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Thank you for the explanation & info!
I’m a bit alarmed by the possible loss of performance after around 6 months use: when buying the new computer I specified a powerful one that would also last well if cared for properly – I use a few heavyish programmes for image management and processing etc. I had thought that SSD’s were stronger and less prone to failure than HDD’s.
I do have some programmes and all images on a sepearate drive, but I think I’ll transfer as much as possible (documents etc) to one of the two HDD’s also available, and leave as little as possible on the OS drive. …and not defrag it unless it looks essential !

You’re very welcome!

I have heard of many users doing what you propose in terms of using an SSD for the OS and HDDs for storage. Seems like an excellent idea!

Your SSD should do fine performance-wise so long as it is optimized now and then.

I’m sure as the tech evolves they will resolve the limited write issue (and the price of SSDs will come down, eventually making them main stream drives).
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As an aside: In the last newsletter, I read that one shouldn’t defrag a solid state drive, and my C drive is SS – does anyone know why SS drives should not be defragged ?

SSDs can write files only a finite number of times, so you want to minimize how much is written to them. Since defrag re-arranges file fragments so they are contiguous (which involves re-writing the files) the performance gained from doing so is not worth using up the finite number of file writes an SSD has.

Also, since SSDs don’t write files the same way as Hard Disk Drives (HHDs) file fragmentation is not as big an issue in and of itself so a defrag would not really benefit an SSD as much as with HDDs.

With SSDs, it’s more a matter of “free space fragmentation”, which has more to do with how the free sapce is allocated and if it’s “re-captured” after a file is erased (this is why SSDs tend to lose performance by writing slower after about 6 months of use).

There are optimizers that recapture this free space and have the SSD write the files onto the free space contiguously to extend the SSD’s performance for drives that are not equipped with native features that collect free space.

One of these is called “HyperFast”. Here is some info on this issue and how HyperFast addresses it:

http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/review/1957889/review-diskeeper-2009-pro-premier-hyperfast

http://downloads.diskeeper.com/pdf/HyperFast-White-Paper.pdf

So with HDDs, you need a good defrag solution. with SSDs, you need an optimizer that addresses and consolidates free sapce and causes the files to be written intelligently from the start so as prolong its performance.

I have a PC in which I have trouble copying files from one location to another – like c: to an external drive or to a network drive. Tried using a batch file with same result.
However, if I drag and drop files in My Computer, the speed is very acceptable.
This does not make sense and is very irritating because the drag and drop is manual. I have found nothing that makes sense online.
Does anybody have an idea as to what is causing this and how to fix?
Thanks!

Have you tried doing a system restore to a point well before this started to happen?

Afterwards, I then would recommend cleaning the machine with CCleaner (http://download.cnet.com/ccleaner/). Just be alert as it will ask you to install a toolbar, etc.

Then defrag your drive very definitely (BruceWebs’ point is very valid).

I suggest a good third party defrag program as they are automatic and you won’t have to worry about remembering to do it.

I use this defrag program.

Good luck!
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….it sound like the answer to my original question is that there is not agreed-upon percentage that would create a defrag recommendation. It seems XP did have one.

Mel

XP had a different defrag algorithm than Win 7 and Vista (those built-in defraggers also have a lot less info than XP did).

As for your question, you’re right Mel, there is no set percentage because it really depends on what kind of user is asking.

To an IT Manager caring for hundreds of machines where every performance second counts, 7% would probably mean he’s been slacking-off in the PC maintenance area;

To a serious gamer (caffeine being administered intravenously so he can play the latest version of the fastest game non-stop in a national competition), he would probably cringe and freak-out that he’s getting a huge performance hit;

To a casual user, 7% is probably no big deal, performance-wise.

Many users (me included) use third party defrag programs that defragment their drives while the PC is in use so as to maintain as low a fragmentation level as possible. They aren’t necessarilly being picky, it’s just that there is another side to fragmentation — disk wear.

Fragmentation is basically non-contiguous pieces of files and free space randomly scattered across a disk. When this happens, your disk has to work a lot more to write and read files than it has to (and some files can be broken up into thousands of pieces, so that’s a lot of unnecessary wear).

When the disk is defragmented, the disk usage is a lot less.

The simplicity is the more the disk is used, the faster it will wear-out.

So if you ask one of those users how often you should defrag, they would probably reply “how long do you want your disks to last?”

It all depends on the user.

Personally, I use Diskeeper — it is an automatic defrag program so I don’t have to remember to do it (and my disks do tend to last twice as long as people I know who don’t defrag automatically)…..

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I have a laptop that is running slow and tried to Defrag and got “defragmentation of (C) has been aborted due to inconsistencies that were detected in File System. Please run CHKDISK or SCANDISK to repair. have not been able to run either of these programs. what else can I do? system is XP 3

Here’s a list of successful actions with regards to fixing the Built-in Defragmenter.

Most situations I have found resolve with these steps:

There are several reasons why the built-in may not work properly:

0. There is malware on the system. Solution: Run an Anti-Virus check and also a Spyware check.

1. The disk is too full (you need at least 15% free space, sometimes 20%). Solution: Delete unneeded files and programs till you have more than 20% free space.

2. The disk is damaged and needs to be repaired. Solution:

a.Open “My Computer” and right click on the drive you want to de-frag.
b. Select “Properties” and click on the “Tools” tab.
c. Select “Check now” to check the disk for errors.
d. Select both options and click “start”;

(It may take a while and the PC may re-start so it can do the check at boot time. Be patient and let it complete).

3. Disk Defragmenter may be corrupted, needing a System Restore to correct it. Solution:

a. Start – All Programs – Accessories – System Tools – System Restore (click to open);
b. Select a restore point well before you started having problems with Disk Defragmenter;
c. Start the restore process and let it complete (Name the restore operation something descriptive like “Defrag Repair”).

4. There are other programs running that interrupt the built-in defragmenter. Solution:
a. Close all running programs.
b. If you suspect there may be some programs running in the background,
c. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and
d. Select “Start Task Manager”
e. Under the “Applications” tab you will find a list of all running applications — you can close these by selecting “End Task.”

5. If still no luck, try disabling the screen saver when running Disk Defrag (you should pretty much leave the system alone when running the built-in defrag utility).

6. If still no go, try running the defragmenter in Safe Mode. If it runs, something is interfering with it and tracking the interference down may not be easy. Note: Some versions of Win 7 disable the ability to run the built in defragger in safe mode. If disabled, it will say so when trying to run it in safe mode.

7. Disk Defragmenter may no longer be on the system or is so corrupted that it needs a re-install. Solution: Re-install the built-in.

There are several methods to re-install the built-in defragger:

A:
a. Open the “Start” menu.
b. Type “%Windir%Inf” in the “Search” box and press “Enter”.
c. In the window that opens, find the file named “dfrg.inf”.
d. Right-click on “dfrg.inf” and “Install.”

B:
a. Go to “Start > Run” on your computer.
b. Type “rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 %windir%infdfrg.inf” and press “Enter”
3. Click “OK” to make the program automatically reinstall itself.

C:
a.go to Start >All Programs>Accessories>Right Click on Command Prompt> select “Run As Administrator”
b. At command prompt, type “regsvr32 dfrgsnap.dll” and hit “Enter.”
c. Type “regsvr32 dfrgui.dll” and hit “Enter.” This will reinstall any missing defragger files.

8. Most problems will resolve by #6 above, but if not and if your windows install is otherwise running fine, you should consider downloading a free trial of a commercial defrag tool as opposed to doing drastic actions to restore the built-in’s functinality. Third party programs are more robust and many work in the background so you can use your PC while defragging.

Most third party programs offer a free, fully-functional trial (the better ones are for 30 days). Installing one of these will disable the built-in and if you decide to uninstall it, removal will replace the built-in, many times repairing it in the process — it’s worth a try. . ..

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

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

The Gold medal winner is the only defrag program that also prevents fragmentation (see the review).

Why is it good to prevent fragmentation?

Basically, it drastically increases your hard drive’s life expectancy (especially since you don’t have to leave the system on all night — a much “greener” practice), not to mention it will also increase system performance.

Check out what the review has to say on this.

Good luck to you!

Bill R TechSpec

PS: If after all this, still no go, repair may involve registry editing or repairing the windows installation and possibly re-installing windows itself. These are not simple solutions.

If this is needed, state so and the procedures can be provided.