Computers are one of the most important things that you can have in this modern world. It is one of the few gadgets that can let you access the internet. Phones might be the more ubiquitous and common, but it doesn’t really compare to an actual computer. For one, computer screens are so much larger than phones. It is better for working as well as accessing a lot of websites. Even though most sites have optimized their platform for mobile use, it is so much easier to use on a computer screen. It would be easier on your eyes, as you don’t have to strain so much on a smaller screen. Read more about this here.
However, computers are also known to fail. They are machines after all, and they are prone to damage. You can be as careful as you want, but some parts might degrade or even destroyed by its own self. This leads to your device slowing down which can be really annoying. For example, a new computer can access a word file easily. It would literally take seconds to finish loading the entire document. With older models though, even a simple command such as this would take a lot of time and this is why many people end up punching their monitors. A simple defragging though might be the solution.
Defragging Demystified
Defragging, short for “defragmentation”, is a process in which you will need to rearrange the files in your hard drive to make it easier for your computer to read. As you may know, the hard drive is the thing that you hear turning in most computers once it starts up. This is the part where the memory is being accessed by your device. It would usually work normally especially for newer systems, since it is easier to burn memories into a newer hard drive. Each space would take a specific slot and everything would be normal. Read about how hard disks work here: https://computer.howstuffworks.com/hard-disk.htm.
However, trouble starts when the device gets used again and again. There is nothing wrong with this as this is the normal life cycle of anything. However, you are going to delete some files that were once a part of your system. The hard drive works like a very strict parking system. Once one file leaves, it can only be replaced perfectly by another of the same size. If it exceeds, then the file would be cut to accommodate another slot. This would be easier if it is just a few files, but most of us keep so many of them that we don’t even realize it.
Once this happens, it might be time for you to defrag your computer or find the best defrag software. This might be the only solution if this occurred a decade ago. Now, there might be a better alternative depending on your situation. Defragging is not the only step that you will do if your computer is going slow. You need to analyze a lot of things. Some of these might save you more dollars than immediately going to a repair shop. It is a part of the usual maintenance of your device as well, so you might want to investigate further before going to the extremes
Operating System Matters
Most of us are using Windows systems, and this can be a good thing when you are experiencing a very slow device. This is because the latest versions of the OS (namely Windows 7, 8 and 10) schedule its own defragging. One of the main problems of this process is you need to have the computer on before it can start. This means that you have to do it at night or at any point in time that no one is going to use the device. The scheduling is rather beneficial since the operating system does it for you. Changing the schedule is also possible.
However, you really need to double-check that the computer actually did the defragging process. Specifically, Windows 7 has some trouble going through the entire process. All you need to do is type “defrag” on the Start menu. Then, you can run it if the process was not actually done. This can also be used on the latest versions of the OS. For older versions, you might need to do a manual defragmentation. Follow this article to know how you can do it: https://medium.com/@breich_84283/defragmenting-on-windows-xp-7eb46599d87c.
Mac and Linux, on the other hand, are entirely different animals. You need to go see the manufacturer for Apple products as they are the ones authorized to do any repairs. For Linux, it hardly needs any defrag at all. This is mostly because it is a lot more organized as a system compared to the other operating systems. On the other hand, if your hard drive is already an SSD (solid-state drive), you don’t need to at all. This type of hard drive is rather different than the usual ones because it doesn’t have that spinning mechanism. It makes it easier for the computer to retrieve the files using this drive.
Third-Party Defragmentation
If you are not satisfied with the ones provided by the OS, you can always buy a third-party defrag application for your computer, It is usually far more thorough than the pre-installed ones, and would actually work its way through the entire process, This is also comparably faster and would save you so much time. There are a lot of options to choose from in the market these days, so choose wisely. Don’t go for the “more affordable” products unless you trust the source. Instead of saving money, you might do more harm than good like buying a used computer for instance. This post might be able to help you.
Most of these applications are usually just for Windows as well. This is because it is so much easier to access compared to the other two more common options. With Linux, you probably need to do it yourself. You can also contact a technician that really specializes in that certain OS. For Apple, it is so much easier to go to an iStore. Their products are usually labeled as “delicate” by many in the community. It would be so much better to let the professionals handle it.
