Fragmentation is a term used in the context of computer storage devices, particularly hard drives. It refers to the condition where files on the drive are not stored in contiguous blocks, but instead are spread out across multiple locations. This can happen when files are created, modified, or deleted over time, causing the free space on the drive to become fragmented. Fragmentation can slow down the performance of a computer as the drive must search for and access the various fragments of each file, rather than accessing them all in one continuous block. Defragmentation is the process of reorganizing the files on a drive to eliminate fragmentation and improve performance.
