Over the course of your computer usage, data accumulates and sometimes it is spread out over different parts of your hard disk. Consequently your computer has to search for different places on the disk to access data. This is called disk fragmentation and considerably slows down your computer’s overall performance.
On regular hard disks, regular disk defragmentation is highly advised. This process rearranges data and makes it easier for the computer to find what it is looking for. Windows Vista and 7 have built-in defragmentation features but for somebody new to the process, Smart Defrag is the best tool.