For most companies operating today the possibility that their computer network system may crash is almost too devastating to comprehend. The very thought of losing valuable information or the prospect of their business suffering serious financial losses is often too overwhelming so the idea that such a scenario could be prevented somehow becomes just as unthinkable.
The reality is that most computer crashes occur from simple neglect, something that could have easily been averted had more proactive measures been taken. When a company takes into consideration their almost absolute reliance on their computer network system there really is no excuse for not safeguarding their computers from such a disaster.
A common misconception is that installing anti-virus software will protect a network from any potential trouble. While that software may keep dangerous programs from being imported onto the hard drive it won’t protect the hard drive from an even more crippling problem, fragmentation. Unlike a virus fragmentation is a computer disease that is born on the hard drive and if left unresolved will cause the system to crash.
That crash will occur due to the manner in which fragmentation attacks a hard drive. That attack comes in the form of a complete slowdown in computer operability, causing lengthy delays in basic tasks such like booting up a system and loading applications and files as well as Internet browsing and accessibility of email functions.
Over time that slowdown becomes progressively worse until it reaches a point where it can no longer carry out those requests and completely shuts down.
At the heart of the problem is the way in which a hard drive is designed to handle and store saved files. When a file is saved the hard drive stores that information directly behind the last file saved by the user. This contiguous method leaves no room for modifications to a saved file and what results when those files are changed is fragmentation.
Taking an existing file and making those changes seems innocent enough but when you resave that file the information can no longer fit in the same space that the original file filled. The hard drive is forced to cut the excess and store it in the next available space, now you have a fragmented file. Because modifying a file is common practice the likelihood that a file could be fragmented into thousands of pieces becomes highly probable.
It is this fragmentation that causes those delays when you try to complete those tasks mentioned earlier. This is because the hard drive can no longer just grab the file and display it on the screen, rather it is forced to search for all the parts of that file that have been scattered before it can produce the entire file. Not only does this cause a delay it also becomes very taxing on the hard drive and will eventually burn it out.
Companies should be very aware of fragmentation due in large part to the fact they often make modifications and changes to existing files. Add that to the fact a computer saves and stores thousands of files on a daily basis and the hard drive on a computer network system becomes a breeding ground for fragmentation.
Fortunately the answer to combating fragmentation is not only easy but lasting as well. By installing defragmentation software on the hard drive a company can effectively protect itself from the potentially devastating problems associated with fragmentation. Once this defragmentation software is installed the network’s hard drive will be scanned and any file that has been fragmented will be repaired.
The reunited files become much easier for your hard drive to find and as a result the speed of the network is restored and lost time becomes a thing of the past. For companies that understand the importance of protecting their computer network system and know the value of a hard drive running at its optimal speed then the installation of Defrag should really just be a given.
