One of the easiest things to keep your computer running like new is to Defragment your hard drive. Now you're thinking 'What the heck is that?!', well let me explain.
Your hard drive is where all of your information is stored including the files needed to run your programs and computer. A hard drive works essentially like a record player. When you install an application or save something it 'drops the needle' on the next free space on the disk and writes to it. As you can imagine a record full of discombobulated segments wouldn't make a very pretty sound, unless you pick up the needle and skip to the correct part. Basically it's like starting the song with the chorus, going to the ending, and then the verse. It makes no sense! But if you pick up the needle and play them in the correct order it sounds beautiful. If you were to repeatedly do this it would take a lot of time! So when a computer does this on a hard disk it also takes a lot of time to find the files it needs. Defragmenting is the process of relocating these files and putting them into sequential order that way you don't have to 'pick up the needle'. Defragmenting increases system performance and helps keep your computer in tip top shape. Alright, that's enough of the metaphors! Let's get to learning.
How to Defragment a Hard Drive in Windows 7
1. To open Disk Defragmenter in Windows 7 click on the Start button, and type "Disk Defragmenter" into the Search field.
2. Select Disk Defragmenter from the list above.
