The most difficult part of maintaining a hard disk is finding the time to do it. Defragging your disk (which reorders the location of data on the disk so files are stored in continuous, easy-to-read chunks) can tie up your computer for hours. And the same can be said for utilities that scan the disk surface for errors. Fortunately, Windows 98 links four disk tools - Compression Agent (if you have a DriveSpace 3 compressed drive), Disk Defragmenter, ScanDisk, and Disk Cleanup - in a handy scheduling utility called the Maintenance Wizard. Each of these utilities can be launched from the System Tools menu, but the Maintenance Wizard (also found there) lets you schedule them to run while your system is idle. To set them up, start the Maintenance Wizard, click the Change button and OK, and then follow the prompts.

Caption: Let Windows 98 handle your hard disk housekeeping chores after hours

Compression Agent. The Maintenance Wizard lets you specify which compressed drives to optimise. You can also choose to customise the compression methods, but the default settings are usually more than adequate.

Defragmenter. Click the Settings button and put a check mark in the box next to Rearrange program files so my programs start faster. This tool, new in Windows 98, takes traditional defragging one step further by taking advantage of FAT32 drives. It works by rearranging pieces of each frequently used application file into the order in which those pieces are read from the hard disk. This process results in speedier launching.

ScanDisk. This utility is basically unchanged from the one in Windows 95. ScanDisk examines both hard disks and floppies for corrupted files and damaged surfaces. If you regularly run ScanDisk, don't forget to uncheck the box next to Check drive for errors.

Disk Cleanup. New in Windows 98, this utility deletes unnecessary files in order to save space. Click Settings to identify the types of files to be deleted. Temporary Internet files and downloaded program files are in Internet Explorer 4.0 folders of the same names. (Note: If you're using IE 4.0, it may not be worth deleting downloaded programs you use frequently - you'll just download them again.)