shut down properly. In addition, you should run ScanDisk at least weekly to find and re-
pair small errors on the disk before they become major problems. Figure 22-14 shows the
ScanDisk utility running on a Windows 98 system.Disk Defragmenter The Disk Defragmenter utility is used to rearrange your disk files and
combine and organize unused disk space so applications run faster. As you open, mod-
ify, and delete files on the hard disk, files become fragmented. The Defragmenter elimi-
nates the fragmentation so that the data in a file is readily available to programs asking
for it. Figure 22-15 shows the startup screens of the Disk Defragmenter.Delete Unused Files A Windows System Tool applet you can use to remove unnecessary
files from your hard disk is the Disk Cleanu putility. This tool scans the disk you desig-
nate (it works on every disk drive, including diskettes and Zi pdisks) to find files that can
be removed without seriously impacting the operation of the PC and Windows operating
system. Figure 22-16 shows the dialog box of the Disk Cleanup applet.Floppy Disk Drive
There really isn’t much that can go wrong with a floppy disk drive beyond verifying that
the disk is working. Over-cleaning the floppy disk drive can destroy the read/write(^592) PC Hardware: A Beginner’s Guide
Figure 22-14. The Windows ScanDisk applet scans the disk for surface or data errors