Why "Defragment" your hard drive?

I can say, if you don't "delete" stuff alot. Don't even bother. If you DO you may wanna read this post. If you install and delete alot.. you will wanna "defrag".

Your "Hard Drive" in your computer works in this way....

Everything that's stored on your computer works this way. "Every" character (letter) or whatever is stored as "one byte". There are 8 bits to a byte. Basically that means, say the letter "A". Is in Binary "01000001". The "Binary" language is based on "Powers of 2", not the "powers of 10" we are used too. If you get into "Bit math", would take awhile. But really not that hard.

I know I am "starting" to lose you! That's ok. I don't want you to understand the "details". All I want is you to see the general sense.

The letter "A" alone, will take "1 byte (8 bits) of storage. When thinking of your hard drive.

Your "Hard drive" is "magnetic". Every single "bit" or every "byte" is stored "magnetically". That's why you need to keep magnets away... lol (although most hard drives are shielded now). The letter "A" I mentioned above. It's 01000001. Those numbers represent, on and off states of electricity. Your "Hard drive" in your computer is very "High tech". Your "Hard drive" stores "every single letter A, as 01000001. One byte. So now, if you have a "Hard drive", with a 1 GB capacity.. that sucker would store the letter "A" 1,000,000,000 times (if it had only that to deal with). Times that by "8 bits per byte". I have a 200 GB Hard drive, So to really do the math. My hard drive could store.. 200 times 1,000,000,000 times 8. That's "bits". On and "off" states of electricity". Yep, that's what's in my computer. Yours too. Amazing really!

So lets get back to the "Defrag thing". Why is that important?

I can't remember "offhand" about "sectors" and such (exact numbers). I could look it up easy. For this post I won't, cause I just want to give a "general sense".

Your computer hard drive stores stuff in "sectors". That means, when you load a game, office application, or whatever. It tries to fill up these sectors. The "sectors" may not be big enough. So, if when you install something. It will "fill" whatever it can on the "sector" first. It will move to other "empty" sectors second. The sectors will fill.. but be broken.

In itself, not a huge problem to me. If you "install" and delete alot of stuff.. It will be a problem. Here is the reason:

When you install, you will be filling "partial" sectors on your hard drive. When you delete, your making these "huge" holes there.

When you run a game (or whatever), your computer is pretty good at "piecing" all this together. Your computer can find "all those parts", because now a simple program is "all over" your computer.

If you don't install, and delete alot. Don't worry about. If you do.. "Defrag" on a regular basis..

Gary :)