# I defragment every couple of days



## Teto (Apr 30, 2011)

Should I defragment more often or should I just give up

edit: or anything else of course


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## keretceres (Apr 30, 2011)

... Do you have a significant file transfer rate on your computer? If you do then once a week will be fie, every few days is a it excessive [I.E unless you have a significant: more than 20% of your disk space every few days] If you like the concept of constant defragging, and have spare memory... get Ashampoo's defrag utility, that will defrag when your computer Idles....


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## AshleyAshes (Apr 30, 2011)

Due to the advances in hard drive technology and file system technology, you really don't need to defragment anyway.   And certianly not every several days.


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## Teto (Apr 30, 2011)

I'm going to be honest and just say that I don't know what fragmenting is and what sort of effect it has
All I know is that red is a bad bad colour and there's too much of it there

And before when I showed a friend this, they said it was awful
So I was all panic panic post post try and get advice and opinions



keretceres said:


> ... Do you have a significant file transfer rate on your computer? If you do then once a week will be fie, every few days is a it excessive, unless you have a significant (more than 20% of your disk space) every few days; if you like the concept of constant defragging, and have spare memory... get Ashampoo's defrag utility, that will defrag when your computer Idles....


 
Also I don't really know what you mean by significant file transfer rate
Do you mean like, moving files around the computer, because not really. But I do play all my music off an external hard drive
would that fuck some stuff up? Seems like the kind of thing that'd cause problems, since doing anything causes problems


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## AshleyAshes (Apr 30, 2011)

litso said:


> I'm going to be honest and just say that I don't know what fragmenting is and what sort of effect it has
> All I know is that red is a bad bad colour and there's too much of it there


 
Fragmentation is exactly what it sounds like, files are not in perfect linier order on the hard drive but rather they are scattered all over the place wherever the drive could find empty blocks to put it.  However current file systems like NTFS and others have means to negate much of this.  More over, hard drives can have up to 32 to 64MB or more of RAM for rapidly accessing small files, then, the seek time on drives has progresively shortened as drives put more data in the same ammount of physical space. On top of that, fragmentation really only causes problems for small files, ya know, tiny system fand program files, but once they have been defragmented they'll basically stay where they are.  Large files, like media, is basically unaffected by fragmentation and you'll notice no effect if your 700mb movie is sprawled across 23 different geographical locations on the hard drive.

To sum it up: Don't worry about defragging really.


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## Teto (Apr 30, 2011)

I have learned something today
I am just totally clueless when it comes to computers

My computer's just been really slow today (like, the pointer on-screen wont respond for like a whole minute sometimes) so I went ahead and assumed it was this, since it looked pretty awful


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## AshleyAshes (Apr 30, 2011)

litso said:


> I have learned something today
> I am just totally clueless when it comes to computers


 
Defragmenting was a useful thing... Ten years ago.  Some people just cling to the superstition of needing to regularly defrag, like your friend you mention above.


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## Jashwa (Apr 30, 2011)

You should defrag whenever you brush your teeth.


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## keretceres (Apr 30, 2011)

litso said:


> I'm going to be honest and just say that I don't know what fragmenting is and what sort of effect it has
> All I know is that red is a bad bad colour and there's too much of it there
> 
> And before when I showed a friend this, they said it was awful
> ...



Ok if that image is your hdd... it IS terrible. but no amount of defragging will help you until you delete at least 10% of the data on your HDD. its too full to actually defragment the fragments.

Basically a fragment is a part of a file that is written in one place an the rest of it is scattered in free spaces on the HDD. A fragmented file is harder to read a the harddrive has to look for the rest of the file to continue reading it; this takes a millisecond but the more fragmented the file  the more extra milliseconds it will take... By making the file contiguous (one file with now instead of scattered pieces) it can be read more efficiently... 

The easiest way t do this is to move some files onto your external hard drive  I would say at least 20% of the HDD's size... leaving enough space to move even the largest pieces together. because it is o bad, it could take several hours, but even so, getting into a good habit now of defragmenting once a week once it is sorted will be good to keep t from happening again...
=]


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## Teto (Apr 30, 2011)

Jashwa said:


> You should defrag whenever you brush your teeth.


 
I have no teeth
I headbutt walls daily



keretceres said:


> post psot pots


 
I think the hard drive is split into three pieces or something
I mean, there's ACER (C and then DATA (D and 2nd HardDrive (F
C: is pretty much just Windows and Program Files, so I can't really do anything with that, right?


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## Commiecomrade (Apr 30, 2011)

I thought this was about defragging addiction, something I was afflicted with some time ago. Little red lines on my bar? DEFRAG THAT.

As said ad nauseam, don't worry about it.


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## CaptainCool (Apr 30, 2011)

keretceres said:


> Ok if that image is your hdd... it IS terrible. but no amount of defragging will help you until you delete at least 10% of the data on your HDD. its too full to actually defragment the fragments.


 
this. if that picture shows the entire chart of your hdd then it really is too full.


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## Folgrimeo (Apr 30, 2011)

I read up on a bit on it recently. Defragging is not something you have to do often. In fact, not defragging might actually be faster because files are usually not read completely into memory before running (think playing a huge video), and multiple files are usually being accessed at once, so the beginning of each file might be found faster. In practice, a defragmented computer won't be that much faster than a fragmented one. Still, if you do it and there's significant fragmentation, it takes a long enough time that it's best doing it overnight when you're not using it.

When your disk is full enough, the remaining free spaces are so small that your files will get fragmented like crazy. It's conceivable that after a while the number of fragments would slow stuff down (especially if each fragment's just a small piece, so more seeking is needed to get enough data to start using the file). And when the disk is full enough, defragmenting will take ages to do because it doesn't have much space with which to move things around.

Windows Vista takes the approach of defragging daily. Less defragmented files = defragmentation completes a lot faster. The problem? Sectors are rewritten a lot in the effort to keep pushing everything to the front of the partition, so your hard disk wears out faster. Yikes!

Linux intentionally reserves like 5% of the disk for system use so you can't fill up the partition enough for fragmentation to be an issue. Oddly enough, there are no defragmenting tools for the ext3 or ext4 filesystems because nobody saw a need for them anymore.

Summary: Don't defragment your computer religiously (maybe stop it altogether). It doesn't help much and your hard drive will wear out faster if it's done frequently. If your computer's really slow, it's probably because your disk is nearly full. You need to put that stuff onto CDs or external disk drive or something; some hard drive space must be left free so it can be used for virtual memory and the like.


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## FF_CCSa1F (Apr 30, 2011)

I can't honestly say that I agree with the majority of posts in this thread; depending on the circumstances, de-fragmenting a (mechanical) hard drive can have a large impact on throughput performance. The largest drawback of such drives is the access time that appears when the head needs to move from one place on the disk to another. De-fragmenting a drive can eliminate a lot of un-necessary such, at no real cost. (Drives wearing out due to sectors being re-written is not a major concern. The platters in a mechanical hard drive can survive many more write cycles than the motor can allow for.)

When a file gets fragmented, the head of the hard drive might have to do several moves to read it, rather than just taking it all in one sweep. While it may not be too big a difference if a file is in one or two places, files often end up in a lot more pieces than that; just scanning my own hard drive (which isn't even 2/3 filled up) reveals a 10MB file that's split up in 78(!) parts across the disk. That's 77 un-necessary head moves to read that one file, and I can assure you that I won't be reading it at the roughly 100MB/s that the drive can push in sequential reads.

I find that using a program such as Piriform Defraggler to schedule automatic de-fragmentation when the computer is idle to be a good approach to the problem. That way, I don't even have to think about it.


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## Aden (May 1, 2011)

So how much free space is on that partition, anyway?


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## ArielMT (May 1, 2011)

If that really is a picture of your entire hard disk, then you shouldn't defrag at all because there's simply not enough free space to use for measurable defragmentation.  You really need at least 15% free space on an NTFS partition for defragging to be effective.

If you do have the space, then you shouldn't defrag more frequently than once a month.


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## Dyluck (May 1, 2011)

Looks like somebody's going to have to delete some of their shitty music.


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## Thou Dog (May 1, 2011)

How much RAM do you have, do you have some kind of security software running on your computer, has your computer been making any strange sounds or been getting unusually hot, is the inside of it clean or is it clogged with dust, etc....?

If you have a small amount of RAM (less than 2 GB) to run a modern (past ten years) Windows operating system, you will very, VERY quickly have performance problems. I would, personally, suggest a minimum of 4 GB, because it's the max you can use with a 32-bit OS (well, it's slightly over, but why bother trying to install 3.5 GB, which is closer to the actual number, especially if you have only two slots?).

If you don't have any security software... get some. You might also want to check for malware (viruses and the like), because if these are consuming processor time and memory, your computer's performance will suffer.

If the inside of your computer looks like a smoker's lungs, clean that shit up, because without adequate airflow over the components, your computer will start to overheat, and overheating is not good for your components' life expectancy. It can also cause performance issues, up to and including causing your computer to freeze up entirely. (Has anybody actually quantified MTBFs of a given component at different temperatures, atmospheric pressures or humidities? I'm curious as to the technical details.)


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## Runefox (May 1, 2011)

Again, echoing the "if you don't have at LEAST 15% free space on your hard drive, you aren't going to get anywhere by defragmenting" sentiment. Grab Ccleaner and give your temp files the finger and then give it another go.

For all intents and purposes, by "hard drive", I mean C:, D:, etc, not the hard drive itself. If the hard drive itself is split in two, then you need to look at the free space *on the drive letter you're defragging*. The proper term here is volume or partition, but that's not how Windows presents them. If you're really stuck, move some files from C: to D:


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## Aden (May 1, 2011)

Another thing that helps a bunch for file deletion is getting a disk space visualizer


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## ArielMT (May 1, 2011)

Runefox said:


> Again, echoing the "if you don't have at LEAST 15% free space on your hard drive, you aren't going to get anywhere by defragmenting" sentiment. Grab Ccleaner and give your temp files the finger and then give it another go.
> 
> For all intents and purposes, by "hard drive", I mean C:, D:, etc, not the hard drive itself. If the hard drive itself is split in two, then you need to look at the free space *on the drive letter you're defragging*. The proper term here is volume or partition, but that's not how Windows presents them. If you're really stuck, move some files from C: to D:


 
His screen cap is from Auslogics Disk Defrag (good program, BTW), and it shows only the Drive C: tab, which means he only has the one drive/partition installed.

Edit: Corrected below?


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## Runefox (May 2, 2011)

ArielMT said:


> His screen cap is from Auslogics Disk Defrag (good program, BTW), and it shows only the Drive C: tab, which means he only has the one drive/partition installed.


 Actually...


			
				litso said:
			
		

> I think the hard drive is split into three pieces or something
> I mean, there's ACER (C and then DATA (D and 2nd HardDrive (F
> C: is pretty much just Windows and Program Files, so I can't really do anything with that, right?


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## Sarcastic Coffeecup (May 3, 2011)

I never defragment my disk. i think i'll begin to do so right away.


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## Hateful Bitch (May 3, 2011)

Oh lol people are posting in here okay



Dyluck said:


> Looks like somebody's going to have to delete some of their shitty music.


 
pff
PFF

I play it off my external hard drive anyway sooo!



Aden said:


> So how much free space is on that partition, anyway?



Probably like fucking nothing, I'll go see.
4.6GB free of 31.5GB
Which is like 14%?
I think I can find some stuff to delete, but most of that drive is vista. I think my sister put in the partition so that she could keep C: for just program files and Windows or something.
I HAVE BEEN SO FOOLISH D:



ArielMT said:


> His screen cap is from Auslogics Disk Defrag (good program, BTW), and it shows only the Drive C: tab, which means he only has the one drive/partition installed.
> 
> Edit: Corrected below?


 
If Auslogics Disk Defrag is part of AVG PC Tuneup 2011 then yes, that's what I'm using.



Aden said:


> Another thing that helps a bunch for file deletion is getting a disk space visualizer


 
lol what language is this



Runefox said:


> Again, echoing the "if you don't have at LEAST 15% free space on your hard drive, you aren't going to get anywhere by defragmenting" sentiment. Grab Ccleaner and give your temp files the finger and then give it another go.
> 
> For all intents and purposes, by "hard drive", I mean C:, D:, etc, not the hard drive itself. If the hard drive itself is split in two, then you need to look at the free space *on the drive letter you're defragging*. The proper term here is volume or partition, but that's not how Windows presents them. If you're really stuck, move some files from C: to D:


 
AVG PC Tuneup has a temp files cleaner thing in it, so I think that should be fine?
Also, advice received, processing request now.

Also here's my silly question
Are Hard Drives like souls
And partitions are like horcruxes
if you split the hard drive too many times will it die or become a snake faced magical lord of evil


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## Commiecomrade (May 3, 2011)

Hateful Bitch said:


> Also here's my silly question
> Are Hard Drives like souls
> And partitions are like horcruxes
> if you split the hard drive too many times will it die or become a snake faced magical lord of evil


 
Hard drives are more like fat people.
Partitions are like giant cakes in front of fat people.
Give that fatty too many cakes and he's going to slow down a hell of a lot. Too many and he cannot possibly support his own weight.

Now, granted, you have to have a lot of partitions to experience this.


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## Takun (May 3, 2011)

Teto why are you replying with two accounts here? :T


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## Dyluck (May 3, 2011)

teto

teto you're weird


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## Imperial Impact (May 4, 2011)

Takun said:


> Teto why are you replying with two accounts here? :T


 Because s/he loves squeaky anime girls?

Idunno...


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## bigtoad (May 4, 2011)

Every couple of days is a little excessive. The best way to handle defragmentation would be to use a program like diskeeper 2011 as it prevents most fragmentation before it happens(about 85%) as well as a whole lot more! It is also fully automatic which means you don't have to worry about when to defrag.


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## CyberFoxx (May 4, 2011)

Personally, I got PerfectDisk on stealth mode. Every three days, once the machine has been idle for an hour, it checks the partitions. If the fragmentation hits 10%, it runs a pass, otherwise it waits another three days. I find this setup works out quite well.


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## Hateful Bitch (May 5, 2011)

Takun said:


> Teto why are you replying with two accounts here? :T


 
Because for some reason I want to switch between them sometimes
Even though I shouldn't have two accounts yes I know >:



Dyluck said:


> teto
> 
> teto you're weird



r u talking to me or the other one
lol hehehe :L :L



Perverted Impact said:


> Because s/he loves squeaky anime girls?
> 
> Idunno...


 
This is just coincidence.



Also a mod can lock this now, my questions are answered and my computer runs much smoother now (thanks to you!!!)


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## Imperial Impact (May 6, 2011)

Hateful Bitch said:


> This is just coincidence.


 No it's not.....!


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## Bill R TechSpec (May 7, 2011)

Teto said:


> Should I defragment more often or should I just give up
> 
> edit: or anything else of course



If that's your disk after defragmenting every couple of days... that's some serious disk issues!

Very few defrag programs will be able to defrag with almost no free space -- most require between 15-20% free space.

First, get rid of any of old files and programs you don't use.  Then get and run CCleaner (http://download.cnet.com/ccleaner/) as it  will find and remove all of the junk files from your system. This will  free up a lot of space.

Now, to defrag your disk use a good automatic third party  program that can defrag transparently while using the PC.

Disks become fragmented with use. 

Fragmentation is the accumulation of  incontiguous pieces of files and free space randomly scattered across a  disk. Writing files to such a disk takes a long time (not to mention  later accessing, editing and then saving them).

All this slows down the PC and wears out the disks much faster.

A basic defrag program will put all the pieces together, while a good  one will also consolidate the free space; the better ones will be able  to do this while you use the PC and the best of the best will prevent  fragmentation.

Here's a Top 10 Reviews side-by-side comparison of the best defrag programs available:

http://disk-defragmenter-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

The top placers are automatic and they all offer a free trial.

The gold medalist will defrag  transparently (meaning users don't notice it's running as it does not  drain system performance) and it is the only one that also  prevents fragmentation. 

Check out the review and get a free trial to try it out.

..


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## ArielMT (May 7, 2011)

Bill R TechSpec said:


> If that's your disk after defragmenting every couple of days... that's some serious disk issues!
> 
> Very few defrag programs will be able to defrag with almost no free space -- most require between 15-20% free space.



Which ones?



Bill R TechSpec said:


> First, get rid of any of old files and programs you don't use.  Then get and run CCleaner (http://download.cnet.com/ccleaner/) as it  will find and remove all of the junk files from your system. This will  free up a lot of space.
> 
> Now, to defrag your disk use a good automatic third party  program that can defrag transparently while using the PC.
> 
> ...



You either write like a spammer or copied and pasted from one.  Just sayin'.



Bill R TechSpec said:


> Here's a Top 10 Reviews side-by-side comparison of the best defrag programs available:
> 
> http://disk-defragmenter-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
> 
> The top placers are automatic and they all offer a free trial.



Disclosure.  TopTenReviews gives everything a favorable review whether it deserves it or not.



Bill R TechSpec said:


> The gold medalist will defrag  transparently (meaning users don't notice it's running as it does not  drain system performance) and it is the only one that also  prevents fragmentation.
> 
> Check out the review and get a free trial to try it out.
> 
> ..


 
Also, as much as Diskeeper has been recommended in this thread, you should really take into consideration that Diskeeper Corp. so strongly supports the Church of Scientology that it indoctrinates its employees in Scientology, once conditioning their employment on it until the whistle was blown.  Sources are too numerous to list here, but many of the best have floated to the top of search results such as this one: http://www.google.com/search?q=diskeeper+scientology&btnG=Search

If you don't care, or if you don't think it should matter, then go for it, but you should still know.


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## Runefox (May 7, 2011)

For a paid defragger, I've always loved Vopt. Used it ever since the Win9x days; It was lightning quick and efficient then, and lightning quick and efficient now.


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