To Defrag Or Not To Defrag?

Thanks Nev Great question how to answer it as simply as possible, and with out getting into the nitty gritty of how a HDD works, I'll try and take this one question at a time, and with out using links to other articles, as I can't find any simple ones that don't take up five or six pages of text

This is because of how the HDD (Hard Disk Drive) Works, as the information (Binary Code) arrives at the HDD the disk Firmware, for the sake of speed is instructed to put it in the first available space it can find, and does not check to see if the whole file will fit in the available space, but as soon as the available space is full it will find the next available free space, and so increases the write speed of the disk, at the expense of the read speed.

Answered that in the first Answer, Speed, and basically you would need a massive cache of ram on the HDD so it could wait until it had the whole file then decide where it is going to put it

Its not actually needed, the hard drive will continue to work fragmented just that the more fragmented it gets the slower it goes, defragmenting a severely fragmented drive will get you a 15% increase in disk speed

Basically by moving the clusters of data and putting them in order and reassembling the files, in free disk space, a bit like a giant game of solitaire, or are you referring to the defrag program communicating with the HDD

Again Basically while doing a defrag, chkdisk, low level format, you cause the HDD to do an unusually high number of read write operations per second, if there is a fault or failing component the excessive strain of these operations can cause it to fail, also because of the speed and amount the read write arm has to move you increase the chance of it "Bounceing" and coming into contact with the platter, and thus damaging a cluster.

So now I'm going to check my answers and see how well I've done from memory maybe tomorrow as this will involve reading some lengthy articles but revision is always good

 

Match pretty much covered it, he originally asked the question as to why not defrag :lol:
and I believe there are now more 'against' arguments than there are 'for'

And as Match knows I know everything even that Google were releasing an OS way before it happened (I like to bring it up as it does Match's head in )

As mentioned the argument for using a defrag on a system pre Vista is conceivable (BUT from my experience there are no speed benefits whatsoever)

Doug, remember when Mara had issues after using a defrag utility...... that it just one example of utter chaos, Starbuck has listed another. I have seen many in my time (I'm only 27 )

Defrag IMHO needs filing with tuneup utilities (oh wait, that's what it's effectively classed as and we know how good they are :snckr: )

 

The only time I ever got what I believe was a noticeable benefit from defragging was when I added memory to my old XP laptop. The memory increase accounted for the vast amount of the difference but a subsequent defrag seemed to add a bit more.

My windows 7 machine called for a defrag and I did it. The result did not even rise to the level of negligible.

 

I think one time a defrag makes sense, is when you're about to do a Drive Image. I'd want it to be as good a product as I could make.

Of course, removing duplicate files, registry cleanup, etc. would be included in the preparation.

 

If all of this revolves around the use of the Windows Defrag. utility, it makes sense.

I use Perfect Disk. It places the most frequently accessed files on the outside of the platter for quicker access. Then files which are somewhat frequently accessed next. Followed by the least frequently accessed files. Additionally, following the initial Defrag. Subsequent De-fragmentation passes target only
fragmented files. Perfect Disk also Defrag's. offline files too. I also use WinAso Registry optimizer to clean
and Defrag. my registry as needed.

 

I used to use O&O Defrag a long time ago (before I know what I know now )

 

Basically all of this revolves around the ever changing technology advances of computers, Windows to XP, I would have said you need to defrag, but Vista, and Win 7 your not going to gain much, other than finding out how good you Hard Drive is.

But you tell someone running Win 98 you don't gain anything by defragging they will tell you different, tell someone using Win 7 they will probably agree. I would have thought someone would have spotted this with Third Question Nev asked where I said it was possible to get a 15% performance increase by defragging, true for win 98, no chance with windows 7, lucky to get 5%.

So to the Question to Defrag or not the answer really depends on how old your OS is

 

Not necessarily Match, as I said previously I tested this on Server 2003 and there was 0% increase.
saying that server OS's are better designed than any other OS's
I dont think that anyone still uses an OS pre XP and if they do, they shouldnt

 

OK ... since it seems one of the main reasons for not doing a defrag, is the increase in drive usage - how do you feel about Search Indexing? That churns the drive quite a bit!

I guess the weak point in the hard drive isn't the motor bearings, but in the read/write arm - which certainly does whip around a bit!

Besides, there is something satisfying about having a clean looking Defrag Chart.

Then again, there's the nagging feeling you get when you know you haven't done a defrag lately - sort of like the feeling you get when you know the fridge needs a cleaning out. :snckr:

 

I turn indexing off on all my drives, as again I personally saw no performance benefit from it, Compression annoys me too, all that work for not even a GB of space saving

There are people who still swear by doing a complete OS reinstall yearly........I however wait until a new OS comes out I see fit to upgrade to

 

Here are a Few Free Disk Defragmenter's for Windows, I selected these as I have tested all 5 of them and personally i think these are amongst the top 10 of all Defragmenter's out there. I dont believe in Purchasing the Alternatives when these Free Defragmenter's do the job just as well, and lets face it, it's not like you will use any of these every week or every month, NOT RECOMMENED!

On windows 7 the average user would not need to defrag every week or month as windows is designed to tackle thinks like this on a whole as with the registry, it ignores old registries which therefore does not slow your system down in this case.

anyway take a look at these i chose to post here for you to look at and may download;

Windows Defragmenter We all know how good the Windows Disk Defragmenter is and is more than ideal for the average user!

Auslogics Disk Defrag

Auslogics Disk Defrag is a compact and fast defragmenter that supports both FAT 16/32, and NTFS file systems. It is supplied with an advanced optimization engine that will help you to improve system performance and prevent errors caused by file fragmentation.

Defraggler

Use Defraggler to defrag your entire hard drive, or individual files - unique in the industry. This compact and portable Windows application supports NTFS and FAT32 file systems.

MyDefrag

MyDefrag is extremely solid because it is based on the standard defragmentation API by Microsoft, a system library that is included in Windows 2000, 2003, XP, Vista, 2008, and Win7. Most defragmenters are based on this API, including the free defragmenter that comes with Windows and many commercial defragmenters. Basically all MyDefrag does is send "move this file to that location" commands to the API. The API is part of the operating system and can safely move almost any file on the disk, without risk and while the computer is in full use.

Smart Defrag

What’s the primary cause of slow/unstable PC performance? It’s disk fragmentation. Smart Defrag helps defragment your hard drives more efficiently than any other product on the market –– free or not. This powerful, award-winning free defragmenter is 100% safe and clean with no adware, spyware, or viruses.

How Often Should You Run The Defragmenter?

This depends on how you use your computer. The following is a rough guide to defragmentation periods.

Run disk defragmenter only if you notice a performance drop, or once every three months, if you are a user who:

Is online only for a few hours a week.
Have a stable set of programs, and don’t add or remove them often.
Doesn't have a large file library which is modified often.

Run disk defragmenter once every two months if you are a user who;

Is online for around an hour a day.
Occasionally adds or removes programs (meaning once every month or two).
Creates, modifies and deletes files with some programs, but not on a large scale.
Occasionally uses resource-intensive applications like video editors, desktop publishing software, etc.

Run disk defragmenter once a month if you are a user who;

Is online for several hours a day.
Adds and removes programs frequently.
Constantly works with files - creates new files, modifies existing ones, and deletes unneeded ones.
Uses resource-intensive applications like video editing, etc.

You would generally only run a disk defragmenter more often if your computer is a database or web server.

Why do some people say that disk defragmentation is harmful?

The amount of work your hard drive has to do in the defragmentation process is significant and it can shorten the life of your hard drive if you do it more often than necessary.

Also, it is possible for files to become corrupted when they are moved around too often as a result of excessive defragmentation. HOWEVER! Do note the use of the words 'excessive' and 'more often than necessary' here. You also need to consider the fact that if your system is very fragmented, your hard disk will be doing more work than it
needs to anyway, with the read arm moving back and forth to collect pieces of information stored here, there and everywhere.

Please note the above is only a rough guide, but a sure one, So dont go mad with Defragmenter's thinking you should use them on a weekly/monthly basis! Be sensible.

If you dont know to much about Defragmenting your hard drive then it is advised you read the above and taken it in, Below I have posted the link to all information above and more for you to read through.

Please also note the Built In Windows Defragmenter is MORE than capable and is very good at what it does.

Enjoy the software!

The main Source Of Information Here!

 

Bugsy,

Most of your information is sourced from the net and while I don't have an issue with that as some of it is relavent, some of it will confuse some of the basic users.

Under how often to run a defrag you put - 'only if you notice a performance drop'
A performance drop could be an HDD wearing out and running a defrag at that time would 99% of the time kill the drive.

Also you make no note of users that share large amounts of traffic over a network, this is one of the MAIN uses a defrag program is needed, if you try and send a 'fragged' file over a network to another PC - see how long it takes compared to a 'defragged' one.

Please just be careful in what you post - as most of it comes from a source that does not contain your own words and the old saying 'dont believe everything you read'