Another Windows Tip
Microsoft Defrag, or Disk Defragmenter, is a software utility designed to help chronologically order the data on the hard disk drive. The theory behind defrag is to place each program together instead of scattered throughout the hard disk drive, allowing the read-write head to access the data faster on the hard disk drive. Windows 98 includes an improved version of defrag that is said to place the most commonly accessed data at the beginning of the drive, allowing the read-write head a shorter distance to access the data, making the computer faster. Generally, unless the hard disk drive is seriously fragmented, you will not notice a significant difference after defragging the hard disk drive.
The above is from
ComputerHope.com which outlines how the various OS's handle defragging your harddrive. It also lists general questions and defrag troubleshooting so you may wish to bookmark this site.
One aspect about Defrag in Windows is the fact that files in use cannot be defragged so you never achieve 100% defragmentation.
I have never been satisfied with the onboard defrag supplied by Windows and have depended on third-party sources for keeping my harddrive lean. Products that I can recommend are Norton SystemWorks whose SpeedDisk is very dependable although this product is shareware. A freeware alternative, which I now use, is
Auslogics Disk Defrag. AND in conjunction with this I use
Page Defrag. Note that I employ the 'Defrag at next boot' option.
