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Cleaning
And Tuning Tips
Defragging Tips and Tricks
In addition to defragging, the Windows 98 Disk Defragmenter can place the files for your most frequently used programs at the front of the disk for faster access. It manages this trick by keeping a log file to identify which applications you use the most. If the list has changed since the last time you defragmented, reordering the files may slow down the process.
If you want to check the setting for this feature or turn it on or off, start Disk Defragmenter by choosing Start|Programs|Accessories|System Tools|Disk Defragmenter. If you start it through the Properties dialog, the utility will immediately start defragmenting the disk. But if you go through the Start menu, you'll see the Select Drive window first. Choose the Settings button, and you can check the option labeled "Rearrange program files so my programs start faster."
Speeding up the Defragging
Windows 98 will let you work with programs while Disk Defragmenter is running, but it's better to close all programs, avoid your computer, and go out to lunch. Depending on your disk capacity and performance, how much data is on it, and how fragmented it is, Disk Defragmenter can take hours.
If you try using the computer while the utility is defragging your hard disk, you'll only slow the process down. In fact, if you set Disk Defragmenter to show details, and you keep an eye on the status line as you work in another program, you'll see that every time you do anything that writes a change to disk, Disk Defragmenter will report that the disk's contents have changed, and it will restart the defragging process. The simple thing is: You'll get your PC back faster if you leave it alone.
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