Defragmenting Windows Server 2003 with the Computer Management Console GUI
Occasionally file system fragmentation can cause the system administrator tons of frustration. Slow running systems, non functioning applications or processes, and a host of other issues.
Windows Server 2003 includes the Windows Disk Defragmenter to help combat these fragmentation problems. The GUI version of this utility is included in the Computer Management Console and will be the focus of this tip.
Previous mention: In a tip at TechRepublic, I looked at the disk defragmenter as a scheduled task. http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/datacenter/?p=169
Note: Before beginning with the Disk Defragmentation utility, make sure to disable the screen saver on the Windows Server 2003 system. A running screensaver can cause the Windows Defrag utility to stop when the screensaver activates and restart when it turns off.
What is defragmentation?
When Windows computers are used the day to day use of files on the system can cause files to be spread out across disks, known as fragmentation. Stated simply, this is the noncontiguous placement of files on a disk. Using the Defragmentation utility Windows can reorganize files to put like files together on disk and free space near the end.
This will reduce disk movement and overall wear and tear on the hard disk.
Other Utilities
I will take this opportunity to mention that there are commercially available utilities that will also defragment your system(s). These can be helpful in constantly preventing defragmentation, or providing central administration for the process, which is not available with the utility shipped with Windows. In most cases, a commercial utility is not necessary to accomplish the task of defragmentation.
So where do I start?
To get started with the Windows Disk Defragmenter, open the Computer Management Console on your Windows Server 2003 system by right clicking My Computer on the Start Menu and selecting Manage from the context menu.
Within this console, you can select Disk Defragmenter from the left pane. This will load the snap-in into the console’s right pane.
From there you can select the disk to defragment, provided the Windows Server 2003 you are working on has multiple disks.
To defragment your system, complete the following steps:
1. Highlight the drive letter you wish to defragment
2. Click the Defragment button to begin analysis and defragmentation of the selected drive
Note: When you select Defragment, Windows will first analyze the drive to see if it needs to run a defragmentation, and then proceed with defragmenting the drive. If you select the Analyze button, Windows will check for the need to defragment the drive and display its findings.
How do I know if defragging is needed?
The best way to know if your system needs to defrag is to run an analysis of your computer and let Windows tell you one is needed. More practically, you might notice things are very slow, read/write becomes slow all the time, and some applications will be painfully slow or fail to open at all.
It is unlikely that fragmentation will pop up frequently, but proactive measures can certainly keep things moving in the right direction. It is a good idea to include fragmentation analysis in your monthly routine, that way you are likely to catch the problem before it becomes serious.
