Defrag Computer

60 acre hillside · Mar 5, 2013

The first couple of computers I had required that they be defragged periodically. I have not done this on the last four computers I have. Does it need to be done? or can it be done?

SweetFeet · Mar 5, 2013

60 acre,

It may be set as a factory default to defrag. But yes, defragmenting and disk clean up are still available in the control panel.

What operating system do you have? If Windows OP, it is a bit different to find from the XP OP.

Howard H. · Mar 5, 2013

Hey 60 - when I was first getting into computer work in the early 80's - defragmenting the files on the hard drives (school minicomputer) WOULD really help. And it would help some on the early PCs that came later.

But in todays world, with any recent type of hard drive/PC (anything less than 5-10 years old), it is a very rare case to be able to see ANY difference whatsoever.

The smarter drive controller electronics, the speed of the drives themselves, multiple read heads, etc, etc, have made delays from file fragmentation non-existent.

Plus, a lot of people have the notion that defragging somehow affects the registry, cleans up old programs, fights viruses, etc... But all it does is reorganize file layouts to be less "fragmented".

Howard

Dave Sherburne NY · Mar 5, 2013

I don't claim to be a computer expert but the guys I ask when I have a problem have mine set up to Defragg on a schedule. Also said I should do Disc Cleanup.
click on Start, Accessories, System Tools , then Disc cleanup

MarkB_MI · Mar 5, 2013

If you have a newer Windows PC, the disk should be formatted as NTFS. NTFS doesn't fragment as bad as the older FAT file system. That said, your PC can still benefit from routine defragging.

old_bc · Mar 5, 2013

Vista, Windows 7 & 8 defrag automatically when the computer is idle. XP and earlier systems have to be defragmented manually.

farmer boy · Mar 7, 2013

I've done it to Windows XP a few times, but it made no difference at all. I've had better luck staying off of any questionable sites, doing an AV scan periodically, and eventually saving anything I want, and just doing a fresh install of Windows. That makes a huge difference everytime. Shouldn't be necessary, but I'm too cheap to take it in to get viruses taken off, so I just wipe it. With Windows XP Pro, I've also had good luck with system restore for viruses. It never worked worth a dam on Windows XP Home.

guido · Mar 7, 2013

Hello old_bc.
I don't know where you got thet info, but my window seven has no auto defrag that I know.I suspect the others don't have it either.
On my Windows7 it can be schedules or run manually. No auto feature that I see
I do see a bit of speed increase when I defrag mine.
Guido.

mdtractormechanic · Mar 7, 2013

60 acre,
1st, Degragmenting is still neccesary. It speeds up harddrive searches which is important when starting programs and cuts down on harddrive wear by minimizing the movement of the actuator arm and pivot axis. This also reduces heat and also wear on the ribbon cable.

2nd, You can schedule an auto defrag on Vista and Win7 by left clicking the Start button, type in 'disk defragmenter' in the search window at the bottom then hit enter. This starts the defrag but you can see in this box how to schedule future defrags for increased performance.

3rd, The next time you have a computer question I would suggest searching computer forums for answers to your computer question. Would you take your tractor to a computer tech for repairs? Just being realistic not argumentative.

Defrag Computer

60 acre hillside

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SweetFeet

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Howard H.

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Dave Sherburne NY

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MarkB_MI

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old_bc

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farmer boy

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guido

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mdtractormechanic

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