How does disk defragmenter improve performance

Over the course of day-to-day use, your hard drive will automatically write parts of files wherever there is space for them, which sometimes means it writes in tiny spaces in between other files. You can think of the hard drive as an advanced version of a vinyl record. When a hard drive is defragmented, the pieces of the song are all over the record, and the needle needs to travel all over the record in order to play the song in order.

Not only that, but since it takes so much time for the needle to travel, it takes the hard drive longer to access the file. Defragmenting the hard drive is like putting all the parts of the song back in order. Defragging your hard drive can have a huge effect on the performance of your PC.

Not only will these tools go through and delete unnecessary files, it will also compress old files that are rarely accessed. Things like Temporary Internet Files can take up a huge amount of space but are mostly useless. You can also do some of this manually. Going through some of your old personal files and deleting ones you no longer need, can help boost your hard drive performance. Some sources spread the inaccurate rumor that defragmenting and cleaning your hard drive will not make it last as long.

The idea behind that statement is that since you are rewriting files to the disk when you defragment, you are putting more wear and tear on the hard drive than necessary, thus shortening its lifespan. Any more feedback? The more you tell us the more we can help. Can you help us improve? Resolved my issue. Clear instructions. Easy to follow. No jargon. Pictures helped. Didn't match my screen. Incorrect instructions. Too technical. Not enough information.

Find a product Part no. Your search did not match any active Crucial part numbers or configuration IDs. Find articles and site content Enter keywords. Back to results. How to defrag your hard drive. Pick a date and time that the computer will be on but no one is typically using it. The computer can be asleep. Click OK. The report you get will indicate if you need to defrag your disk.