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How to perform defragmentation in Windows 7

March 30, 2011 (updated 3 months ago) by Chemtable Software

In Windows 7 like in all other OSes of this family there is a built in tool to perform hard disk defragmentation. But unlike tools from earlier versions it is quite functional and is really capable to perform well.

The “Disk Defragmenter” window can be run in two ways . First, you can open Windows Explorer, click the desired partition drive and select the “Properties” command in the context menu. In the opened window switch to the “Service” tab and click the “Defragment” button. The second way is: open the “Control panel”, open the “System and security” section and click the “Hard disk defragmentation” link.

The Defragmeneter window will be opened. First of all, you should check the level of fragmentation. Select the desired partition and click “Analyze disk” button. After the process completes, you will see the level of fragmentation, and you can immediately start defragmenting it. Please note, the procedure takes significant time that depends on the free system resources, the amount of free disk space and the overall level of fragmentation.

However, the most effective way to perform defragmentation is automatic defragmentation. Once scheduled, it will run automatically at the specified time. The main advantage of such approach is that disks on the computer will not have time to get badly fragmented. As a result, your computer will keep working fast and the next defragmentation procedure will complete quickly. Indeed, now it only keeps the order, not establishes it.

To schedule automatic defragmentation you need to open the “Disk defragmenter” window and click the “Configure schedule” button. Then you should turn on the “Run on a schedule” checkbox and setup the time for periodical defragmentations. For the majority of home computers it is enough to perform defragmentation once a week. Finally, click the “Select disks” button and choose which ones you want to defragment.