What is Defragmentation?
We spend a lot of time tracking down the problems that can occur with computer hard drives and computer data. Sometimes the problems are easy to see, like when the USB connector on a flash drive snaps off. We are certified to recover your data in that type of situation. But sometimes data issues are not so obvious and can be impossible to see with the naked eye. That is why we always recommend proper hard drive maintenance to help fend off potential file corruption issues.
Hard drive defragmentation can help fend off data corruption.
Disk Fragmentation Can Create Corrupted Files
As you continue to delete and add files on your hard drive, you will start to experience something called fragmentation. To explain fragmentation, let’s look at four files with the names A, B, C, and D. Each file takes up two blocks of data on your hard drive, so your hard drive sets aside eight total blocks to store these files in alphabetical order.
What happens if you delete file C? Would your computer just leave that space open, or would it move D into where C was and leave the two open blocks at the end of the string? Your computer will leave those two blocks open right where they are and wait for the next file to be saved.
Let’s say that file E is three blocks and needs to be saved. Your computer would put the first two blocks where C used to be, then open up an extra block after the D file to finish saving E. What has happened is that your files are getting fragmented, and that can cause them to be corrupted.
Defragmentation Can Fix That Problem
What is defragmentation? Defragmentation undoes the damage that fragmentation creates by putting your files back together and eliminating empty blocks. If there are empty blocks, then your computer will be tempted to fill them and create this problem all over again. When the empty blocks are removed, then your computer is forced to make new blocks that will hold entire files instead of fragmenting them.
What is defragmentation in relation to the overall maintenance of your computer? You should back up your data once a week and have your computer perform regular maintenance at least once a month. You can set your computer to automatically perform maintenance through your operating system utilities. Defragmentation is a part of routine computer hard drive maintenance. The longer you let regular hard drive maintenance go, the more likely your files are to get corrupted.
Is It Too Late To Defragment My Hard Drive?
As experts in online and offline data security, we constantly hear horror stories about hard drives that did not get defragmented in time. Many people go years without ever defragmenting their computer drives, and their drives eventually get corrupted. We want you to know that all of your data is not lost.
If you suddenly have problems retrieving data from your hard drive, then we encourage you to call us for a free quote for our professional recovery services. We will do everything we can to recover as much of your data as possible and help you to avoid a disaster at the hands of your corrupted hard drive.
Defragment Your Hard Drive and Don't Panic
If you have not defragmented your hard drive recently, then we encourage you to run full maintenance on your computer as soon as you can. If your hard drive is acting strangely, then call us immediately. We offer a full range of hard drive data recovery services that will retrieve your data quickly and efficiently.
Don’t panic when your hard drive starts acting strangely. Just give us a call and we will help you take care of the problem with our efficient and state-of-the-art solutions.