How to Defragment Your Computer

When your computer writes information onto your hard drive, it does not always write information in the same location on the actual hardware. A section of a file can be written near the beginning of the disc, whereas the rest of that file could be written near the end. This causes programs to run slowly, as the computer spends time in retrieving these file clusters from all over the disc. Defragmenting your computer sorts all of your files (as well as free space) in an orderly manner, in effort to reduce loading time. Here is how to do it.
Steps:
1. Start Windows in Safe Mode. This is not mandatory, but it helps to avoid complications from other programs that are running in the background. This also speeds up and streamlines the process.
2. Uninstall any programs you do not use or need. It is best to uninstall programs prior to a defragmentation, as the newly-acquired free space will generally be located all over the hard drive, thereby giving rise to fragmentation.
3. Make sure that all unnecessary programs are closed. If you have already started in Safe Mode, then this has already been done.
4. Cancel any programs that are scheduled to run. If you have not manually scheduled any programs to run, then skip this step.
5. Delete any temporary files. This is done by running Disk Cleanup. To run the program, go to: START -> Run, and enter cleanmgr in the window.
6. Run the Disk Defragmenter Program. Go to START -> Run, and enter dfrg.msc in the window. A window that is similar to the one below should appear:
7. Make sure that your desired drive is selected [C: being the default drive], and click on the Defragment button.
8. Sit back and relax as your computer organizes your fragmented files.
Tips:
1. Defragment your computer overnight. If you have never defragmented your computer before, and you have a large hard drive, the process can take several hours.
2. You can also access the Disk Defragmenter via the Start menu by going to START -> Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter.
3. The more often that you run the defragmenter, the quicker the process will be. Generally, once per month is good.
4. Remember that defragmenting takes the saved portions of all of your files and organizes them to help your computer run more efficiently. Keep in mind that some files (such as critical system files and boot procedure files) cannot be moved.
5. If the Defragmenter keeps restarting, and you have not already run your computer in Safe Mode, do so. See the Related wikiHows section below for the steps to start your computer in Safe Mode.
6. An alternative to defragmenting is the use of a program called Diskeeper. It is very useful, since it can defragment your computer while your screen saver is running. You can work (or play) on your computer when you're defragmenting because it has a technology called I/O smart, where if your computer is doing something big, it will pause until your computer is finishing. You can also set the priority for defragmenting so that it won't pause every time that you do something little.
Warnings:
1. Unless you choose "Safe Mode With Networking", you will not be able to access the Internet while in Safe Mode. Make sure that you know how to access the Defragmenter program before you enter Safe Mode.
2. If you are using Windows 95, 98, or ME, do not use your computer during the defragmenting process, since this may restart or hinder the process.
3. While uninstalling, if you are unsure what a program does, don't remove it until you know for sure if you need it or not.