LYT's Weblog

Step 1. Get a Mac.

Seriously, though, I used to do it all the time when I had a PC. If I remember correctly, you

1. Go to Programs
2. Go to Accessories
3. Go to System Tools
4. Go to Disk Defragmenter
5. Let 'er rip.

Those instructions are based on a circa-2000 Windows OS, so I don't know how accurate they still are. The first time I ever did it, it took hours and hours...I think almost an entire day. After that, I did it weekly, and it sped things up considerably.

I question the diagnostic abilities of someone who doesn't even know what de-fragging is. Maybe you should list the symptoms instead.

a -- ask your tech guy

b -- if you want tech help remotely, we'll need to know what you're running, specifically which version of windows.

if you're using windows xp, you'll need to go into the control panel, this may or may not be in your start menu. in there, go into administrative tools, and select computer management. under 'storage' is the disk defragmenter tool. select the drive you want to defrag, and hit 'defragment'.

if it pops up any errors, the process will stop until you tell it what to do with them. this will be fairly painless. if there's an option to automatically fix errors, go with that.

Luke, if you're reading... I'm going to call you in a little bit to help out. I'm a Mac girl, but the BS that necessitates defragging in the first place, has much to do with why I only touch PCs when absolutely necessary... always to help someone with a machine that's acting up.

PS - regarding the sentiments above... agreed. Get a Mac. Less of a headache all around, and especially these days, there's software available for most things the average person needs/wants to do. No defragmenting needed, and I've never personally known any Mac user to have regularly sluggish systems, viruses, spyware problems or anything else.

If you're running Windows XP (which I think you are...), you don't need to defragment. It does it automatically as it moves stuff around.

This man can barely afford to put food on his family, he's certainly not getting a mac anytime soon.

Following Ghostboy's instructions seems to work.

As for new computer...not till a new job comes up.

'and I've never personally known any Mac user to have regularly sluggish systems, viruses, spyware problems or anything else.'

i've been running windows since 3.1 and i've never had any of those problems either. defragmenting is part of routine maintenance and is only a pain in the ass if you never do it, same as if you only brush your teeth once a year, when you go to the dentist you'll have problems.

on the other hand, i can upgrade and repair my own computer without having to mail it back to apple. and god help you if you're a mac gamer.

as for luke being poor, you can get a mac mini for $500 and that is rock solid and will do most anything you want for basic computing. which is essentially firefox and itunes. it would also function as a dvd player, if you're still watching stuff on a ps2.

De-fragging is something that us PC's users must do from time to time, even on XP. Some argue every month, but I'd say once every six months, unless you have huge files you delete all the time. And that's really were defragging helps is with all the deletions you make.

I use a MAC at work and have liked it for over 6 years, but there is problems with it. Mostly, the fact that I'm an IT guy and I fix about the same percentage of PC's that most of the world fixes, which is about 90% PC. So it's kinda ridiculous that I use a machine that doesn't support anything I try and fix, unless you run the very untrusty VirtualPC. but I'm also the web designer and graphic artist. Never have I thought of replacing my "design/audio friendly Mac" with a "database/IT friendly PC". And that's really where we are at in the "business" sense of the arguement.

So really, what "end-users" in the non-business world need to decide is, if they use the internet 90% of the time along with Office and don't play games or need support for PC applications.. then a mac is the way to go(cheapest is mac mini)

As for me, I'm just waiting for one of the two companies to allow me to run both operating systems on one computer... oh wait!!! That's right, apple just did that.. and yes I'll be purchasing a new MacPro at my work on the companies dime.. eat that! :)

I see what you're saying sean (connery)... I don't mean to imply that I'm feeding the Mac vs. PC war, as I think its silly. I don't doubt that you don't have such problems... but you also know what defragging is and how to prevent problems. Most people don't, and do suffer from the problems I named.

Most of the folks who come to me with PC problems are ones who don't know about things like defragmenting and are usually intimidated by maintanence procedures. They just want to do whatever it is they do on their machines without screwing with what they see as geeky tech stuff, and much of what they do are the type of basic activities which either scatters a lot of information around the hard drive on a regular basis, or involves directly or indirectly downloading something that will cause problems without proper preparation. Things a Mac generally takes care of behind the scenes but that a PC doesn't always do without a guiding hand, following some steps, taking some measures. They're intelligent people, but they're not tech-minded by any stretch of the imagnination... preventative measures and routine maintanence is too bothersome and overwhelming to the average user.

So, I recommend that they quit the phenonenon of buying and downloading every fix-it program (such as Norton, which they never remember that they actually have to update to remain effective, and that it is not designed to fix every problem a computer has, as many believe), as they're not going to remember to update when new patches are available for the problems that it does have the ability to fix. And I recommend they free their enslavement to the pesky AOL (whose endless offerings of software for *everything*, snatched up by easily tempted customers, I find to be a major culprit in many of the problematic machines I've seen) and instead, put the money towards saving up for the much more user-friendly Mac. For most, they're going to get much longer enjoyment out of their machines without the frustration, and when problems arise, in many cases it's usually going to be a hardware problem after years of having a problem-free machine. Or a temporary problem, fixed by rebooting. Some of my PC friends have gone through about 3 separate machines in the time since I first got my Macs. And maybe regular incidents of problems, compared to two problems I can think of with my machines. I feel it is that person. who doesn't know enough to be able to salvage a machine that's acting up, and doesn't know how to troubleshoot or make sense of findings on Google, that would be best suited to switch over. It's not that I'm saying a Mac is "better", but that it is much more friendly to people who can't be bothered or are intimidated by tech procedures. no matter how basic.

Dag, forgot why I was posting in the first place? Luke, did you get it defragmented? Is the machine running alright?

heh. the mac/pc war is a temporary problem. to quote the late douglas adams, who may have been quoting someone else, the only reason we have any problems with pcs or macs is because they're still 'technology', which is properly defined as 'stuff that doesn't work yet'.

someday. someday everything will simply work with no hassles or maintenance.

i'm no fan of the pc/mac war, given that i love mac products in theory although i can't afford them. but i'll readily admit that while it's totally unfair, i have no particular patience with people who can't take the time to understand how to maintain a pc.

it's not even a tech issue, it's about the way they approach it. a pc is not an appliance. i have the same lack of patience and empathy for people who don't pay attention to the shows or movies they're watching, and then run into troubles because they realize lost isn't a sitcom, and you have to pay attention.

basically i hate everyone.

and you're probably right, people like that should be buying mac minis. simpler, easier to use, safer. less potent for my ends, but not everyone needs to browse the internet in a tank.