files on a typical drive, files become scattered all over. This is known as “fragmentation.”
Every time you need to open a file, or start up a program, the computer has to search the entire disk to find the pieces that are required to open the file or run the program. This can take extra time, making your computer run slower. The more fragmented the drive, the longer it takes. This, believe it or not, is one of the most common causes of “computer slowdown.”
Now add in the fact that, since the hard drive is a mechanical device having moving parts, this process takes a physical toll on the drive itself. This can lead to premature drive meltdown, totally crashing your entire system.
The situation is easily preventable, and you can significantly increase the lifespan of your computer. Simply perform disk defragmentation on a regular basis. How often you should do it depends on your particular computer usage patterns. Experts often recommend monthly defragmentation for light or normal users. However, if you’re a power user, or if you depend on your computer heavily for business, you should probably defragment more often.
The Windows operating system provides a built-in disk defragmentation program that does an adequate job. It is, however, very basic in functionality and it doesn’t run by itself. You have to remember to do it, and you have to set aside the time for it. Depending on how fragmented your drive is, it can take a long time to complete the task. Also, for it to work properly, you should shut down any running programs and not use your computer while the program is running. Those are the primary reasons people don’t do it often enough, or at all: They forget, or they don’t want to take the time to do it.
There are disk defragmentation programs that run automatically – either on a user schedule or continuously in the background. The one I’ve used for many years and highly recommend is Diskeeper. It is a dedicated program that does just one task, and does it thoroughly and efficiently.
Whatever method or program you prefer, the most important thing is simply to do it. Don’t put it off, and don’t forget it. It is the one simple thing you can do to to help ensure years of reliable service from your computer.
