CertiGuide to A+ (A+ 4 Real)  9  Chapter 1: What are Operating Systems and How Do They Work?       9  File Structure

Formatting Hard Drives 1 Using the Windows Disk Defragmenter

As discussed, disk fragmentation occurs as files are added to and removed from the disk structure. To resolve this problem, the files stored on a hard drive need to be reordered so that each part is stored consecutively, meaning the computer does not have to retrieve data from multiple locations. The administrative tool to achieve this is known as disk defragmenter, with the process referred to as “Defragmentation” (often abbreviated to “defragger” and “defragging” respectively).

Microsoft includes a defrag utility within Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME and XP. By default, no defragger is included within Windows NT due to a slightly overzealous claim regarding the properties of the NTFS file system. The essence of the story is when Microsoft released Windows NT with the NTFS file system, they claimed it was so efficient at data storage that no defragging was required. The fact that Windows 2000 and XP, which both use NTFS, do include defragging software tells us all we need to know about that claim!

Other software vendors also sell enhanced defrag utilities that do a more thorough job, such as Executive Software’s “DiskKeeper”. For most users, though, the Windows defrag program is all that you need. In fact the Microsoft defragmentation tool is a “light” version written by Executive Software.

Formatting Hard Drives 1 Using the Windows Disk Defragmenter