Use Advanced Features For An Added Boost To DefragmentationDefragmentation is the process you need to undertake to fix the fragmentation of files on your hard drive and speed up your slow computer. Overall, the objective is to enable your hard drive to access files with as little effort and time as possible. Hard drives are the slowest data processing component of your computer and as a result any hard drive speed improvements translate directly into computer speed improvements. Three Main ActivitiesThere are three main activities that the process of defragmentation (or defragging, as it is also known) can undertake. They are file defrag, free space defrag and optimal file placement.During a file defrag file fragments that have been scattered all around your hard drive are put back together and stored as whole file units in a single location. By doing this, when you want to use the files the hard drive is able to look them up far more quickly than it could when they were in a scattered and fragmented state. All defragmenters will be able to carry out file defragmentation. A free space defrag refers to the consolidation of many small fragments of hard drive free space into bigger areas of free space. The benefits of a free space defrag are your hard drive doesn’t need to work as hard to save new files, and disk re-fragmentation won’t happen as quickly because new files are saved into one location as opposed to as many separate fragments. Very few defragmenters will defragment free space. The most advanced free space defragmenter is Diskeeper Optimal file placement refers to how the defragged files are placed on your hard drive. Your most frequently used files are placed in the more accessible hard drive sections and your least frequently used files are placed in the more inaccessible regions. The net result is performance gains as your hard drive doesn’t have to cover as much distance to access the files you use most often. Not all defragmenters incorporate technology for optimally placing files. The makers of
PerfectDisk
have addressed this issue with their SMARTPlacement Technology and
UltimateDefrag
is a tool which also addresses file placement. What Else Must Disk Defragmentation Consider?Whilst carrying out these three key activities, the defrag process has some other important issues to consider. These include- the safety of the files being defragmented
File SafetyDefragging needs to consider the safety of your files. What good would it be if it damaged your files in the process, perhaps by failing to correctly copy one of your file fragments as it joined it back together with other file fragments, or by losing data if your computer is accidentally shut down due to a power cut. To ensure safety of file data, disk defragmenters make use of Microsoft Windows tools that were specially designed to ensure safe defragging of files. These tools are called APIs or Application Programming Interfaces and it is a good idea when selecting a defragmenter to check to see if the Microsoft APIs were used.Automatic DefragAutomatic defrag refers to a feature of some of the more advanced defragmenters which detect fragmentation just after it happens and launch the disk defrag process to intervene. This kind of feature is obviously very useful because it you don’t need to take any action yourself, just install the defragmenter and then leave it and let it do its job. Automatic defragmenters need to do their work without interfering with what you are doing on your computer as they run, they should not use the system resources (memory and processor) that you need to continue working. Hence automatic defragmenters will look for unused system resources, for example, when your computer is idle and do their work then. A defragmenter with a good automatic defrag option is Diskeeper with its InvisiTasking technology.Using Boot Defrag to Defragment Immovable FilesSome files on your hard drive cannot be moved yet still experience fragmentation. These files are usually system files essential to the proper operation of your operating system. If the defrag process cannot move these files then it cannot defragment them. The problem is that these files can become very large and defragging them will really help to speed up your slow computer. The resolution to this issue is to defragment them when they are not locked up by the operating system. This can only happen during computer startup in a process called a Boot Defrag. Only the more advanced defragmenters such as Diskeeper can offer the boot defrag option.Learn more about defragging immovable files. Defragging Individual FilesDefragging individual files is a useful feature of some defragmenters. Rather than running a full defrag of your entire hard drive this feature enables you to select individual files for processing. For example, if your Outlook PST file is heavily fragmented the individual file defrag feature will enable you to select it and defragment only this file. Defragmenters that have this feature include PerfectDisk and UltimateDefragDefragmentation of a Hard Drive With Limited SpaceIdeally you need some free space on your hard drive if you are going to be running the defrag process. Why? Because the defragmenter will be moving around files, some of them potentially quite large and it is very hard do do this with a full or almost full hard drive. Typically the less free space available the slower the defragmenter is going to run. However, a number of disk defragmenters are able to defragment with very limited free space. Diskeeper for example is able to defragment effectively with 1% to 2% hard drive free space.Preventing Fragmentation Before It HappensIt would be great if a tool existed to actually prevent fragmentation from occuring before it occured. The only technology I have been able to find which takes this approach is Diskeeper's Frag Shield technology. This feature focuses on preventing only certain important system files from becoming fragmented such as the Master File Table and the Windows Paging Files. It doesn't prevent fragmentation from occuring on other files.There aren't any other tools that prevent fragmentation from occuring. Basically fragmentation is going to happen on our hard drives whether we like it or not and the best thing we can do is to do a disk defrag regularly to keep our hard drive operating efficiently.
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