Ever since installing Norton AntiVirus on my Windows 98 computer, I cannot defragment my hard drive, as the Disk Defragmenter program never finishes. What can I do?
A. Defragmenting your computer’s hard drive, sometimes called “optimizing” the hard drive, can help improve your PC’s performance because it internally reorganizes the way files are stored on the hard disk so the operating system can find and use them more quickly. (What looks like a single file on the screen may actually be made up of several “fragments” stored in different locations on the hard drive, and defragmenting the drive puts everything back together in one place.) Other programs that are open, running and writing new data to the hard drive while Disk Defragmenter is working can interfere with its ability to operate, though, and may cause it to run endlessly. Even if you close all your regular programs, such as your Web browser and e-mail program, the antivirus program is still probably running in the background, as it was designed to do to protect your PC from malicious software.
You might try opening the antivirus program’s settings and turning it off manually while you run Disk Defragmenter. Symantec, the company that makes Norton AntiVirus, recommends restarting the computer in Safe Mode before running Disk Defragmenter or ScanDisk, Microsoft’s other built-in Windows utility for hard-drive maintenance.
Safe Mode, a function that allows only essential Windows programs and drivers to run, is helpful for troubleshooting software conflicts and other system problems. One way to get into Safe Mode is to restart the computer and hold down the F8 key until a text menu appears on screen that gives you the option of using Safe Mode.
Safe Mode looks different from the regular Windows desktop, and your monitor resolution may look a bit odd, but you can run Disk Defragmenter and other utility programs. You will need to restart your computer to get out of Safe Mode and back to your normal Windows system.
Utility and maintenance programs typically need some room to operate, and a jam-packed hard drive may be interfering with Disk Defragmenter. Deleting unnecessary files and programs to clear off some hard-drive space could also help the defragmentation process.
Q. How safe are these “free spyware scans” that some websites offer?
A. Although some sites look legitimate, they could be either loading you up with false positives to get you to purchase the product or actually planting spyware if you agree to download a file.
To avoid suspect sites, stick to anti-spyware services from established security software companies, such as the free Spy Audit from Webroot (webroot.com) or the free 15-day trial of the Anti-Spyware program from Trend Micro (trendmicro.com). The Spyware Warrior website (spywarewarrior.com) also lists sites known to do more spyware damage than good.
