Preserved Topic: I think its that time of the month....;)

Yes you heard correct....I think its that time of the month where I should or in this case, MUST defrag my computer. After reading something in the computer section in the TV Guide my opinion is that I reckon I should defrag the whole thing cos everything is stuffing up like all the time
Such things include:
-Comp getting REALLY slow when the net is running to the point where I have to re-start most times cos it is sooo bad.
-Sometimes the BSOD comes up as soon as I start up the comp and I have re-start all over again.
-Various things that start up when the comp is started errors are caused in them and have to be closed down.
-SOOOOOOOO MUCH SHIT is on the computer and its really cloggin thigns up HARDCORE.
When it comes to defraging what should I use, the one already in Systems Tools of should I download one to do the job properly?

Will he or wont he?

Assuming you're running Windows:

Running Scandisk would be a good idea before you defrag...

also one of the reasons computers run slow is because they have massive amounts of data you never use, such as a lot of MP3s, or say a couple huge games and high-end Applications such as Photoshop and 3D Studio Max... you can use SequoiaView to find out where you're draining memory..

Maybe you're running too many applications on startup and they all stay memory resident and pretty soon you've got no (RAM) memory left...

Also, if your computer is a little old- or perhaps takes a frequent beating- your hard drive may be shot... Scandisk will identify this for you and it may mean you'll have to buy another one. Scandisk won't just *tell* you this, so you have to pay attention. For Example, if (in a 4Gig HD) Scandisk tells you you're got half of it as bad clusters- it's time to get and new HD.

...and sometimes- you just need to reformat your damn drive and start from scratch. Computers (and badly written software) are getting pretty bloated these days. Even after you uninstall stuff, you still leave bits and pieces of files and reg keys and all sorts of junk lying around. Periodically, you need to back everything up, reformat the drive, and reinstall everything a-new (I call this "Giving the box a shower").

..A good tip- right before you reinstall anything, is to partition your drive. On one partition you install the OS and critical shit, on the other- install all your application and stick your data files (JPGs and MP3s and stuff) in there... That way, when you've downloaded the last 'Dead Heads' song, you've still got the digital performance left to listen to it.


Code - CGI - links - DHTML - Javascript - Perl - programming - Magic - http://www.twistedport.com
ICQ: 67751342

Thanks Petskull ...heaps of help there. Scandisk is usually ran every bloody time I have to re-start my comp cos of major errors and so it comes up automatically. I dont think Ive got too many apps running on start up, I know I have cut alot out from starting up.
My computer is fairly new, PIII, 1.1 Ghtz, nearly 2 yrs old. Yeah I am running Windows, and it is partitioned with Drive C for Win ME, Drive D to store shit, and Drive E for Win2k.
I think I might opt for reformatting and anything else so it cleans all this goddamn crap Ive got on here....2 yrs of stuff piling up aint good.
How long does this take? Should I use defrag or reformat? Are the ones under Systems Tools in the menu any good and do the job properly or should I get software that does the job right?

Will he or wont he?