Gateway 960, User Manual

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Chapter 3: Maintaining Your Server
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Defragmenting the hard drive
When working with files, your operating system divides the file information
into pieces and stores them in different places on the hard drive. This is called
fragmentation , and it is normal. In order for your server to use a file, your
operating system must search for the pieces of the file and put them back
together. This process slows hard drive performance.
In Windows 2000 Server, the Disk Defragmenter program organizes the data on
the drive so each file is stored as one unit rather than as multiple pieces scattered
across different areas of the drive. Defragmenting the information stored on
the drive can improve hard drive performance.
While Disk Defragmenter is running, do not use your keyboard or mouse
because using them may continuously stop and restart the defragmenting
process. Also, disconnect your server from the network while defragmenting
because network communication may stop the defragmentation process and
cause it to start over.
If your server is running an operating system other than Windows 2000 Server,
see the operating system’s documentation for instructions on defragmenting
files.
To defragment a hard drive in Windows 2000 Server:
1
Double-click the
My Computer
icon.
2
Right-click the hard drive that you want to defragment, for example Local
Disk (C:), then click
Properties
. The Properties dialog box opens.