The defragmentation process is usually called the ordering of the contents of the clusters to increase the speed of access to the necessary files and improve the performance of the computer.
Saving information on the hard disk is encrypted. The minimum unit of data storage is a bit with a value of 1 or 0. A byte is equal to 8 bits of information in various combinations, i.e. 256 characters. Bytes are combined into Kilo, Mega, Giga and Terabytes. The combination of a certain number of bytes, designed to store a certain amount of information, is called a cluster. The sizes of the clusters do not allow storing all the selected information in one single cluster, so the data is split into fragments (the fragmentation process takes place). The operating system of the computer provides the required number of clusters to record all the necessary information, but does not ensure the sequence of its storage. In addition, in the process of work, some files are edited, added and deleted. All this leads to further fragmentation of data and an increase in the level of fragmentation. Fragmentation of information does not affect its functionality, but can lead to a decrease in the speed of the computer and slow down the operation of programs installed on it. Defragmentation of the hard disk allows you to restore the sequence of placement of fragments of information on the disk and combine unfilled clusters. Microsoft Windows has a built-in defragmentation tool that allows you to perform this procedure without the need for additional third-party software. To perform the operation, select the disk to be defragmented and open its context menu by clicking the right mouse button. You will need to specify the "Properties" item and go to the "Service" tab of the opened dialog box, where you select the "Perform defragmentation" option. It should be remembered that defragmentation is recommended when actively adding and removing files and folders, installing and uninstalling new applications and implementing procedures for updating your operating system.
