Better Defrag | Blog of a Long Distance Worker Tech

Recently I had a major problem with an EeePC. After configuration and installation of all the software on it and the optimisation of where all the files go, the machine ran slowly. Checking out the C: partition showed that it had a 30%+ fragmentation figure for the files on the disk, notably because of all the tweaking to get files in the right place. Now this performance issue was slightly counter-intuitive as it had an SSD with no seek times to think of, but file access was horribly slow. This screamed defragmentation (and after I did it, it certainly was down to fragmentation as performance is much nippier now). So the basic defrag tool in the Windows XP Home installation was used but it would not defrag the machine at all even though there was 1.4GB free out of the 4GB SSD. It was simply TOO fragmented.

So I brought in the big guns on this one, which came in the form of IOBIT Smart Defrag. I ran this over the disk and with a small bit of manipulation (moving about 500MB of files to the D: partition), I managed to complete defrag the disk and give the performance improvement I needed. Now you may not have the same level of problem with fragmentation, but I can certainly recommend this software tool over the basic XP and Vista defrag tools, particularly as it gives a lot more visual response for what is going on and how fragmented the disk is, and also it offers a dynamic continuous auto-defrag function (not recommended for SSDs by the way – they have wear issues with file writes that make defrag an emergency tool only) that keeps you optimised.

Great tool, and here is the kicker – it is free.

Category: Blog, Software/Apps

Tag: defrag, defragmentation, EeePC, iobit, smartdefrag, Windows, Windows Vista, Windows XP

http://KnowtheNetwork.com tsudohnimh

I'm trying this defragger but I still have to recommend JkDefrag as the best defrag software I've ever used. Simple, efficient, and no attempt to install Yahoo toolbar. Thanks for the recommendation though. I'm always looking for good system maintenance apps to add to my master Tools list. http://tr.im/2wxz

I really like your blog (just discovered via Friendfeed) you can count me as a subscriber. Thanks

Tsudohnimh
website: http://Knowthenetwork.com
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http://KnowtheNetwork.com Keith

I'm trying this defragger but I still have to recommend JkDefrag as the best defrag software I've ever used. Simple, efficient, and no attempt to install Yahoo toolbar. Thanks for the recommendation though. I'm always looking for good system maintenance apps to add to my master Tools list. http://tr.im/2wxz

I really like your blog (just discovered via Friendfeed) you can count me as a subscriber. Thanks

Tsudohnimh
website: http://Knowthenetwork.com
follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/tsudo
connect with me on Friendfeed http://friendfeed.com/tsudohnimh
donor

The irony is, you don't need any defrag on SSD.
The point of defrag is to put every part of a file in one place, so that HDD can find the file once, and then read the whole file, rather than search multiple chunks of a single file, splittered across the hard drive. Searching for a file chunk takes time on HDD (the plate has to spin, the magnetic head has to move).
On SSD, defrag doesn't give a performance boost. There's no mechanical parts in SSD, so search is instant.
donor

The irony is, you don't need any defrag on SSD.
The point of defrag is to put every part of a file in one place, so that HDD can find the file once, and then read the whole file, rather than search multiple chunks of a single file, splittered across the hard drive. Searching for a file chunk takes time on HDD (the plate has to spin, the magnetic head has to move).
On SSD, defrag doesn't give a performance boost. There's no mechanical parts in SSD, so search is instant.
http://dtvconsultant.com Ian D. Nock

I know the technology and original reasoning for defrag to speed up seek times on mechanical media, but you cannot get away from the issue of file fragmentation which still affects SSDs (http://www.rtcmagazine.com/home/article.php?id=…) – software still has to run and search for all file parts when accessing and this is a finite, not zero, time period – particularly because in SSDs you have several layers of abstraction (the lower level write mechanism for flash SSDs has wear levelling in operation which means that there is not a contiguous relationship between file and physical memory storage elements). In my situation, the SSD was seriously file fragmented (may files with >1,000 fragments) and so running a standard fragmentation tool was very needed. I would have preferred a tool optimised for SSD defragmentation, but as yet I have not found one.

That said, I do not recommend continuous or regular defragmentation of SSDs because of the wear issue – only when performance reduction is noted.
http://dtvconsultant.com Ian D. Nock

I forgot to mention that there was a marked improvement in performance post defragmentation.
http://dtvconsultant.com Ian D. Nock

I know the technology and original reasoning for defrag to speed up seek times on mechanical media, but you cannot get away from the issue of file fragmentation which still affects SSDs (http://www.rtcmagazine.com/home/article.php?id=…) – software still has to run and search for all file parts when accessing and this is a finite, not zero, time period – particularly because in SSDs you have several layers of abstraction (the lower level write mechanism for flash SSDs has wear levelling in operation which means that there is not a contiguous relationship between file and physical memory storage elements). In my situation, the SSD was seriously file fragmented (may files with >1,000 fragments) and so running a standard fragmentation tool was very needed. I would have preferred a tool optimised for SSD defragmentation, but as yet I have not found one.

That said, I do not recommend continuous or regular defragmentation of SSDs because of the wear issue – only when performance reduction is noted.