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Think of your hard drive like a book shelf: when the books are arranged in order, it's quicker to find what you're looking for. The same is true for files on your computer. Disk fragmentation occurs when files are split up into multiple parts as they are stored on your hard drive, the way you might shove two new books into any available spaces on your shelf instead of clearing the perfect spot. Because it takes more time for your computer to find everything when accessing a fragmented file, fragmentation can slow down your system's performance. Defragmenting organizes your hard drive by combining fragmented files into as few pieces as possible and storing them sequentially on the portions of your drive that are fastest to access, so it's just like a well-organized shelf.



Defragging your hard drive doesn't necessarily need to be a part of routine maintenance. The process can take hours to finish, so it's not something that you want to do every day. Both Windows 7 and the Mac OS have built-in features that attempt to defragment files on the fly. As a result, you shouldn't need to defragment your system manually too often.

One of the signs that you should check your disk for fragmented files is a persistent slowdown in system performance. While many things can cause this, file fragmentation is toward the top of the list. With Windows, you can actually check the percentage of fragmented files on your hard drive; knowing, as they say, is half the battle.

Cleaning up, Windows-style
To check your Windows system's health, you'll need to run the Disk Defragmenter utility. Go to the Start Menu and open the Computer window (or double-click the Computer icon on your desktop). Right-click on the hard drive that you want to defragment, and select Properties. Go to the Tools tab, and click on Defragment Now.

Once you do this, the system will begin scanning the hard drive you selected. If the volume is heavily fragmented, it will begin the disk defragment process right away. If the percentage of fragmented files is extremely low, it will notify you that your hard drive does not need to be defragmented.

While the Windows Disk Defragmenter utility is a simple tool to use, it isn't as comprehensive as some third-party products out there; however, it does just about everything you'll want. One limitation you'll run into is that it seems unable to do two things at once, such as scanning one hard drive while defragmenting another or defragmenting multiple drives simultaneously. It can — you just have to click on each drive and select which task you want to perform, rather than offer a "scan and defragment all drives now," one-click solution. Disk Defragmenter also gives you the added benefit of scheduling it to run during hours when you're not using your computer. It's like one of those TV commercials — just set it and forget it!

Mac OS X: Automatic for the peopleIf you're a Mac user, you won't find a program included with Mac OS X to directly check your hard drive for fragmentation or to defragment your hard drive, so you'll need to use a third-party application to perform these maintenance tasks. While this may seem odd, a specific tool isn't included because files are checked and defragmented automatically.

According to Apple, as of the release of OS X 10.2 ("Jaguar"), "you probably won't need to optimize at all if you use Mac OS X."

Keep the repairman away
Keep in mind that maintaining your computer is just like maintaining your car. Regular maintenance tasks such as defragmenting your hard drive can go a long way to extend your machine's longevity and your satisfaction with it.