View Full Version : Defrag is useless?
What do you think?It is usefull of useless?
Discuss
There are much to discuss, but give a try
x-dANGEr
12-28-2006, 20:08
Useful.
EDIT:
But to what degree, depends on the filled space of the Hard Disk I think.
edyzmedieval
12-28-2006, 20:13
IMHO, Defrag only counts on a small HDD and on a low-end computer. Powerful computers don't necessarily need defrag too often.
It liberate space on disk?
BlackAxe3001
12-28-2006, 20:33
Defrag is very useful. I use diskeeper and it works wonders. What defrag does it take files that should be next to each other and places them next to each other.:inquisitive: Yeah... lol. It also moves everything together on the drive so that the read/write heads don't have to look all over the platters for files that should all be together. It increases performance to some degree. I defrag every night and it makes a difference.
To improve file access by rearranging data so that whole files are stored in contiguous sectors on a hard disk.
That sums it up better.
It can be very useful. A PC with a severely fragmented system drive will crawl.
LeftEyeNine
12-28-2006, 20:35
Try Perfect Disk (http://www.raxco.com/products/downloadit/perfectdisk_download.cfm) before jumping to conclusions about defragging being unnecessary.
doc_bean
12-28-2006, 21:03
I defrag every night and it makes a difference.
Err..doesn't defragging damage the HD (ever so slightly) ?
Err..doesn't defragging damage the HD (ever so slightly) ?
I don't see why it should. All defragging apps do is move file chunks around so that they're not scattered all over the place. It's not as if defrag apps force your hard drive to operate in an unorthodox or unnatural manner.
Hard drives used in large corporate servers get a much harder workout on an everyday basis than BlackAxe3001's hard drive will ever get from being defragged every day for the entire time he owns the drive. Although I will say that unless you're moving a ton of files around on a daily basis defragging your hard drive daily is serious overkill. Defragging once a week should suffice for the average user.
BlackAxe3001
12-28-2006, 22:42
I'm not an average user though.:beam: I do A LOT of stuff everyday and to keep performance up I defrag every night. It doesn't hurt anything and I am sleeping at night so it doesn't matter. Keeps everything where it should be. I will agree though, the average person only needs to defrag probably once a week.
As for servers, they are a different breed. Our file servers at work get pounded everyday, so a defrag everyday for them is a MUST. Exchange server, holy crap, now there is a box that gets pounded on. Database server, etc. It would be like having 1000 people using one machine. It gets worked over everyday. Anyway, that was sorta off topic.
I remember being called in to troubleshoot "slow performance" of an application on a server. After a cursory inspection of the program, I checked the system with 'Disk Defragmenter'... I've since forgotten the actual percentage, but the entire bar displayed was almost solid red. The server had been running for about 5yrs and had never been defragged.... ever. :laugh4:
Alexander the Pretty Good
12-28-2006, 22:58
:shudders:
I never use it.
Lazy Caius~D
Sasaki Kojiro
12-28-2006, 23:23
Hmm I haven't defragged in 2 1/2 years.
https://img92.imageshack.us/img92/532/defragxu5.jpg
Guess I should :bounce:
LeftEyeNine
12-29-2006, 02:20
Your system did not ever got formatted for the last 2 1/2 years then, Sasaki ??! Whadda ?!! :dizzy2::smash:
Your system did not ever got formatted for the last 2 1/2 years then, Sasaki ??! Whadda ?!! :dizzy2::smash:
I loathe reformatting my system and only do it as a last resort. I've upgraded nearly every scrap of hardware in my system(even went from Intel to AMD) and just did a "repair" install to clean up the devices. It just takes too dang long to reinstall everything and it's mind numbing to make sure I back up every save file and preference for my games. And then there's the hassle of programs that I had to DL and unlock without having a CD to reinstall from- so then I have to go sifting thru old emails to find usernames, unlock keys, ect. :dizzy2:
Sasaki, you'll have to let us know if you see any noticeable performance improvements after your defrag.
Last format:
Never
https://img82.imageshack.us/img82/7662/defyx8.jpg
Thats the concecuences :bounce:
Defrag complete
52000 fragment in excess
OMG!
doc_bean
12-29-2006, 18:09
I don't see why it should. All defragging apps do is move file chunks around so that they're not scattered all over the place. It's not as if defrag apps force your hard drive to operate in an unorthodox or unnatural manner.
Hard drives used in large corporate servers get a much harder workout on an everyday basis than BlackAxe3001's hard drive will ever get from being defragged every day for the entire time he owns the drive. Although I will say that unless you're moving a ton of files around on a daily basis defragging your hard drive daily is serious overkill. Defragging once a week should suffice for the average user.
Hard drives have limited uses, like USB sticks and most other storage media, they run the risk of getting damaged with every operation (professional HDs last at least twice as long as regular HDs I believe, it might be even more for serious servers). Defragmenting is an intensive operation (lots of files get moved around) so you'll be more at risk of damaging your HD quicker.
At least that's what i heard/read somewhere.
According to my maths
52228 x 16 / 1024 = 816 MB in fragmented files.
what can I do?
BlackAxe3001
12-29-2006, 18:45
1. Run a defrag
2. Run a defrag
3. Run a defrag
4. Run a defrag
5. See #1
BlackAxe3001
12-29-2006, 18:48
Hard drives have limited uses, like USB sticks and most other storage media, they run the risk of getting damaged with every operation (professional HDs last at least twice as long as regular HDs I believe, it might be even more for serious servers). Defragmenting is an intensive operation (lots of files get moved around) so you'll be more at risk of damaging your HD quicker.
At least that's what i heard/read somewhere.
Defrag does NOT run any risk of damaging your hard drive. The drive is made to move files around. Defrag just moves a BUNCH of them in one session. It's no different than any other regular operation. The only thing a defrag might do is raise the drive temp a few degrees, but if you have sufficient cooling thats not even an issue.
ran it twice.
No effects :gah:
Last format:
Never
https://img82.imageshack.us/img82/7662/defyx8.jpg
Thats the concecuences :bounce:
From the looks of that graph, you may not have enough free disk space to do a proper defrag. I believe Microsoft recommends at least 15% of your drive be free to defrag properly. :shrug:
Sasaki Kojiro
12-29-2006, 22:04
Yeah it wouldn't let me do it until I cleaned up some space.
It's cool, I don't get that flashlight thing when opening my computer anymore.
I only haved the 1% percent.
Runned with 6% now, but i need space
The standard Microsoft Disk Defrag doesn't work on my computer(s), it's missing components. So I was forced to buy PerfectDisk, works great though.
Still defragging, but i canT make much percentage
I havent defragged my compuetr in ages...maybe thats why it so slow...
Err..doesn't defragging damage the HD (ever so slightly) ?
I recall, from a years back article, that a low level format is damaging for HD performance by removing 'markers'. It was required for some sort of rescue, forgot what, but also removed 'markers' (?) on the HD which were there for normal smooth operation.
As the defrag proces basically moves data from one block to another, I can see files getting damaged due to copy errors.
A defrag tool that is incompatible with your OS version and/or filesystem will corrupt your system.
The problem was with the defrag in Win98SE.
Every time you ran it, every time some files were lost.
When your FPS crawls, denying you to make your normal frags: defrag.
I don't use Windows defrag tool.
When your FPS crawls, denying you to make your normal frags: defrag.
:huh:
A frag in FPS is when you shoot the opposing collection of polygons. You need a smooth working system when the opposing polygons duck and shoot back. A fragmented HD can affect performance so that you can't do anymore what you normally do and you lose the match.
Caius, run CCleaner (http://www.ccleaner.com). See how much space you can clear.
I have it,Quietus.Tnx anyway
I have it,Quietus.Tnx anyway Aye. The only other way I know to clear space temporarily is to let Windows manage virtual memory. My Computer>properties>performance>virtual memory. If you search for the largest files, the computer sets aside space equal to the virtual memory. At least that's it looks like. :dizzy2:
However, I don't know what will happen if you set it very low temporarily. Maybe the others know for sure.
Defragmenting an HDD is pretty vital. If you let it it get as bad as the example above, your system will crawl. You should do it about once per month, not continuously, nor with those crapware tools that defrag on the fly. Using the HDD wears it out slightly, so defragging does the same. But not defragging means alot more "thrashing" as the drive accesses the fragmented data, so not defragging is the worst option. It's also annoying to listen to a constantly active HDD.
The windows XP/2K disk defragmentation tools tends not to compact files too well. In fact you may have to run it about 10 times to get a half decent result. It's still worth doing though.
The best way to start is to uninstall as much rubbish as possible and delete as many old files as you don't need. Next thing to do is disable the windows pagefile. To do this you need to go into the performance tab from the system properties and disable the paging file altogether. Then restart the computer in safe mode (hit F8 repeatedly before windows boots, not at your BIOS screen as you'll probably end up at the boot menu), then when the startup menu appears select safe mode. Once in safe mode, run the defrag (keep rerunning it until it gets to the stage where it finishes after a few seconds) and then re-enable the page file. Reboot.
Alexander the Pretty Good
12-30-2006, 23:20
What is the best 3rd party defrag tool (preferably for free) out there?
R'as al Ghul
01-02-2007, 12:58
You need a smooth working system when the opposing polygons duck and shoot back.
:laugh4: Priceless.
With defragging it's like with your house keys.
Make it a ritual to place them always at the same place, otherwise you've to search them all over the place before you can leave the house. :yes:
The more your disk is fragmented the longer it takes to load files/ applications.
It's also a good idea to manually restrict the swap file to a certain size, 1024 MB for example. If you don't Windows will mess up the drive in no time.
AntiochusIII
01-03-2007, 14:49
When your FPS crawls, denying you to make your normal frags: defrag. :laugh4:
Oh, and thanks for the reminder. I haven't really defragged in months. I didn't really need to, though; my HD is more than 60% free all the time. Probably even more.
And, like Alexander the Pretty Good, I need recommendations for a nice third-party free defragger.
Riedquat
01-04-2007, 20:03
I recall, from a years back article, that a low level format is damaging for HD performance by removing 'markers'. It was required for some sort of rescue, forgot what, but also removed 'markers' (?) on the HD which were there for normal smooth operation.
Low level format, was a must for healthy HD's in those days, but low level formats is not comparable with what the todays format is. Low level format was a phisical reconstruction of the disk surface and was applied "ONLY" to ESDI disks, in the beginning an assembler function was called from DOS to start the process, later manufacturers included the function in the CMOS for easy usage for the average user. That function was still there, in earlier 486's and some 586's, but the process call was the low level format only by name, the format used was a simply and common one; a format/u command was far more effective.
AussieGiant
01-08-2007, 13:58
Gentlemen,
What Caravel said is the absolute top notch defrag process.
If you really want to do it properly then go here:
http://www.tweakguides.com/TGTC.html
Down load the Tweak guide companion and go to page 60 of the 175 page document. There you will find all your answers and a comprehensive set of tasks to follow.
Happy Defragging Gentlemen.
PS Do it once a week or once a month. Do it in safe mode for the page files every 3 to 4 months.
Saying it damages your HDD is like saying driving a car damaging your engine. :inquisitive:
What are you going to do?? Not drive it!!
Drive it, and look after it at the same time.
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