Tech Talk With Tom
How to speed up that slowed down computer

We all do it: Write a file, delete a file, install a program, delete a program. It is the nature of people that use computers. Times change and so do the files you use. But then it starts to happen, files that used to open instantly now take 30 seconds or more. And computer boot up? Well, might as well go get the morning paper, you've got 5 extra minutes while you wait for Windows to come up.

What happened? You just spent your yearly computer budget on this top of the line machine and suddenly what once seemed almost too fast is taking forever to load the most basic file. What has happened is call Harddrive Fragmentation.

The technical stuff: Your harddrive is made of rows of magnetic strips that store information in the order that it is saved. Well, this is ALMOST true. As you delete older files, you leave blank gaps that the harddrive tries to fill up as you save new files. Since these gaps vary in size, one file or program can get spread out across a relatively large storage space. This doesn't really adversely affect your harddrive, but what it DOES affect is the time that it takes the harddrive to find every piece of the program or files that you've saved or installed. This is called "seek" time, and the more fragmented your harddrive gets, the longer this seek time becomes.

So, how do we get all of our programs back into a nice, easy to find order? Defrag!!!

First off, it is important to note, Defragging can sometimes take several hours, so it is best to start it right before you leave the office. Make sure all programs are closed and that noone is going to Remote Connect to your computer.

Ok, that said, open your "My Computer" window. This is usually the first icon on your desktop in the upper left hand corner. Ok, you should see a list of your available drives. Right click on the drive you wish to defragment (Usually C: is the most important one to do).

Right clicking will bring up a little menu, sellect "Properties". Just below the top of the Properties window, you should see several Tabs (General, Tools, Hardware, etc). The tab we want is "Tools".

Once you are in the Tools tabs, just click the button labelled "Defragment Now". Once the Disk Defragmentor window opens, just hit the "Defragment" button near the bottom, and go home. Or read a book. Or watch grass grow. ANYTHING except sit and watch the defragmentation process. (Trust me, it is THAT boring.)

What Disk Defragmentor does is make a list of all your installed files and programs, and moves them so that everything that goes together is physically close together on the disk. You should notice and immediate (though sometimes not drastic) speed increase on your computer when booting and loading files.

I usually recommend defragmenting once a quarter, but if you are a heavy file user, or have just gone through a major software upgrade, I recommend defragmenting immediately. An ounce of prevention now could save you a lot of heartache later.

Tom Beauchamp is the owner of LAN’s Edge in Austin, TX. LAN’s Edge is a computer gaming center that offers PC and xbox gaming as well as a high speed internet connection and PC sales and repair.  He can be reached at daystar@lansedge.com. Visit http://www.lansedge.com for more information.

An accountant is having a hard time sleeping and goes to see his doctor. "Doctor, I just can't get to sleep at night." "Have you tried counting sheep?" "That's the problem - I make a mistake and then spend three hours trying to find it"

This newsletter is published monthly by Candy Beauchamp of OffAssist. (c) 2005
Much of the advice in this newsletter is based upon the research, professional and personal experiences of the authors. If the reader has any questions concerning any material or procedure mentioned, the publisher and authors strongly suggest seeking the advice of a qualified CPA.