CHAPTER 5: Maintaining Your Computer

3Click Defragment now. This process may take hours to complete, depending on the size of the drive being defragmented.

Help

For more information about defragmenting the hard drive, click

Start, then click Help and Support. Type defragmenting in the

Search Help box, then press ENTER.

Backing up files

Backing up files and removing them from the hard drive frees space for new files on the hard drive. It also protects you from losing important information if the hard drive fails or you accidentally delete files.

You should back up your files regularly to a writable optical disc (if you have a recordable drive). Use a backup device, such as a recordable disc drive, to do a complete hard drive backup. If you do not have a high-capacity backup device and you want to purchase one, you can visit the Accessories Store at www.gateway.com.

To back up files:

1Click (Start) then click Computer. The Computer window opens.

2Right-click the drive that you want to back up, click Properties, then click the Tools tab.

3 Click Backup Now, then click Run a file backup now.

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