Forum FAQ:Disk Topic Part 3 -Useful Tools
Part 3. Useful Tools:
1.
Disk Defragmentation
Fragmentation makes your hard disk do extra work that can slow down your computer. Disk Defragmenter rearranges fragmented data
so your hard disk can work more efficiently. Disk Defragmenter runs on a schedule, but you can also defragment your hard disk manually.
I.
Run disk defragmentation:
Open Disk Defragmenter by clicking
Start button, clicking All Programs , clicking
Accessories , clicking System Tools , and clicking
Disk Defragmenter . If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
II.
Click
Defragment Now .
III.
Schedule disk defragmentation
In Windows 7, Disk Defragmenter runs at regular intervals when your computer is turned on, so you don't have to remember to run
it.
Disk Defragmenter is set to run every week to ensure your disk is defragmented. You don't need to do anything else. However, you
can change how often Disk Defragmenter runs, and at what time of the day.
Here are the steps:
a.
Open
Disk Defragmenter .
b.
Click
Configure schedule....
c.
In the Disk Defragmenter: Modify Schedule dialog box, choose how often, what day, and at what time of the day you want defragmentation to occur, and click
OK .
d.
Click
OK again.
Note: Disk Defragmenter might take from several minutes to a few hours to finish, depending on the size and degree of fragmentation
of your hard disk. You can still use your computer during the defragmentation process.
For more information about Disk Defragmentation on Windows 7, please also refer to:
Improve
performance by defragmenting your hard disk
Disk
Defragmentation – Background and Engineering the Windows 7 Improvements
2.
Disk Cleanup
If you want to reduce the number of unnecessary files on your hard disk to free up disk space and help your computer run faster,
use Disk Cleanup. It removes temporary files, empties the Recycle Bin, and removes a variety of system files and other items that you no longer need.
I.
Run Disk Cleanup:
Open Disk Cleanup by clicking
Start button, clicking All Programs , clicking
Accessories , clicking System Tools , and clicking
Disk Cleanup . (You can also click Start button, type
Disk Cleanup in the Search box, and then click Disk Cleanup in the list of results.)
a.
When
the Disk Cleanup: Drive Selection dialog box appears, select the hard disk drive that you want to clean up, and click
OK .
b.
In the Disk Cleanup tab, select the items you want to delete.
c.
When you finish selecting the files you want to delete, click
OK , and then click Delete files to confirm the operation. Disk Cleanup proceeds to remove all unnecessary files from your computer.
II.
Schedule Disk Cleanup
Scheduling Disk Cleanup to run regularly can save you the trouble of having to remember to run it.
Note: When you schedule Disk Cleanup, it will open and then wait for you to make choices before deleting files from your computer.
a.
Open Task Scheduler by clicking
Start button, clicking Control Panel , clicking
System and Maintenance , clicking Administrative Tools , and then double-clicking
Task Scheduler . (You can also click Start button, type
Task Scheduler in the Search box, and then click Task Scheduler
in the list of results.)
b.
Click the
Action , and then click Create Basic Task .
c.
Type a name for the task and an optional description, and click
Next .
d.
To select a schedule based on the calendar, click Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or One time, and then click
Next .
e.
Specify the schedule you want to use, and click
Next .
f.
Click
Start a program , and click Next .
g.
Click
Browse , type cleanmgr.exe in the File name box, click
Open , and click Next .
h.
Click
Finish .
June 17th, 2010 11:23am
3.
DiskPart
I.
What is DiskPart?
DiskPart is a command-line tool which can help you manage disks, partitions, or volumes on the computer.
II.
How to create a partition with DiskPart?
In this example, suppose you have a new disk added to your computer and you would like to create a 10GB primary NTFS partition
in the new disk.
To do this, please start an elevated command prompt and run the following commands one by one:
a.
Diskpart
b.
list disk
This will show you the disks on the computer currently. You have two disks, so they will be shown as disk 0 and disk
1.
c.
select disk 1
Select the disk you want to create a new partition. In this example, suppose disk 1 is the new disk.
d.
create partition primary size = 10240
Create a 10GB primary partition.
e.
list partition
This will display the partition on the disk you have selected. Since a new partition is created on the new disk, there will be
one partition shown.
f.
select partition 1
g.
format fs=ntfs quick
Format this partition to a NTFS partition with quick format.
After the commands, you will get the new 10GB primary NTFS partition. For more information about the usage of this command, please
also refer to:
DiskPart Command-Line
Options
III.
How to create a Windows 7 USB drive Installation media?
First of all you should have a 4GB (or larger) USB drive. Since the steps will clear all your files and data in this USB drive,
you need to backup them first.
There are two methods:
a.
Use DiskPart
1)
In Windows Vista or Windows 7, open an elevated command prompt and run the following commands one by one:
i.
Diskpart
ii.
list disk
You can identify your USB drive by its size. For example, it is disk 1.
iii.
select disk 1
Select your USB drive.
iv.
clean
Clear this USB drive.
v.
create partition primary
vi.
select partition 1
vii.
active
Mark this partition as an active boot partition. This will enable this USB drive bootable.
viii.
format fs=ntfs quick
2)
After formatting the USB drive, exact the ISO file to this USB drive. If you have a Windows 7 Installation DVD, just copy all the files in the DVD
to the USB drive.
3)
Reboot the computer and set it to boot from USB drive. Then, the computer will boot from this USB drive and you can start your installation with
it.
b.
Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool
Note: You should have a Windows 7 Installation ISO and a USB drive which is not less than 4GG.
1)
Download and install the tool:
Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool
2)
Run the tool, in Step 1 of 4: Choose ISO file, click Browse and select the Windows 7 ISO file and click Next.
3)
In Step 2, click “USB device”.
4)
In Step 3, select the USB device and click “Begin copying”.
Then, Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool starts to create the USB Installation media, this will take several minutes.
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June 17th, 2010 11:23am
even my eyes caught this typo
b.
Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool
Note: You should have a Windows 7 Installation ISO and a USB drive which is not less than 4GG.
4GG should be 4GB? ;)
September 7th, 2010 9:01pm