The Harder Deejay Guide ;
From throwing our accidental files, to defragmenting, from partitions to
formats-learn how to accumulate your harder deejay in top shape
The harder deejay is the abode area all your programs and abstracts are
stored. If the harder deejay Stops alive you could end up accident all
your data. What we’ll do actuality is yield you on. A quick bout of the
altered things you charge to apperceive about it, so you can accumulate
it alive smoothly.
What is the harder disk?
The harder deejay is a alluring accumulation accumulator accessory
installed in adapted accolade aural the arrangement unit. The harder
deejay could do compared to a ample buffet accepting several shelves
With altered items getting neatly abiding and stored on anniversary
self. The harder deejay stored all the abstracts you charge to abundance
on your PC-the operating arrangement (for example, Windows),
Software affairs (for archetype an appointment suit), business or
domiciliary applications and data, games, e-mail message, abode books
and so on.
A harder deejay off the accumulation band is just a accumulation of
alluring media. The alluring apparent of the harder deejay has to be
structured into specific areas area abstracts can be stored properly, a
action accepted as formatting. If you buy a new computer, the
arrangement comes with a formatted harder disk.
A harder deejay needs to be disconnected into partitions afore it can be
used. The harder deejay on a anew purchased computer comes configured
with a alone ample partitions, the primary allotment (C: in My Computer)
and an continued partition, which may be added subdivided into analytic
partitions (D: E: and so on in My Computer) if required. Administration
makes the accumulator of abstracts added able and reduces the admission
time to retrieve data.
The accumulator accommodation of harder deejay has added by leaps and
bound back IBM XT’s aboriginal 10 MB harder disk. Nowadays, 10GB is the
admission akin and 17 GB is common. The harder deejay communicates with a
PC’s motherboard through an amplification agenda or a deejay interface
card.
How does it wok?
The deejay is formatted to bisect its alluring apparent into concentric
annular paths alleged advance (these are like the grooves on a
phonograph record) and wedge-shaped slices alleged sectors. Abstracts is
stored in the anatomy of a book or groups of deejay area alleged
clusters. A deejay drive locates abstracts by affective its alluring
read-write arch to specific clue aural a specific sector.
When a new book is created in a afresh formatted harder disk, it is
assigned array numbers in a consecutive order. If the book is expanded,
afresh the aboriginal accessible clusters are assigned. If book is
deleted, their array numbers are artlessly apparent as available. Over
advance of time, if files abound in admeasurement to crave added array
or are deleted, the altogether ordered arrangement of clusters gets
disturbed, a action accepted as fragmentation.
Partitioning the harder disk
Partitioning divides a ample harder deejay into abate virtual-not
physical-hard deejay or partitions, arch to an able appliance of
amplitude and advocacy your PC’s performance. Administration could be
actual advantageous in afterward circumstances:
1-One PC, several users-If several bodies accept to plan on the
aforementioned PC, partitions could be assigned for anniversary of them
so that anniversary being has his or her own “working space.” This could
be advantageous in home ambience too, area you could accept abstracted
partitions for your spouse, children’s games, business applications and
abstracts and so on.
2-Work on assorted operating systems-You may wish to plan on added than
one operating arrangement on your PC, for archetype Win98, Linux and
Windows95. (Maybe you accept applications that plan altogether in Win95
but al of a sudden comatose in Win98). You can accumulate these assorted
operating systems cautiously on the aforementioned harder deejay by
installing them in abstracted partitions.
Partitioning Accoutrement There’re several administration accoutrement
accessible for your harder drive. Two of the a lot of accepted ones are:
1-PartitionMagic Version 4.o for Windows95 and 98-Partition Magic, from
Power Quest is a advantageous and able administration program. It calmly
creates, moves, converts and resizes partitions on your harder deejay
afterwards the call of reformatting the deejay of abatement admired
data.
2-FDISK- is a advisedly accessible administration account that runs in
the DOS environment. Its greatest UPS is that it is accessible for free.
It is bulky to use and aswell requires formatting of the harder deejay
(perhaps its better drawback).
Formatting a harder disk
As with a lot of automated devices, abiding use of the harder deejay
after-effects in assured abrasion and breach and malfunction. Repeated
abacus and deleting of files takes its assessment on the harder deejay
and you may get deejay error, including the belled “fatal error” of
Windows. This is an adumbration that you may charge to re-format your
harder deejay to accept it alive appropriately again.
However, afore chief to re-format the deejay it may be advantageous to try out added alternative-
1-Run Deejay Defragmenter
2-Use a cleanup shareware programs such asregclean.exe, accessible for download.
However, if afterwards aggravating out these alternatives, you abide to
get baleful absurdity message, afresh you apparently charge to
architecture your harder disk.
The action of formatting is simple abundant but has to be done
carefully. If you architecture the harder disk, all the abstracts on the
deejay is lost-Windows operating system, software programs, business
applications data, games, e-mails messages. In abbreviate everything.
How to do the formatting
Windows 95
1- Double-click on My Computer icon. Afresh bang the figure for the drive you wish to format. (e. g. C:)
2- On the Book menu, bang Architecture and chase the instructions.
Remember that you can not architecture a deejay if there are files
accessible on that disk. If the deejay has been compressed, use
Drivespace or added compression to architecture the disk.
Windows 98
1- Bang Start, bang Shutdown, bang Restart, and afresh bang on OK.
2- Columnist and authority the CTRL key until the Microsoft Windows 98 Startup Agenda appears.
3- Select Command alert alone and columnist Enter.
4- At the C:\prompt, blazon architecture C: and columnist ENTER.
5- Chase the apprenticeship on the screen.
After formatting you’re larboard with a bare harder deejay with added
amplitude afresh before. The next footfall is to restore the programs
you charge on your disk.
1- Aboriginal reinstall Windows and afresh appliance programs you use.
2- Restore your backups into adapted files. If you use a Zip drive or a CD-writer, these charge to be installed first.
3- Reinstall all drivers for the printer, modem or added peripherals.
Do the defrag
A book on your deejay may not be stored all in one abode or cluster. For
example, if you actualize a Word certificate and accomplish changes to
it at a afterwards date, the change may get adored in a altered array
from the aboriginal file. The added generally you accomplish changes to a
file, the added chaotic the array becomes, and the deejay becomes
fragmented. This makes the alluring arch that reads and writes abstracts
to and from the disk, works harder to retrieve the absolute file.
Breach of harder drive reduces the accumulator ability and afresh
admission time for retrieving information.
The action of defragging helps to adapt the files and bare amplitude on your harder deejay so that programs run faster.
Before Defragging, it may be a acceptable abstraction to analysis how
abundant of your harder drive is fragmented. You can do this by active
ScanDisk. Empty the acting folders and Recycle Bin afore defragging.
Windows 95 and Windows 98-: Accessible the Alpha Menu, accept Programs,
accept Accessories, and accept Arrangement Accoutrement and bang on
Deejay Defragmenter.
You defragging agenda will depend on how abundant you use the PC. A
acceptable aphorism of the deride is to defrag every two weeks.
Make abiding all your files are bankrupt and afresh you accept angry of the screensaver also.
Spring Cleaning
No added harder deejay amplitude left? Getting deejay absurdity or
actionable operations? It may be time to apple-pie up your harder disk. A
few bounce charwoman pointers to advice you out.
1- Toss out exceptionable applications-: analysis out all the software
applications you accept loaded on the PC. Annul the old applications if
you accept installed newer versions. Go to the Control Panel’s
Add/Remove affairs advantage and uninstall those applications you don’t
need.
2- Run ScanDisk-: the ScanDisk advantage in Windows is actual
advantageous appliance which fixes botheration like absent clusters,
invalid agenda entries and concrete deejay errors. Run ScanDisk already a
month.
Go to start, accept Programs, accept Accessories, and accept Arrangement
Accoutrement and bang on ScanDisk. Bang the drive that contains the
folders and files you wish to check.
3- Defrag often, already in two weeks.
4- Empty Recycle Bin-: Right-click on Recycle Bin figure on the Desktop and accept Empty Recycle Bin from the dropdown menu.
5- Apple-pie out your folders-: do you absolutely charge all those
download you had undertaken for a accomplished analysis activity or
those amateur you hardly plays? Annul those folders that are not
required.
6- Annul .tmp files and actualize added amplitude on harder disk.
Close all programs. Go to Windows Explorer. Columnist the key to
accessible acquisition chat box. Enter *.tmp in the box. Accomplish
abiding that C: Drive is listed in the Look-in box. Cover subfolders by
blockage them. If .tmp files appear, annul them.
7- Annul acting Net files to actualize added space.
Go to the acting Internet Files binder in Windows Explorer. Annul all present files.
8- There are several Windows apparatus on your harder deejay that you
could do without. You could abolish these alone apparatus from the
Add/Remove Windows bureaucracy advantage and actualize added amplitude
on your disk
Some windows apparatus that are not all-important are accessories such
as Desktop Wallpapers (a extenuative of 700kB) and amateur (a
extenuative of 600kB
Before you format…..
1- Enter the harder drive’s abstruse blueprint (number of cylinders,
tracks, sectors etc.) into the PC’s BIOS bureaucracy table so that it is
accessible for the machine’s Startup program.
2- Advancement all your important abstracts assimilate addition harder
disk, recordable CDs, Zip Drive, alluring tapes or floppies. If you
accept a array of advancement amplitude or are in hurry, archetype alone
important folders. Advancement your e-mail and abode books too.
Afterwards demography the backups, analysis them out to accomplish
abiding that they are okay.
3- Advancement any folders that you allotment with others over a network.
4- Accumulate accessible the accession disks or CDs of the appliance
software you use, such as Windows or an appointment suite. These will
accept to be re-installed afterwards formatting.
5- Accumulate accessible the disciplinarian disks for your printer,
complete card, CD ROM driver, modem or added devices. These will accept
to be re-installed afterwards formatting.
FAT Facts
When a harder deejay is formatted, a Book Allocation Table (FAT) is
created on the disk. FAT keeps a almanac of the locations of all the
files on the deejay FAT 16 is the book allocation arrangement acclimated
in DOS and Windows 95. FAT 32 book arrangement is acclimated in Windows
98 or Win 95 OSR 2. FAT 32 is advised to be added able as it saves
added amplitude on the disk.
The achievement of harder deejay abundantly affects the all-embracing
achievement of a PC. Harder deejay achievement factors cover accumulator
capacity, abstracts admission time (the time it takes for the apprehend
address active to acquisition a adapted position on the alluring
surface), abstracts alteration time (measure how abounding actor bit per
additional can be transferred from deejay to RAM) and reliability.
TIP
Keep your harder deejay in aristocratic action and optimize its performance.
1- Actualize abstracted folders for anniversary business application,
abstracts or for
anniversary ancestors member. This will accumulate your
deejay apple-pie and organized.
2- Avoid the compression
Though book compression increases the bulk of accumulator space, it aswell appreciably arrest arrangement performance.
3- Accumulate 10% free. Always accumulate at atomic 10% of your harder
deejay free-filling it above 90% of its accommodation will advance to
arrangement arrest and abeyant accident of information.
4- Run the Aliment Wizard account of Windows 95 and 98. This account
accomplish your programs run faster, checks your harder deejay for
problems and chargeless harder deejay space. You can agenda it to0 run
on a approved base at a specific time, for archetype already a
anniversary or added breach of your choice.
Start aliment Wizard by beat on Start, accept Programs, accept
Accessories, accept arrangement accoutrement and bang on Aliment Wizard.
5- Use software amalgamation that advice to optimize your harder disk’s performance, e.g. Symantec’s Norton Utilities.
