to defrag or not to defrag

[Bozos of Bones]

No, no, no, no and no. The main factors are: amount disk space taken, percentage of disk space taken(not to be confused with amount), fragmentation of taken data(where they are), amount of bad sectors. Yes, windows version is a factor, as is the file system.
To explain how this works: when you install something it is placed on the disk. Let's say you install a 4GB windows with it's accessories and then a 500 MB program, 600MB program and a 1GB program. Suddenly, you realise you are no longer using the 500MB program and you delete it. Your friend gives you a 900MB program and you install it. What happens is this: 500MB of the new program is stored in the hole left by the old, erased program, while the rest of it, 400MB are placed at the next free area. It's in a disk's nature to write from the center outward, that can't be changed. Now when you write, delete and install stuff all the time, fragmentation happens. Defragmentation is a process wher data used by program 1 is stored in one place on the disk, data used by program 2 is stored on the other etc. It pushes it all in tone place at the begining of each disk. A Hard Disk is comprised of several multi-gigabyte disks in a spindle. Their size ranges from 1GB to the newest 120GB. That's why it's sometimes faster to defragment an 80GB disk then a 30GB disk.

[ 07-27-2004, 01:53 PM: Message edited by: Bozos of Bones ]

[Cloudbringer]

LOL, it probably feels like a year if you wait long enough between defrag sessions. Never had mine take that long since I got XP even with the larger hd. I think I do it a few times a year whenever I think of it or things seem slow.

[Assassin]

Originally posted by WillowIX: 8 hours for 37 gigs? You're kidding right? [img]tongue.gif[/img] My 40Gb takes approxiamtely 1 hour to complete. A "little" longer for my 120Gb... There are a few defrag programs that are way better to use than Windows on. I believe oodefrag has a free version you could try out. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[img]tongue.gif[/img] Well, you see... I have about 100 different little programs that I like to install, try out, and forget to remove. Then, there are all of the files that are associated with those little programs. Then, I have the big games, like BG2 and IWD2; about 10 of those. With the appropiate mods. Can't forget the thousands of shortcusts I keep... And pictures saved from the internet. And stories from school/schoolwork/projects. Yep, that little computer's seen a lot of work.