HARD DRIVE MAINTENANCE

SCAN DISK

If you delete or move files around a lot, it would be wise to run Scandisk once in a while. What this does is looks for corrupt data and gets rid of it. Your computer can now use this space to write new data on. At the end it will tell you if it found any errors. There is no reason to keep these errors in a file if it asked you if you want to keep them in a file. This program only takes a minute or so to run.
To run scan disk;
Select start
Select Programs
Select accessories
Select System Tools
Select Scandisk.

DISK DEFRAGMENTER

When your computer writes data to the hard drive, it will write it in the next available free disk space available. After using your computer for a while, some pieces of your file may end up all over the hard drive (fragmented). This takes your hard drive longer to read the whole file. What this utility does is reads and rewrites the data on your drive. After it reads the data it rewrites the data so that it is together in a serial stream. When you select the defragmenter utility, your computer will tell you if your drive does or does not need defragmenting at that time. If defragmenting is needed, this is how to run it;
Select Start
Select Programs
Select Accessories
Select System Tools
Select Disk Defragmenter