Windows Vista™ Step by Step

Consolidating Files on Your Hard Disk

There can be times when there is nothing specifically wrong with your computer, but it is not operating at its peak efficiency. You might think that your computer is simply not as fast as it used to be, and although perceived speed can be a function of your own level of patience, it might be true that your system has slowed down since it was new. Unlike a sewing machine or a blender, a slow computer probably isn’t due to the parts getting old and worn out; it might simply be that your hard disk has become cluttered and its contents fragmented.

Each time you save information to your hard disk, Windows Vista writes the information to the currently available space on the disk. When you delete information, the ...