8 Maintaining your computer

It is important to perform regular maintenance to keep your computer in optimal condition. This chapter provides information about improving the performance of your computer by running tools such as Disk Defragmenter and Disk Cleanup. It also provides information about updating your programs and drivers, instructions for cleaning your computer, and tips for traveling with your computer.

Improving performance

Everyone wants a fast computer and by performing regular maintenance tasks, using tools such as Disk Defragmenter and Disk Cleanup, you can drastically improve the performance of your computer. Also, as your computer gets older, you might consider installing larger drives and adding more memory.

Using HP 3D DriveGuard (select models only)

HP 3D DriveGuard protects a hard drive by parking the drive and halting data requests under either of the following conditions:

●You drop the computer.

●You move the computer with the display closed while the computer is running on battery power.

A short time after the end of one of these events, HP 3D DriveGuard returns the hard drive to normal operation.

NOTE: Hard drives in the primary hard drive bay or in the secondary hard drive bay are protected by HP 3D DriveGuard. Hard drives connected to USB ports are not covered by HP 3D DriveGuard.

For more information, see the HP 3D DriveGuard software Help.

Using Disk Defragmenter

As you use your computer over time, the files on the hard drive become fragmented. A fragmented drive means data on your drive is not contiguous (sequential) and, because of this, the hard drive works harder to locate files, thus slowing down the computer. Disk Defragmenter consolidates (or physically reorganizes) the fragmented files and folders on the hard drive so that the system can run more efficiently.

NOTE: It is not necessary to run Disk Defragmenter on solid-state drives.

After you start Disk Defragmenter, it works without supervision. However, depending on the size of your hard drive and the number of fragmented files, Disk Defragmenter may take more than an hour to complete.

54 Chapter 8 Maintaining your computer