Defragment Windows XP.

I am often asked how to run Disk Defragmenter in Windows XP. I'll tell you how but be sure to have a valid backup of your important data before making any changes to your drive. Personally I don't run defrag on my computers.

Left-click on Start --> Run.

Type cmd in the Run box.

At the command prompt type defrag c: -a -v

This will allow you to see if it is necessary to run defrag on the c: drive or not. Substiture c: with whatever drive you wish to check.

Type defrag c: -v at the command prompt to begin defragmentation.

Below is what you will see if you simply type defrag at the command prompt with no drive letter or switches.

Windows Disk Defragmenter
Copyright (c) 2001 Microsoft Corp. and Executive Software International, Inc.
Usage:
defrag <volume> [-a] [-f] [-v] [-?]
volume drive letter or mount point (d: or d:\vol\mountpoint)
-a Analyze only
-f Force defragmentation even if free space is low
-v Verbose output
-? Display this help text