iPhone 3GS from AT&T. Free Shipping
Windows XP: Defrag Or Not !!
Defrag Or Not !!
by jcentron - 5/1/06 3:16 PMI have just done a format and reinstallation of Windows XP SP2, and every thing is great, just like new , I have re installed my handfull of programs that i really like, I want to keep It like NEW, I hear a lot of people say that you need to defragment your hard drive, Why is this needed ? and how often should it be done ? Is this just for older machines that are filling up fast ? or old and new alike , I would be gratefull of any feedback thanks Christine
It's not
by crash314 - 5/1/06 4:10 PM In reply to: Defrag Or Not !! by jcentronIt's not really necessary to do anymore, but it makes some people feel better. The performance bottleneck on most systems is the HDD, but modern HDDs are already about as fast as they can be made, so we're stuck waiting for solid state storage to come of age.
On much older drives, like from the Pentium days and before (pre-EIDE), you might get some benefit out of defragmenting. Also on low RPM drives like are commonly found in laptops, there might be some small benefit to battery life that would make it worthwhile. On desktops though, it's really just a time wasting activity.
You'll get a lot more performance benefit out of buying a HDD with an 8MB or 16MB cache in it than you ever would from defragmenting.
Reply to , you should
by jcentron - 5/1/06 5:48 PM In reply to: you should by Basket628Thanks for your imput, Have a good day Christine
defrag
by clarojesus - 5/5/06 5:59 PM In reply to: Reply to , you should by jcentronBefore you defrag, it is better to scan your HD first.
The scan will check for sectors and clusters errors.
Reply to, Its Not
by jcentron - 5/1/06 5:41 PM In reply to: It's not by crash314Thanks for your quick response, yes i thought pretty much the same as you,but I thought that it wouldn't hurt to get a bit of feedback, I guess people get a bit set in their ways, and keep doing as they have always done , thanks have a good day Christine
to defrag or not to defrag
by mittens - 5/5/06 3:30 AM In reply to: Reply to, Its Not by jcentrondefragging isnt a great mystery, here; all it does is take those loose bits of files and put them back where they should be. When you delete or add a program, when you move a file from this place to that, or close one out, every time you do something on the computer, Windows flings bits of those programs wherever there's a space for them.
If you have to shut down quickly, Windows just dumps everything on the floor, so to speak. If it happens too often, the computer begins to clog up with stray pieces, and when you try to load a program it takes just a bit longer while Windows hunts for what it needs, to get you into that program.
And all defrag does is tidy up the hard drive for you.
If you dont use the computer much, or make too many changes, then once a year is probably fine. If you are continually adding and removing folders, files, and programs, once a month might be a good idea.
And always run scandisk first. Defrag won't run if there are errors.
MESSAGE TO EVERYONE
by jcentron - 5/7/06 4:43 PM In reply to: to defrag or not to defrag by mittensThanks to every one who took the time to respond to this post, I havn't checked post for the last week from post 26. I thought this post had run its course. I will read what everyone has written and get back to you accordingly but thanks so much,have a good day everyone Christine
defrag
by chickenlegs - 5/5/06 6:37 AM In reply to: Reply to, Its Not by jcentronuse diskeeper and then tell me that defrag is not needed!! i found that on xp for example, it says it dont need to be defraged but if you run diskeeper it will say it needs it bad. i use diskeeper on all my pc,s. i see a difference every time.
Christines question whether to Defragment
by Arthur Billy - 5/5/06 9:50 AM In reply to: It's not by crash314The advice the "The Almighty One" gave Christine is ludicrous at best and totally inaccurate. If you do not know what you are taling about Almighty one you should not be giving false advise and doing a disservice to a person who needs help. You are either intellectually dishonest or ignorent or both.
Anyone who does not defragment religiously and do other routine maintenance on their computer is asking fore serious trouble.
I suggest that you log on to www.diskeeper.com for information on the best defragmenting software and excellent technical support.
For information on defragmenting log onto www.diskeeper.com/paper
Christine, I am going to e-mail you detailed instructions on Defragmenting, Deleting Cookies, Temp, and Temporary Internet Files to Keep a PC-Computer using Windows XP Running Smoothely.
Dr. Arthur Billy
That's not completely true
by irishsassilassi - 5/5/06 10:47 AM In reply to: Christines question whether to Defragment by Arthur BillyIn my experience if you don't add or remove programs very often and do not move around large files that often then a defrag would probably be needed for around once every month or even once every six months. Well for me if you have filled up more than half of what your hard drive capacity is then you should defrag at least once a month. This is the case that i found a hint of performance degradation (well it isn't noticable to most people), when you go past the half of the hard drive. When you simply surf the net and type on word, "religiously" defragmenting would be a huge and extreme waste of time. Fragmentation only occurs if you move files around all the time or create or delete tons of files at a time.
What you just said is not completely true either
by r_rayjr - 5/5/06 1:10 PM In reply to: That's not completely true by irishsassilassiIf you are surfing the net, you are still downing loading stuff even if you are not doing anything yourself. Remember, your computer uses COOKIES when your surfing the internet. These Cookies from the various websites that your go to are loaded on to your harddrive. Also if you look in your computer under "temp internet files" or it might even be called something else, any way in this file, there are pictures saved from the various websites that you go to. look when you go to a site for the first time, depending on your internet connection (DSL, CABLE, DIAL-UP) the first time you go it might take a little bit to load the full page. But if you go back, and if nothing had changed since the last time you were there, then it will load faster, BECAUSE the picture and everthing else is loaded onto your computer. And this takes up space on your hard-drive. And so even if you do not download anything yourself, your computer is as part of the *******.
Christines Defragmentation Question -
by tallin - 5/5/06 9:58 PM In reply to: What you just said is not completely true either by r_rayjrI find this thread most interesting. BUT I am wondering why there has been no reply from either a moderator OR someone with high IT capabilities. Would one of the Moderators give their opinion please. There are so many contradictory/diverse answers that I am no further ahead in making a decision what to do frankly. Thank you.
Defragment as needed...
by John.Wilkinson
- 5/5/06 11:00 PM
In reply to: Christines Defragmentation Question - by tallin
What is fragmentation and defragmentation?
When data is written to the hard drive, it is done so based on the space available. If a space is spotted, it will be filled by the data from the file. If the space was not large enough to accommodate the entire file, the next available space will be filled with the remaining portion of the file. This continues until the entire file has been stored on the hard drive. Thus, a single file may be broken up into dozens of chunks and spread across the hard drive. As time goes on the chunks will grow smaller in size and greater in number, which is referred to as fragmentation.
Fragmentation is not a good thing, and can decrease the performance of your hard drive. The reason is that in order to open a file, it has to find the first part of the file, then the second, then the third, and so on until it has found all of the chunks to form the file as a single entity. This process takes time, resulting in delays when searching for, opening, modifying, and saving files.
A good analogy would be if you write a 20 page report. Page 1 you place on your desk, page 2 in your briefcase, page three on your keyboard, page 4 on your nightstand, etc. If you ever want to read the report, you have to run throughout your house collecting all of these pages. Wouldn't it be faster if they were all together, in order, in a single place? Of course, and that's what defragmenting does.
By defragmenting your hard drive, you are reorganizing all of those chunks of data, combining those that go together and putting them in an order where it's easier to find what you need, when you need it. By doing so you speed up the overall production of your hard drive, at least to a certain degree. (The degree of improvement corresponds to the level of fragmentation.)
--------------------
Does this vary by OS, or over time?
Now, those that say this isn't as important now are correct in some ways. The NTFS filing system, standard for those running Windows 2000/XP, is more efficient than the old FAT32, and doesn't become as fragmented as fast. However, it still happens, so you still need to defragment on occasion.
Another thing to consider is the size of the hard drive, the number of files, and the size of the files. The larger the hard drive the larger it will take, percentage wise, to become heavily fragmented. However, as the amount of stored files increases, the number of fragments also increases.
So, take two people who use their hard drives the same amount for the same types of activities. The one with a large hard drive will have to defragment less often because it takes longer for the fragmentation percentage to rise to a point where defragmentation is necessary. However, when he gets around to defragmenting it'll have to do more work because there are a greater number of fragments present. That's the difference between raw numbers and percentages.
Finally, Unix-based OSes seem almost invulnerable to fragmentation due to their design, so they don't have to worry about this sort of thing. For all of you Windows users, though, this should be a part of your regular system maintenance.
--------------------
Now, when should you defragment?
Well, if you launch the defragmenter, there is an Analyze option. It will survey your drive, determine the level of fragmentation, and advise you whether or not you should defragment at that time. This is a much more efficient way of deciding as opposed to the 'It's the first Sunday of the month' strategy. Remember, fragmentation varies based on the amount and type of usage, not necessarily how many days it's been.
--------------------
Which defragmenter should I use?
The standard Windows defragmenter should be fine. Others, such as Diskeeper, are more powerful, typically defragmenting faster, and at times with a slightly greater percentage of efficiency. They can also defragment in the background so that the level of fragmentation never rises above a certain point. It's easy to argue either side of this point, so I'll leave that decision up to you.
Also, as an FYI, the Windows defragmenter is actually an older, modified 'lite' version of Diskeeper. (A result of the Microsoft <-> Executive Software partnership.) Thus, by paying the $30+ you're simply getting the updated 'enhanced' version.
--------------------
Is this good for my system?
Yes and no. Every time you use your hard drive, no matter for what task, you're taking a little bit of life away from it...every bit of action wears it down to a very small degree. Thus, the defragmentation process does shorten the life span to a small extent. However, you need to compare this to the how much wear and tear would be put on by having to constantly search the drive for chunks of files.
Depending on your level of fragmentation, the defragmentation may or may not be of greater harm than good. That's why it's best to consult the Analyze function of the defragmenter. If it determines that your drive is heavily fragmented, then it's in your best interest to defragment. Otherwise, leave it alone.
Basically, it's like taking medication...it'll cure your ailments, but taking too much, or taking it when your not sick can cause more harm than good.
--------------------
Well, that was quite a mouthful! 
Congrats on reading to the end, and I hope that answers your questions. While some will take issue with various points, disputing the benefits of defragmentation, the above is the generally-held stance, and the one I believe in.
Hope this helps,
John
Congratulations John -
by tallin - 5/6/06 1:49 AM In reply to: Defragment as needed... by John.Wilkinson
Marvellous answer John - now we all know what to do and why we are doing it. Thanks so much, as always you come up with the goods.
| Forum legend: | |
 |
Locked thread |
 |
Moderator |
 |
CNET staff |
 |
Samsung staff |
 |
Norton Authorized Support team |
 |
AVG staff |
 |
Windows Outreach team |
 |
Dell staff |
 |
Intel staff |
