5 Reasons Defragmenting Gives Your Computer a Second Life

It becomes easy to decide to replace a computer when it no longer runs the same way as the first time it was used. With developments and upgrades constantly appearing in the market, some people simply do not bother doing maintenance on their computers and simply dismiss slow computers as "past their prime" and immediately look for a better model.

Although buying a new computer can instantly solve an aged computer, this option is not available to people on a budget, but this does not mean they have to put up with long boot times, blue screens and instant shutdowns. A simple process known as defragging can improve performance and somewhat postpone decisions to buy another unit.

Defragmenting is known as the process of reversing the fragmentation of files on a hard drive. Fragmentation occurs with prolonged use and poor maintenance. This is when PCs tend to end up with plenty of files scattered across the free spaces within their memory, thus causing slower process executions and file opening and other bugs and errors. Defragmenting counteracts these issues, and in turn restores efficiency to the computer in several ways:

1. Faster Boot Times -This phenomenon occurs when the startup system takes too long to find certain files that are needed when the computer is started. These are known as boot files. Defragmenting organizes these files into a cluster and makes it easier for the computer to find and access them. The faster the processor finds the boot files, the faster the starting time.

2. Less "DLL, SYS and EXE" errors - The most common error associated with these file types are the ones wherein the computer cannot find them. This could be due to the possibility that these files could be hidden in inappropriate folders or duplicated in several locations. A good example will be.exe files. Sometimes, applications and programs take too long to open or do not open at all because the.exe file is missing. Defragmenting sorts out the files on the computer and allows the computer to access these files faster.

3. Discover problem areas in the hard drive - After defragmentation, the system provides a report of the changes that were made during the process. It will also report what areas it could not defragment due to corrupted files. These broken files take up space on the drive and may even affect processing performance just by simply being there. With this information, a computer owner can look at the program files for that specific area. The owner can then get rid of the problematic areas.

4. Less Effort on the Hardware - With easier to locate files, the internal workings of the hard drive do not have to go such lengths to reach and access the data they need to. This means a reduced exposure to wear and tear on account of exerting less effort and resources to complete certain actions. This immediately adds more time to the lifespan of your hard drive and in turn, the whole computer.

5. Tighter Security - With defragmented files, the efficiency of anti-virus programs increases as well. These applications take less time to scan areas of interest on the hard drive. It also allows for a higher chance of isolating and deleting viruses before the integrity of other necessary files and data is compromised. Detecting these problems also becomes less of a task because an unwanted virus is sure to stand out after defragmentation. The system is trained to sort files that it normally uses. A foreign element such as a virus that has no specific classification under the defragmentation will show up as unmoved.

These consequences make disk defragmentation a necessary step in making sure any desktop computer lasts a considerable amount of time. What makes defragmenting even more ideal is the fact that it is simply another command that is given to the computer. Windows Operating Systems allows users to start a defragmentation under the System Tools section found within the Accessories Menu.

A simple click will prompt the process. Depending on how much data is on the hard drive, the whole process should take a few hours to complete. This is why defragmenting is mostly done during off-peak hours when the computer is usually not being used.

Along with registry cleaning and anti-virus scans, disk defragmenting stands as another tool through which owners can take care of their units. Because these methods are both free and easy to use, owners have no excuse not to perform their responsibility to properly maintain their desktop computers.