CompuClever Blog

Java – The Hacked

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Synopsis: We explore in this article a contentious subject – Java. There are those that are very insistent that the benefits of Java do not outweigh the fact that this very popular technology and widely-used tool is a target for hackers and virus makers and they are exploiting it. However, it is because of the widespread use of Java on devices and web pages that makes it a target for hackers. As a result security flaws have been exploited and patches are created in an attempt to keep up with security. First, this article will describe what Java is and where it is used. Some examples of recent security exploits are provided, and then we will offer some solutions and recommendations.

Java Explained

In simple terms, Java is a programming language that is used to create software programs.  In other words, it’s the underlying technology for business applications, games, PC utility tools, and more.  As of 2012 it has been used for client-to-server web applications by over 10 million users.  One reason for its popularity is that it is a simplified language that was designed to eliminate common programming errors.  It was also designed for programmers to “write once, run anywhere” – that is, the code needs only to be written once to be able to run on computers with different operating platforms.  Technically more than a programming language, Java is also a platform for developing applications.  This means that programmers do not have to be concerned if the application is running on a Mac, PC, or Linux.  If the Java components, also known as runtime environment, are available, it will run as expected.

Quick Java Facts 

  • The Java website estimates that it runs on more than 850 million PCs across the globe and billions of devices such as mobile and TV devices.
  • Java is unrelated to JavaScript, though either can be used to enable the functioning of web pages.
  • Sun Microsystems first developed Java with five primary goals in mind:
    1. Simple, object-oriented and familiar.
    2. Robust and secure.
    3. Architecture-neutral and portable.
    4. High performance.
    5. Interpreted, threaded, and dynamic.

In short… it was designed to be flexible and powerful while still being secure. Also it was to be portable across multiple architectures, operating systems, and graphical user interfaces. You can see it on computers, laptops, gaming devices, cell phones, and on websites. As the Java website states: “Java is everywhere”.

To Have or Have Not

There are many Java skeptics who are trying to cut back on their Java intake… or eliminate it altogether.  The reason for this is that, like any programming language, Java can be exploited by those wanting to take advantage of security loopholes.  We will discuss the issue of security here.  But first we will point out what to expect if you remove Java altogether.

Without Java: If you turn off Java (remove it from your PC world), and you come across websites that have Java apps embedded within, you will see a blank space where the program applet would be displayed.    Also… as pointed out by its website, without Java applications and websites that depend on it will not work.  Despite this, some experts are now saying the use and dependency on Java is declining somewhat.  There are alternatives to Java such as HTML5.  There are also some that declare Java to be unsafe and a security threat.  It certainly has had its share of bugs.

Security Risk: Here is a quick peek at some of the recent issues that have hit Java.

  • January 2013:  Oracle has issued an emergency fix for its Java software, which security experts said is being exploited to carry out identity theft and other crimes — but flaws remain which can still be exploited, researchers say.  The fix… is intended to block an exploit in Java from running in web browsers…  When used on websites, Java is typically used to run small apps that are loaded from inside the browser, but are downloaded to the user’s machine. There they are meant to run inside a “sandbox”, which strictly limits their ability to read or write data to the PC.  But the exploit shows that that has failed. Hackers have figured out how to exploit Java to install malicious software enabling them to commit crimes ranging from identity theft to making an infected computer part of an ad-hoc network of computers that can be used to attack websites.

While we can be assured that Oracle is working on fixes to security holes that hackers exploit, we do want to point out that there is a time lag in addressing the issues.  In August 2012, Oracle did release a patch a month ahead of their scheduled patch.  However, this happened after the Polish security alerted and received confirmation of 31 flaws.  Only two were addressed prior to the patch.

Response time by Oracle improves when major players take major steps.  In February 2013, Oracle only took one day to release a new version to address security vulnerabilities after Apple decided to block the latest update for Java 7.  The “…Java Runtime Environment was being exploited by nefarious websites, and was so serious that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned users to disable the web plugin.  In response, Apple disabled Java 7 through the OS X anti-malware system…” Mozilla Firefox has enabled what is referred to as a “Click and Play” tool so that the user gets an opportunity to accept playing the Java plugin or to leave it disabled on the web page.

What to Do

These reports are not encouraging.  What we know to be commonplace in the computing world is that the more something is popular and used, the more it is a target for cybercrime.  Such is the case with Windows being the target for viruses and Apple users thinking they were immune.  So too is this true with Java.  Logic dictates that having a replacement for Java may not be more secure, simply less targeted.

Many users rely on Java without even knowing it.  One example would be playing a game such as ones offered with the Pogo site.  These games require Java in order to be played.  In January 2013, many Pogo Java games were asking the user for permission to run before they load.   This was due to security measures implemented in the latest version of Java (version 7 update 11).

The challenge is to decide the best approach in terms of safety and functionality.  There are two fundamental solutions.  You can go without Java – disable it.  Or you can forgo the risk, use Java and attempt to take all the required precautions.  In this case, it means having recent and up-to-date Java upgrades with all the necessary security patches. There is one other approach that we will introduce here… use more than one browser.

Disable It: If you decide to go this route you need to first ask what will the result be and do I have an alternative in mind even if that alternative is to go without some functionality?  As pointed out, Java is required for many applications and websites.  For direction on disabling for your web browser, please refer to our article: Fix or Disable Java.

Use Java – Updates: As can be seen with the security risk examples included in this article, Java security exploits can and do occur.  But if you are of the mind that other replacements for Java are just as likely to be the target of exploitation… then you may be deciding to stay the course.  No need throwing caution to the wind.  We recommend taking some precautions including having the most recent update and Java version.  For our PC TuneUp Maestro users, the steps to updating Java is simple and easy.  For more information refer to the following article: Fix or Disable Java.

More Than One Browser Type: For this option we recommend that you use more than one browser and have Java disabled in the web browser you use most often.  This is a very safe method of surfing.  You may already be using IE for example… so download and install Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.  Next, disable Java in one of your browsers (you may find that disabling Java in Internet Explorer is too much of a challenge and want to use another web browser to do your day-to-day Internet activities).  You can use this Java-disabled browser for “safe” surfing.  When you come across something that requires Java and you really want to interact or view it, and you feel that the source is safe, you can open Internet Explorer as your alternative.

With or without Java, or sometimes using Java, the choice is yours to make. 

Surf Faster with Internet Explorer

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When surfing the net we rely on our browser. In this article we focus on how to address Internet Explorer performance issues. This is a frustrating experience common to many computer users. We will look at potential causes and attempt to rule out anything that may be less likely but needs to be examined. We then focus on what is a common experience for those that have run IE for some time and have collected a few “add-ons” during their surfing adventures.

Getting to the Source

There are several potential causes for a slow browsing experience.  The plan is to identify the symptoms and then to systematically go through potential causes.  We will attempt to rule out the ones less likely to be crippling your IE browser experience but are potential culprits all the same.

What are the symptoms?  It could be you have been facing a number of IE browser symptoms that indicate poor Internet browsing health.  These could range from: slow startup, slow downloading of pages, crashes, and more.  We can go through these one at a time.

Internet speed:  A slow connection to the Internet means slow browsing speeds.  But is it the Internet connection or the result of the browser?  One way to check is to test out your performance of your email application or compare how quickly you can download items (pictures and other files) to how quickly a web page downloads to your browser.  If everything else seems to be in order you need to examine the health of your IE browser.

Crashes and unexpected behaviours:  This includes situations when the browser crashes on its own and automatically performs a restart, or it freezes and becomes unresponsive, or it begins to display new browsing windows or redirect you to websites.  With the unexpected behaviours listed here, you need to examine your PC for malware and viruses.  In cases of crashes and application freezes, you may be experiencing security settings issues or add-ons that are not working properly (read on for more information on these).

Startup speed:  If your IE browser is slow to startup this can be due to a number of factors including browser settings needing to be reset, browser add-on issues, or because you need to upgrade to the latest IE browser.

One way of telling if certain browser add-ons are piling up is to examine your browser toolbar.  Are you seeing a lot of new toolbars with lots of shortcut buttons?  It’s time to examine browser add-ons and determine if you need them or if they are simply slowing things down.

Internet Explorer cluttered with excessive toolbars / add-ons

Browser Add-ons

As we are about to demonstrate, add-ons are intended to improve the browsing experience but, in some cases, they can impair functionality or result in annoyances such as unwanted pop-ups.  We can begin by answering some of the most common questions about add-ons: what are they, where do they come from, and are they legitimate?  Then we can move on to how to identify your IE add-ons.

What are they? Add-ons are intended to “add” features and functionality to your browser.  The ones we can focus on are: toolbars, extensions, search providers, and accelerators.  Examples of the functionality they offer include adding extra toolbars with website shortcuts, animated items, pop-up ad blockers, search fields, and more.  Add-ons are also known as ActiveX controls and browser help objects.

Where do they come from? Add-ons typically come from Internet downloads and in most cases require permission in order to be installed to your PC.  However, there are cases where they can be installed without your permission or you had inadvertently installed them while installing some other software.  In the latter situation, some software vendors attempt to hide these additional items that are installed and they do not make a point of presenting the resulting effects.  There are also add-ons that are pre-approved by Microsoft and have been originally installed on your PC.

Are they legitimate? In most cases add-ons that are on your PC are legitimate and authorized by accredited software manufactures.  However, in some cases it is possible to come across malicious browser add-ons.  In these cases, they can exploit security loopholes in IE or they can re-direct you when you type in a URL so that you instead end up at a malicious website that attempts to trick you for some financial gain or theft of identity (credit card information for example).  You can verify the manufacture of an add-on by viewing the information related to the add-on such as its manufacturer.

To view Add-Ons: You can very simply open up the Manage Add-ons dialog (as shown below) to view a list of the IE Add-ons on your PC.  Opening this dialog depends on the version of IE you are running.  If you have a menu bar as with IE version 8, you can click the “Tools” menu and select “Manage Add-Ons.”  If you are running version 9 you need to click the “gear” icon located near the top right of the browser and select Manage Add-Ons.  (You can also try using the Alt + X shortcut key combination.)  The dialog appears as seen here:

Manage Internet Explorer Add-ons

There are a number of useful items here.

  • We recommend clicking the down arrow under the “Show:” section in the left panel and choosing “All add-ons”.
  • You can also select any of the Add-on Types that are listed.
  • Select any of the add-ons in the top right panel and make sure they are from a legitimate source.
  • Click the “Learn more about toolbars and extensions” at the bottom left to bring up the help menu.

What can I do with unnecessary Add-ons?

For users who find it a challenge to properly authenticate each and every browser add-on and to determine the browser settings, there is a quick and effective solution.  PC TuneUp Maestro is equipped with the IE Repair tool.  This tool includes several very useful IE error fixes.  We recommend starting with the following two items:

  1. Launch Internet Explorer without Add-ons, and
  2. Reset Internet Explorer.

    PC TuneUp Maestro provides a set of tools to fix IE problems

When launching IE without add-ons, you get a preview of what IE will look like without any of the additional add-ons that have accumulated.  This is your chance to test the waters and see if you are missing anything when surfing the web.  This removes add-ons, Browser Helper Objects, and ActiveX controls (such as Adobe Acrobat) and toolbars (such as Google, Bing, and many more).  In some cases, certain web pages may not display correctly as a result.  If you prefer the add-ons as they were you can revert to the previous state or just close IE and it will be restored when it is next launched.  If you are alright with the changes you can then use the Reset Internet Explorer tool.  This will put it to its original factory installed state.

Summary

Suffering from what has become slow performance is not only a frustration but it in consideration of today’s technologies, it feels completely unnecessary.  One of the most common reasons for slow speeds with Internet Explorer is browser add-ons.  These can be collected along the way without even being completely aware as to how you picked them up.  We hope the solutions offered in this article have provided useful tips on how to deal with unwanted add-ons.  For more instructional details, check out our blog article: How to Reset IE.

How to Reset Internet Explorer

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Over time and frequent use, Internet Explorer can accumulate extra “add-ons” and can experience changes that result in slow performance.   There are instances where settings are adjusted by add-ons, browser extensions, and toolbars without your knowledge or approval.  What most users experience when installing items to their computer are software additions that are part of the package.  In other words, you begin installing some item and it includes browser add-ons that are intended to give you quick access to websites (via shortcuts) or additional functionality such as search fields.

Slow Performance:  The result of unwanted add-ons can be slower times when opening IE, slow browsing speed (it takes longer to view the pages you browse to), and unexpected behaviours such as crashes and program freezes.  Even worse, there are those additional items that can be malicious.  They function in such a way as to include links to sites that threaten the security of your online banking / financial information, they can lower your security settings making you vulnerable to further malicious attacks, or they can also result in annoying pop-ups that you can’t stop from appearing.  A good indication that you need to reset your IE to its original “factory-installed” state.

From the Start:  With PC TuneUp Maestro you can easily use two IE Repair tools to address these issues.

Step 1:  First you need to open the program and click “Fix & Clean” in the left panel.  The window will appear as seen here:

PC TuneUp Maestro - Internet Explorer Repair

Step2:  Click the Internet Explorer Repair tool.
Step 3:  We are going to now revert IE so that it runs a temporary Internet Explorer session without any add-ons, toolbars, ActiveX controls, or Browser Help Objects.  By doing so you can preview how IE performs with the new changes.
Click the Launch button as seen below:

Note: This is a temporary change.  You can now go online and see if your IE browser is more responsive and can view all available content on the targeted sites.  If you re-launch IE, the browser will load as it was with all add-ons.

Step 4:  If after the previous step you want to make a permanent change, we recommend clicking the “Reset” button in the following IE Repair tool:

The Results:  Your IE browser will be returned to the state it was when it was first installed with one important distinction – the add-ons are not deleted.  The makers of PC TuneUp Maestro recognize that add-ons can be useful when installed by a trustworthy software manufacturer.  The add-ons are not in fact deleted from your PC but have been disabled and are prevented from automatically being loaded when you start IE.  In this way, when an add-on is required, IE will explicitly request permission to load the add-on.  This is an opportunity for you to approve only those add-ons that are legitimate and necessary for your computing needs.

Microsoft
One of the first fixes that Microsoft recommends is to upgrade to a new version of IE. If you are using Windows 7 or Windows Vista Microsoft recommends Internet Explorer 9 . If you are using Windows XP, then you should be running Internet Explorer 8. 

There are several online resources available including:
• Internet Explorer Community—Microsoft Answers forums
• Internet Explorer Solution Center
• Internet Explorer Help & How-to

Best Practice

The most important best practices we recommend is to closely monitor what you install. During any installation, read carefully what you are installing, choose to custom install where possible and remove any additional items from third-party vendors. Keep in mind that many free software programs make money by including these additional installations. We hope this article has been helpful and that you are well on the way to a more productive online experience.

Hard Disk Drive Basics

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An effective disk defragmenter is a vital utility for all PC users who take an active role in improving system performance. We have created two informational articles to cover this important topic thoroughly but in terminology that all computer users can understand. This article examines Hard Disk Drives and how they become fragmented. The follow up article will detail how fragmentation can impact system performance and how defragmentation and best practices can restore PC performance.

The Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is the main storage device for your PC; it is the mechanism that writes and reads data on the hard disk.  The HDD components consist of one or more drive platters sealed within a casing.  These drives connect to the motherboard of the computer through the use of internal data transfer and power cables.

The components within the drive include:

  • Head Actuator: controls the actuator arm.
  • Read/Write Actuator Arm: is similar to the arm of a record player; as the platter is spinning the arm locates and accesses the data needed so it can be read, written (edited), and deleted.
  • Read/Write Head: this is the device at the end of the actuator arm and is used to write or read the data on the platter.
  • Spindle: holds the platter in place.
  • Platter: one or more disks (aluminum, glass, or ceramic) that stores the data.  These are coated with a magnetic media and platters rotate at various rotations per minute based on the model of the Hard Disk Drive.

Another critical component is the Disk Controller which contains the necessary instructions for the drive.

Here’s How It Works: Data is transferred to and from the HDD and interpreted by the Disk Controller which acts like the conductor as it instructs the hard drive in terms of what to do and how the internal components needs to function.  When you instruct your PC to read or write data, the operating system examines the hard drives’ File Allocation Table (FAT) to examine the available space and location.  Once the space is identified, the Disk Controller gives instruction to the Read/Write Actuator Arm and to align the Read/Write Head.  Files are often spread out in different areas and the Read/Write Head needs to travel to each location to access the required data.

In this process, the data is stored magnetically like how a cassette tape works.  In fact, both use the same recording techniques.  The magnetic medium can be erased and re-written easily.  If your PC needs data it would read the magnetic polarities on the platter.  One side is a “0” and the other a “1” – this is referred to as binary data.  Unlike cassette tapes, the Read/Write Head never touches the disk and consumer PC platters typically spin at 7,200 rpm; a speed of up to 3,000 inches per second.  Also, much more information can be read to a disk in much smaller space than cassettes.  Both speed and precision account for the ability to record so much data in such small magnetic domains.

The Platter:  The data that is written onto the platter is stored in tracks and sectors.  A track is a concentric circle on the platter and a sector is a wedge, a pie-shaped section on the platter.  Where these two shapes intersect is a single section on a single track which is known as a “track sector”.  File systems, which work to organize these massive amounts of data, will organize groups of sectors into clusters.  These terms are useful to familiarize yourself with when looking at the process of fragmentation.

Fragmentation

Disk fragmentation is a condition which occurs when files are stored in scattered sections throughout the disk.  This occurs as a result of frequently creating, deleting, and modifying files.  The operating system uses what free space is available including those areas of the disk that become available when items are moved or deleted.  When files do not fit exactly they are broken into pieces; into non-contiguous clusters.  Working with large files and numerous files can exacerbate this condition.  One of the negative results of this is performance degradation.

How it happens:  Storing new data, deleting data, and making modifications to files are all normal day-to-day occurrences with PC use.  Disk fragmentation occurs over time as a result of these activities.  Here is an example.  You download a Word document from email.  It is stored in available free space on your disk.  Each time you make a change to the file and save the changes, the data is stored in a location different from the original.  Further revisions to the file are again stored in different locations.  Not only is the disk fragmented over time, so are the files that are modified in this way.  The PC has to search for these fragments in different places and as a result the computer performance is slower than what it could be if the files were stored in a sequential fashion.

In other cases one file may be written to the disk in numerous places of the disk as a result of the size of the file or the available space on the disk.  Also, groups of files that are needed to be read sequentially (audio/visual gaming media, resource files for an application, and more) are often stored in a non-contiguous or fragmented order. Over time even files that are stored in a contiguous fashion may become fragmented as some files are deleted or updates are made.  In these cases files that are unrelated are filled into the gaps that are created.  Many of the modern systems on the market today suffer less from fragmentation due to the size of the disk with respect to capacity.  If there is considerable free space available, fragmentation is less likely to be as severe.

Summary

Fragmentation occurs with regular PC use.  While some activities such as installing / uninstalling large applications and media files can result in more rapid fragmentation, gradual fragmentation can occur from online surfing and the use of office applications.

To learn how a performance degrades when a PC experiences fragmentation and be proactive with regular defragmentation that suites your computing day-to-day use, read the following articles:

 

Defragmentation and Optimization

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An effective disk defragmenter is a vital utility for all PC users who take an active role in improving system performance. The previous article on this topic examined how Hard Disk Drives become fragmented. With this general knowledge we can now describe how fragmentation can impact system performance and how defragmentation and best practices can restore PC performance.

Hard Disk Drive (HDD) performance is measured in the following manners:

  • Seek time:  This is the time from when the processor (CPU) makes its request to when the data is first delivered.  Common seek time rates fall between 10 to 20 milliseconds.
  • Data rate:  This is the rate at which data can be delivered to the CPU.  Data rate times typically range from 5 to 40 MB per second.

The size (capacity) of the drive and the amount of free space is another key factor with respect to HDD performance.

The performance of the HDD can be a bottleneck for your PC even if you have plenty of RAM and are using a very high-end processor (CPU).  This is especially true and perhaps noticeable when you have to open and use data files that are very large such as movies, database files, .ISO files, and other media files that can be gigabytes in size and stored in numerous areas on the platter.  With continued use of you PC this degradation of performance can be more apparent compared to when a PC is new or freshly formatted.

The reason:  From the information presented in the previous article (Hard disk drive basics) we can visualize how much more the Read/Write Actuator Arm has to physically move from track to track on the platter.  To locate each sector the arm has to move to the specific track and wait for the disk to spin to the correct position.  In terms of PC speed, this physical movement is vastly slower than processing and memory access speeds.   It is easy to imagine that if a large file is stored in hundreds or thousands of locations, the time to complete a task is increased exponentially.  The result is slower access of data due to increased seek time and data rates.  Another term that characterizes this condition is rotational latency of the Read/Write Head.  Minimizing this physical action is the goal of defragmentation and performance optimization.

What you experience:  The effects of HDD fragmentation include a slowdown in overall PC speed and responsiveness of basic functions.  This means that files take longer to open, scans take longer to perform, and applications can take longer to perform their operations.  Some generalized degradation occurs for all user and system activities.  PC experimentation and testing proves this to be the case:

“In my lab, I was able to demonstrate that fragmentation has a moderate to very severe impact on common desktop activities such as word processing, email, Web browsing, anti-virus scans and anti-spyware scans. In some cases, the performance impact resulted in activities taking almost 15 times longer than the same activities on non-fragmented drives”.

When you continue to perform operations on a fragmented drive the condition worsens.  For example, if you install new software or install a service pack, the newly installed data will be placed throughout the drive.  When the newly installed software is called upon, performance is poor as data is retrieved from multiple areas of the HDD.

Disk Defrag – Optimization

The process of defragmentation involves the reduction of fragmentation by physically re-arranging the scattered data fragments into areas that are more contiguous.  That is to say, the data is more sequential and more easily accessed by the HDD.  In this process larger sections of available free space are created.  In doing so seek time is reduced as data rates are enhanced.

How it works: Good defragmenters use sophisticated technology including algorithmic processing to use available free space to best re-arrange scattered data.  In effect, it is re-arranging broken files back together using what free space is available.  To do this it re-writes the data in a consecutive sequence.  In order for it to be successful some amount of free space is required.  As we will point out, free space is a key concern for defragmenters.

Benefits: There are realized benefits to be gained from regular defragmentation of the HDD.

  • Free space is now organized rather than scatted throughout the drive. This means that files that are installed can be installed in a non-fragmented manner.  This includes groupings of files as mentioned previously with multimedia files, resource files, and the like.
  • Defragmentation of you PC results in faster PC performance. There is a reduction in time it takes to load programs, open files, and perform routine operations (including program scans).

Concerns: There are a number of concerns that are important to be aware of.

  • Free Space: You need the minimum amount of free space in order for defragmentation to work successfully.  See the next section for more information.
  • Frequency:  Excessive defragmentation can result in damage to your HDD; you can shorten the lifespan of the hard drive.
  • Duration:  It takes time to run a defragmenter and during this time regular PC operations need to be put on hold.
  • Difficult of use:   Some PC users worry that running a defragmenter is difficult and requires expertise.
  • Other rare concerns:  Some defragmenters can delete System Restore points.  The defrag process can cause the Microsoft Shadow Copy service to delete some of the oldest Restore Points.  In rare cases, files can be damaged as a result of defragmentation.

Best Practices

There are a number of best practices to consider especially in light of the concerns that are listed in the previous section.  For the purpose of this article we will keep the coverage of these items relevant to the points addressed.  Other best practices (such as removal of unwanted “junk” files will be covered in more detail in our blog article: “How to defrag your hard drives“.

  • Free Space:  For most all defragmenters such as the Windows Defrag tool, a minimum of 15% free space is required.  CompuClever’s PC TuneUp Maestro requires less free space; a minimum of 3% is required.  However, as free space is made more available, defragmentation can be faster and more efficient.  We recommend removal of unwanted files followed by running the Disk Defrag tool.  This needs to occur proactively rather than experiencing the condition of having very little free space available.  Poor system performance is most greatly experienced in such cases where there is very little free space.
  • Frequency:  How often you defragment your PC depends on your computing usage and the rate of fragmentation that occurs.  For example, if you use larger multi-media files, editing and deleting large data files, or use resource-laden applications, or if you install and uninstall a lot of applications, then you will need to defragment more often.  Having a defragmenter identify the level of HDD fragmentation is very useful in determining the need for defragmentation.
  • Duration:  It is best to leave the PC alone during the defrag process.  Not only will you experience poor system performance during this time (as the HDD is engaged in reorganizing data), but the act of changing files from the operations you make could be challenging for the defragmenter as it has to deal with unexpected file and data revisions.  It is best to shut down all running programs and run the Defrag tool in a “down time” such as late evening or at night.  Having a Defrag scheduler is very handy in these cases.
  • Expertise:  We recommend using PC TuneUp Maestro Disk Defrag tool.  It includes easy-to-follow steps, offers a clear visual representation of the fragmented space, and provides clear direction with respect to when and how to use it.  You can become an expert in how to defragment your HDD and benefit from dramatic performance improvements and ongoing PC good health.

Summary

Fragmentation occurs with regular PC use.  When a PC becomes fragmented the performance degrades.  You can begin to notice slower response times in many of the regular operations such as opening programs, saving changes to a file, and even shutdown times can be affected as your PC reads each piece of data before it shuts down.

Regular defragmentation can result in numerous benefits including the optimization of performance and overall health of your PC.  In some cases, for those operating high-volume business enterprises, it can even prolong the need for hardware upgrades.  Being proactive with regular defragmentation that suits your computing day-to-day use constitutes best PC practices.