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by ddenmgt Accepted solution
by Former member Accepted solution
Yes do a defrag.
Just a little info..
Windows comes with a collection of house cleaning tools, including ScanDisk, Disk Defragmenter and Disk Cleanup, to help keep your disk in peak working order.
Why should you bother with the housework? A couple of reasons. First, disks are hard working, mechanical devices and, like all mechanical devices, prone to failure. A little preventative maintenance can warn you of potential problems and fix minor glitches before they can do damage to your data.
Second, the way files are organised on your drive has a perceptible impact on the performance of your computer. If your files are stored neatly, end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk is speedier.
What is file fragmentation?
Sometimes when you install a program or create a data file, the file ends up chopped up into chunks and stored in multiple locations on the disk. This is called fragmentation.
What makes this happen?
When you first install your operating system and programs on your hard disk, they are written to the disk, for the most part, in one contiguous block without any gaps. The exceptions are certain system files that must be stored in specific locations. Over time, as you create and then delete documents or uninstall programs, once-filled locations are left empty and you end up with files dotted all over the disk.
Now, when Windows is writing a file to the disk, it looks for a suitable piece of free space in which to store it. What happens, then, when you copy a 40M database or audio file to the disk and the biggest slice of free space is only 30M? Or say you modify an existing file, appending a whole bunch of data so the file now takes up more space on the disk. To accommodate the files, Windows writes the first part of the file in one section of the disk and then scouts around for other places to store the rest of the file. The end result is that a single file may be stored in several chunks scattered about the disk.
Please post back if you have any more problems or questions.
by nepenthe0 Accepted solution
If your [b]D[/b] drive is a recovery partition, that should not require defragmenting. If your [b]D[/b] drive is simply another partition of the hard drive, where you can store your data files, then periodically running defragmenting software will speed transfer rates from the hard drive when you wish to access these files.
If data files are important, back them up to an external hard drive or CD. I have never lost a data file to corruption running a defragmentation application, but there are many such applications available, and some might be capable of causing damage.
If you are satisfied with transfer rates, don't bother defragmenting the drive unless you're a compulsive housekeeper who always wants to keep everything ship shape.
by older mycroft Accepted solution
I dare you!!
"[i]..don't bother defragmenting the drive unless you're a compulsive housekeeper..[/i]" - coming from the guy who runs with zero antivirus and then backs-up his entire disk image religiously - [b]that's rich!![/b]
Where do you get these crazy ideas from?
by rkuhn040172 Accepted solution
Almost all defraggers will cause problems if you attempt to defrag a data store on a mail server if it isn't brought offline properly first.
I know, I know not pertinent to this discussion, but you did say "name a defragger that corrupts data". :)
by w2ktechman Accepted solution
if the drive is working fine, and fragmentation is low, then the 'don't bother' attitude works fine.
In fact, the defragmentor program may even say that it is not needed.
Ok, but for the OP it probably wasnt, however I didnt see a problem with that post.
I do recommend defragmenting regularly. However, some things to consider when defragmenting
Some programs do not like being used while defragmentation is running. It is a good idea to close programs before running a defragmentor.
If you suspect any HDD issues, running a defragmentor may make things worse! In this case, opt NOT to run it, at least until a proper backup and disc scan are completed.
by older mycroft Accepted solution
Do defrag but do it like I do it (not just as I say):
Every Saturday morning I sit down in front of SAL9000 and fire up episodes of Thunderbirds or Fireball XL5 and have a trip down memory lane. Being that I live in a Village, its Summer, with my windows open, invariably some passers-by hear the familiar sounds of the Gerry Anderson classics and stick their head in the window for a look-see.
While all this is going on, my gaming rig is locked into minimal boot, offline, running a set routine for clearing out all the usual detritus, then running Registry Mechanic on deepscan and then defragmenting the registry, then invoking PerfectDisk across all 1.25TB of hard drives.
That gives plenty of time for a chat, more coffees and more Thunderbirds / XL5.
Sundays is a different affair. ZEN-ORAC becomes the media centre for the day, while SAL9000 has a clean out.
I just assumed everyone would know the system was effectively down before defragmenting. :D
by rob miners Accepted solution
by w2ktechman Accepted solution
then they wont stream as well :(
BTW -- who would put their DVD collection on D:?? Isnt it usually just a CD burner?? :^0
by rob miners Accepted solution
and then they complain when they can't add another DVD because the Drive is full. ;)
They don't even think to use F: and burn it off. :p
or was that E: or G:
These days when I go to the fridge I am not sure if I came to get somthing or I have just put something back. :p
by older mycroft Accepted solution
by rkuhn040172 Accepted solution
I learned a long time ago to never say "never" or "always".
There are few if any absolutes in life.
:)
by boxfiddler Hot topic Accepted solution
by mjd420nova Accepted solution
by w2ktechman Accepted solution
"Normally a defrag is needed to get updates and upgrades of your OS and software coordinated into contiguous order to facilitate quicker loading of the OS and other programs. "
I never used defrag to get updates for my OS :^0 :^0 How does that work :^0
Ok, I think a correction from what you meant is in order.
Defragmenting the disk is primarily for both Data that gets changed often AND for updated OS files. However, oft changed data is the primary reason for the need to defrag.
by cg it Accepted solution
if so, how does one defrag a CD/DVD?
I think this question was the Wednesday 5:00pm funny from ddenmgt....
by rob miners Accepted solution
The Key word here is 'Disk' not 'Drive'. I missed that. ;)
Bloody good pickup. :)
But then again if the OP is calling a Disk a Drive. It then becomes a Drive and not a Disk. It really depends on when the other Partitions are created as to whether it is D: or not. ;)
by w2ktechman Accepted solution
when you defrag your cd or dvd, does it corrupt the drive???
Maybe the Windows defragger is not being used. Maybe, the cd burner will try to re-write the disc(s) and that is the source of the corruption :0
Hmmm, free downloads from nasty sites -- trust==NO
by w2ktechman Accepted solution
by rob miners Accepted solution
by cg it Accepted solution
by rob miners Accepted solution
of someone. :)
It is certainly getting a bit of attention. :)
by older mycroft Accepted solution
Honestly, do I have to always point out that it's all in the spelling. Oops! Touchy subject!
DISK would be 11 inch, 8 inch, 5 1/4 inch, 3 1/2 inch, or hard.
DISC would be CD, or DVD.
Thumb drives don't count - they don't rotate so cannot be called circular. ;)
by rob miners Accepted solution
I always thought that a disc was a record. You know the old 78rpm's. I'm gonna cut a disc, make a record 45rpm. :p
Jeeze how far behind are we? :)
I had to turn my clock back 20 years when I moved up here. ]:)
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