Disk stuff ...
Disk cleanup removes unneeded files such as temporary files, cache files, and if you select the thorough option, duplicate files too.
Scandisk checks that the 'map' of where your data is located on your disk is accurate. It will report common errors such as disk space marked as occupied but without belonging to any file or a file thinking it contains data in an area marked as available.
Defrag moves data so that your disk stores data for each file in continuous locations. This reduces the need for disk head movement and the accompanying wait for the disk to spin until the head is above the needed data. On a defragged disk, the head reads the first chunk, and the next chunk needed follows; thus, the slow mechanical movements needed to access your disk is reduced.
I'd use these programs in this order: Scandisk, CleanUp, and Defrag. Scandisk to be certain the disk is error free, CleanUp to remove unwanted files, and Defrag to optimize the access of the remaining files.
Cheers, PW.
P.S. Obviously, if Scandisk finds errors, you'll need to clean them up before proceeding. Sometimes 'file pieces' get written to your root directory. A number of posts back, we discussed what to do with these files. A consensus was reached: delete them. |
