COASTWEEK - - How many of you have seen this message?

Windows was not shut down Properly, Please wait while ScanDisk checks for errors on your hard drive.

This normally happens when your machine hangs (stops working), or the power goes off or something else which causes the computer to shut down improperly.

Scandisk is a utility that will check the PC's hard drive for errors and lost information when you restart the computer.

It will then attempt to repair those files.

Apart from this it can also be manually started to run a scan on the various drives to check for any errors or damaged areas of the hard disk, which can slow down the performance of the computer.

(Recommended) every 2-3 months. If you're running a Microsoft Windows OS (Operating System), here's how to scan your disk drive.

Click the Start button > Click the Programs folder > Click the Accessories folder > Go to the System Tools > Click on ScanDisk > Under the type of test choose "Thorough" ( this will make sure that the scan will also fix any errors or damaged areas of the hard disk check the "automatically fix errors" button ) >Click Start to begin

Sometimes you notice that your computer seem to be getting slower and slower, and does not perform as fast as it used to be when you brought it new.

It may be time to defrag your hard drive to improve your computer's performance.

Here's how:

By decrementing the hard drive, the utility rearranges files so that all the clusters (all information is stored in a group of cells called clusters on the hard drive) associated with that file are placed next to each other.

The next time the file is loaded, all the data clusters are conti-guous or close to each other and the drive doesn't have to jump around the disk to read the various clusters.

This should help speed up the computer's processing.

I recommend that you defrag your computer at least every two to three months.

Again if you are running Microsoft Windows OS (Ope-rating System), here's how to defrag your drive.

Click the Start button > Click the Programs folder > Click the Accessories folder > Go to the System Tools > Click on Disk Defragmenter.

Choose the hard drive you want to defragment and follow the on-screen instructions.

To see how the defragmen-tation is taking place click on "show details" this will actually show you what is taking place.

Remember be sure not to have any other programs running, especially the screen saver.

Next week we shall talk about word-processing programs and how to use them effectively.

• VIPUL PATEL is Sales and Marketing Executive with AfricaOnline Mombasa.