Here are 3 things you can do to keep your hard drive clean and healthy which results in a better performing computer.  Before we get into the details, here is an introduction to what your hard drive is used for and why it's good to keep it clean and organized.

The hard drive on your computer is used to store many things.  It stores important files like operating system files, program files, and files that you create and save.  However, it also stores temporary files such as internet files and installation files.  Some of these files are added and deleted as required by your computer but a lot of them are not removed.  All these temporary files can be removed safely to free up hard drive space.  You can also organize how files are stored and check the hard drive for problems so your computer can read and access data from it faster.

The 3 items are disk utilities found in the disk properties of the hard drive.  To start accessing them, open my computer, right click on a disk like Local Disk (C:), and select Properties.

1. Disk Cleanup utility

What it does: Finds and removes unnecessary files off your hard drive

Why it helps: Frees up space so you can store more important files

How to run it: Click the Disk Cleanup button in the General tab

The process: Disk Cleanup first scans your drive for unnecessary files such as temporary internet files and installation files and displays them with check boxes. Mark the items you want removed and click OK. Disk Cleanup will show a status bar as it starts removing the items. This process might take a few minutes. The status bar goes away when Disk Cleanup is complete.

2. Error-checking Utility

What it does: checks the hard drive for problems and tries to repair any that it finds. It will repair problems related to bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files, and directory errors.

Why it helps: Keeping the hard drive problem free will save you from experiencing blue screens, lost data, and corrupted files which lead to unexpected problems. It also helps speed up accessing and storing files on the drive.

How to run it: Click the Tools tab then click the Check Now button

The process: After clicking the Check Now button, a start window opens. Check the 2 boxes and click the Start button. Then a warning instructs you to schedule the error check because it access during start up. Click yes to schedule the error check the next time you reboot. Reboot your computer and follow the instructions to complete the process.

3. Defragmenter Utility

What it does: Combines files that have been fragmented and reorganizes how files are stored on the hard drive.

Why it helps: When files are no longer fragmented, the hard drive read head requires less work searching and reading files. This speeds up the hard drive's performance.

How to run it: From the Tools tab, click the Defragment Now button

The process: After clicking the Defragment Now button, the Disk Defragmenter window opens, showing your hard drive. Click the Analyze button to get a logical representation of data stored on your drive and a message whether to start defragmenter or not. Click the Defragment button to start the process. It will take several minutes to complete the process. Once complete, you will see the logical representation of data on your drive again but better organized.

Running these 3 utilities periodically or when you suspect hard drive problems can help you extend the life of your hard drive and keep your computer running smoothly.