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Using Disk Defragmenter in Windows XP

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Overview
Over time, your computer creates, deletes and moves many different-sized files on your hard drive. This normal usage of your computer will leave fragments of files separated and disorganized.
Disk Defragmenter consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk then rearranges them to increase available space. As a result, your computer works with the hard drive faster and more efficiently. HP recommends defragmenting your hard drive at least once a month.
About Disk Defragmenter
Before starting to rearrange and compress your files, the Disk Defragmenter will inspect your hard drive to identify whether defragmenting is necessary. By clicking the Analyze button, Disk Defragmenter estimates the amount of disk space that is used by fragmented files.
If a large amount of red bands are displayed in the illustration of the analysis, Disk Defragmenter will recommend consolidating these files into contiguous files. Green bands usually indicate files that Windows cannot move, like the files that make up the operating system.
Figure 1: Disk Defragmenter in Windows XP
1 - The drive that has been selected for analysis and defragmenting.
2 - Red bands indicate fragmented files.
3 - Contiguous files are indicated by blue bands.
4 - The Analyze button.
5 - The Defragment button.
6 - Green bands indicate files that are unmovable.
7 - The View Report button.
Once Disk Defragmenter is completed, a detailed report of the quantity of fragmented files and the disk space that was made available can be seen by clicking the View Report button.
Start Disk Defragmenter
Using Disk Defragmenter is simple and once started will work without the need to supervise. Depending on the size of your hard drive and the amount of fragmented files it may take more than an hour to complete. Use the instructions below to start defragmenting your hard drive.
  1. Close all programs that are running. This includes background programs and screensavers.
  2. Click Start , All Programs , Accessories , then System Tools .
  3. Click Disk Defragmenter . Follow the onscreen instructions. If Disk Defragmenter starts itself over and over, then a hidden background program is still accessing the hard drive. Restart the computer in Safe mode and try again.


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