Likewise for Windows 8, the system drive will be D: (when you boot the computer with Windows 8). On the other hand, if a computer is configured to be a dual-boot machine (computer with two operating systems installed in its hard drive), the corresponding drive on which the currently used operating system is installed becomes the system drive for that OS.įor example, if your computer has Windows 7 and Windows 8 installed on drives C: and D: respectively, the system drive for Windows 7 will be C: (when you boot the computer with Windows 7).

In most scenarios, since the operating system is installed on C: drive, it becomes the system drive of the computer. defrag) your computer (technically a hard disk drive), Windows places all the fragments of all the files in their corresponding contiguous clusters, hence remarkably improving the system performance.Ī system drive in a Windows-based PC is the partition of the hard disk on which the operating system is installed. This reduces the reading speed of the headers of the hard drive, which tends to the reduced performance of the overall computer. Since the files are fragmented before they are saved in the hard disk, due to regular storing and deletion of various data files on the disk, the files are stored in it in scattered form (technically – in non-contiguous clusters). When you start experiencing reduced performance and decreased efficiency while using your Windows 8 laptop, consider it the right time to defragment the hard disk drive, especially the system drive.

How to defrag in windows 8