Windows 7 Defrag

When your computer no longer seems as fast as it was when you first started to use it, it may be
time to run the Windows 7 Defrag utility.
Essentially when you run programs, delete files, add files or perform just about any action on your
computer the files stored on your hard drive begin to fragment.
Don't worry, this doesn't mean that you are losing anything. All this means is the files that are
stored in memory are no longer contiguous (stored in consecutive memory blocks).
Consequently, in order to run a program, the computer has to reconstruct the program from
memory blocks that are no longer in sequence. This takes longer for the computer to perform,
resulting in a longer boot time, or the more time it takes to open a program and just an overall
sluggish feel to your system in general. Running Windows 7 defrag will make all the files
contiguous again.

So to begin, click the start button in the bottom left corner. In the bottom of the start menu is a search
box as shown in the bottom of the picture below. Type in defrag and then click on Disk Defragmenter.

From the next screen you can opt to run the Windows 7 defrag
application by choosing the defragment disk button on the
lower right hand side of the window. If you just want to
schedule your computer to run the defragment application at
regular intervals you can click on the configure schedule button
on the top right hand side.
Typically for most computer users defragging once a month
should be sufficient. Heavy PC users who work with large data
files may want to run defrag twice a month.
To help you decide whether or not your hard drive is in need of
defragmenting you can analyze your hard disk. The button for
this operation is near the bottom middle of the screenshot
below. The application will analyze file integrity and tell you
whether or not a defragment is necessary.

If you choose to schedule the Disk Defragmenter to
run regularly this is the next screen that you will
see. From here you can choose how frequently you
would like the Windows 7 defrag service to run, on
what day of the week you would like to do it, the
best time and which disk (for those that have more
than one) is in need of the service.
When choosing a time, make sure that you set it
for a time when you do not need use of the
computer. Changing files while the service is
running can cause the service to start again.
If the application has not been run before you can
expect it to take quite a while (depending on the
size of your hard drive it may take several hours).
As the Windows 7 defrag is run on a more
scheduled basis this operation will take less time.
Remember that the size of your hard drive is a
factor in how long it will take to complete.