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ing, it’s a good idea to examine a disk for damage at least
once a month.
Some maintenance and repair operations can take quite
some time, so it is wise to schedule these operations for those
times when you don’t need to use your computer. The good
news is that, for the most part, you won’t need to tend to
the computer while the software performs these operations.
Protect Your Data from Viruses
One of the greatest threats to your data comes from viruses.
These nasty-sounding creatures are insidious programs cre-
ated by malefactors. Some viruses are designed to render
your computer inoperable; others will erase files. The worst
part is you may not be aware that your system has been
infected until it’s too late.
The most common way computers catch viruses is by
downloading and sharing infected files via e-mail and other
Internet services. You can protect your data against viruses
by using ant-virus software. These programs are designed to
seek out and eradicate viruses before they can cause dam-
age. There are a number of good anti-virus programs on the
market for both PC and Mac.
Cleaning the Drive Case
Always unplug all cables from the Drive before cleaning
it. Clean the Drive using a soft, dry cloth. For tough dirt,
dampen a soft cloth with some neutral detergent diluted in
5 to 6 parts water; wipe off the dirt, then wipe off the Drive
with a dry cloth. Do not use alcohol, paint thinner, or other
chemicals; they may damage the case surface.
to write a new file in a contiguous set of clusters. The drive
uses the clusters it can, and if more are needed, the drive
uses other clusters in other locations. The result is a frag-
mented file that is scattered in several places on the disk.
Over time, as more and more files are erased and new files
are added, the data on the drive becomes increasingly frag-
mented. The more fragmented a disk becomes, the longer it
takes to read and write data because the drive’s read/write
mechanism spends more time moving back and forth over
the platter searching for fragmented data or free clusters.
We recommend using defragmentation and optimization
software to maximize the storage efficiency and optimize
the performance of your hard drive. Optimization software
re-organizes files so that the files you use most often can be
accessed more quickly. Defragmentation software consoli-
dates file fragments that are scattered on your hard drive
into more efficient contiguous clusters.
Quite often, defragging and optimization functions will be
included in one software package, such that both opera-
tions are performed at the same time.
Examining and Repairing a Hard Drive
There are a number of reasons why a hard drive may
become damaged or the data may become corrupted.
Regular examination of your disk with a quality disk exami-
nation and repair utility is the best way to prevent irrepa-
rable disk damage and avoid data loss.
There are several software packages available that offer a
suite of disk management utilities, including defragmenta-
tion, optimization, repair, erased file recovery and more.
How often you should perform maintenance operations
depends on how much you use the drive. Generally speak-
