Third-Party Defragmenters: Yea or Nay?

[James M. Fisher]

Over the years I have used just about every major disk defragger and while each vendor claims amazing results with every new release, I can honestly say I am not seeing it. Perhaps it depends on how heavily one uses their PC, add files, downloads, etc.

What has been your experience? Has any defragger had an impact on your PC's performance?

[abarbarian]

I used this for some years when I ran old style disks.

 

Diskeeper 10 Home review

 

It certainly seemed to keep my pc sweet, both XP and 7. Best thing about it is once set up it runs in the background. I never found it interfering with the running of the pc as it runs when your pc is at idle or surfing the web for instance.

 

[James M. Fisher]

I have used Diskeeper as well, I think it is at v12 now. I just wonder if it is any better that the one that ships with Windows.

Edited June 7, 2014 by James M. Fisher

[amenditman]

I used Norton's SpeedDisk back in the early days. Since Symantec bought out Norton, I have pretty much just used Windows built in defragger. Never had any issues with it.

 

As for results, if the disk is heavily fragmented I do see noticable results from defragging.

[James M. Fisher]

I had forgotten about Norton... they had quite the Swiss army of all PC tools in their Norton Utilities and SystemWorks packages.

[Guest LilBambi]

With Windows XP, I like Defraggler from Piriform (same folks that brought us CCleaner), but with Windows 7 and Windows 8 I don't see the needed since the Windows Defrag which is built by Microsoft runs on a schedule already and on SSD drives it's totally not needed.

 

 

What Is "Defragging," and Do I Need to Do It to My Computer?

[abarbarian]

I have used Diskeeper as well, I think it is at v12 now. I just wonder if it is any better that the one that ships with Windows.

 

As Fran says the MS one runs on a schedule which is ok if you have regular pc habits.Do not know if it interferes with pc usage whilst running, ie does it slow the pc down?.Diskeeper runs continuously in the background with no interference.

Choice is,

Free with caveats

Paid for perfection.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

I've never found MS Windows' integral defrag app to be worth a spit. Someone (maybe Sunrat/Roger) recommended Auslogics Defragger to me a few years ago. I've used it every since. Works well and quickly (depending on hdd and other hardware capabilities). I haven't had any complaints.

 

Auslogics --> http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag/

[Guest LilBambi]

The built in defrag in Windows 7 and Windows 8 does not degrade the system usage from what I have seen.

[amenditman]

..and on SSD drives it's totally not needed.

More than not needed, you must not use it at all on an SSD.

 

I had forgotten Defraggeler, I've used it before, Windows XP and Vista.

Works faster than the default and moved more files.

Edited June 7, 2014 by amenditman

[V.T. Eric Layton]

No need to defrag ext2, ext3, or ext4 file systems either.

[Guest LilBambi]

Yep...so true Eric. Linux it's not needed at all.

[goretsky]

Hello,

 

The Microsoft Disk Defragmenter (filename: DEFRAG.EXE) and associated scheduled background task in Windows Vista and up seem to be adequate for defragmenting hard disk drives in the background. All disk defragmentation programs these days use Microsoft's standard APIs for this functionality, so the real difference between them is how they "optimize" (that is, organize or place) the files on the disk.

 

I have been using Raxco's PerfectDisk software for a number of years—just the on-demand portion, none of the real-time technologies it provides—as well, typically running it every three months or so, regardless of whether the disk volume needed it or not. The largest change I have noticed after defragmenting a disk volume is not in how fast programs run or data is accessed from it, but how much more quickly a backup operation runs against that volume, especially file-based copies to another disk that has been defragmented as well.

 

I would imagine that Condusiv Technologies (formerly Diskeeper Technologies and even more formerly Executive Software's) Diskeeper and Golden Bow's Vopt provide the same functionality as well.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

[James M. Fisher]

..... but how much more quickly a backup operation runs against that volume, especially file-based copies to another disk that has been defragmented as well.

That's a good point....I hadn't thought of that particular advantage.

[Capt.Crow]

Does defrag really move files around or just re-index. them . I was never completely convinced

[ross549]

Defragmentation physically moved the data around the platters. With SSDs, this is no longer a concern.

 

Adam

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Defragmentation physically moved the data around the platters. With SSDs, this is no longer a concern.

 

Adam

 

Because there are no platters. Only chips.

[goretsky]

Hello,

 

And on a chip, every address is accessed at the same speed.

 

I suppose that if one were loading a huge (multiple gigabyte-sized) file from an SSD, it would make sense to make it contiguous, simply so read operations could read the largest amount of data at once, but that's a pretty rare use case, I think. Plus, with various wear-levelling technologies, it might be hard to confirm what's being written to an SSD is really stored in a contiguious fashion. It might be spread out across the banks of DRAM chips....

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

 

Because there are no platters. Only chips.

[abarbarian]

Because there are no platters. Only chips.

 

Hmmm ! Maybe in the USA but here in good ol' blighty you can get a platter of fish and chips.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Ummm... fish and chips!

 

On a platter, too.

 

[abarbarian]

Them chips look great, cooked to perfection.

Edited June 10, 2014 by abarbarian

[Guest LilBambi]

Yummm!!

[Capt.Crow]

That looks like a nice piece of Haddock. :fish:

[V.T. Eric Layton]

I'm fasting today. That pic is pure torture right now.

[Capt.Crow]

Have you noticed how clean his local chipper is .. Not like our greasy spoon.