How do you defrag?

[Vince53]

I decided it was time to defrag my Windows 7 computer, but I can't find out how. "Search" tells me that there is no listing. I have IObit's "Smartdefrag" but I have learned in the past not to use third party defraggers.

Anybody have any helpful suggestions?

 

[jloc]

If you don't want to use a third party defragger, go to My Computer > Right click the disk you want to defrag > Click Properties > Go along to Tools and hit Defragment.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/11733-disk-defragmenter-open-use.html

 

[Vince53]

You're right, jloc. The defrag was right where it has always been on older editions of Windows. I don't know why I couldn't find it. It works fine. Thank you.

Perhaps someone could explain why people use third party defraggers when the one that comes with Windows works fine.

 

[The Howling Wolves]

You're right, jloc. The defrag was right whee it has always been on older editions of Windows. I don't know why I couldn't find it. It works fine. Thank you.

Perhaps someone could explain why people use third party defraggers when the one that comes with Windows works fine.

After doing a search for your question I ran across this thread and posts.
http://www.sevenforums.com/software/148239-best-defragment-program-2.html

Start with # 18 and read on...
Hope this helps.
THW

 

[Vince53]

Thank you, Howling Wolves. I posted on that thread that ever since Windows 95, I have used Microsoft's built-in defragger and have never had a problem.

 

[The Howling Wolves]

Thank you, Howling Wolves. I posted on that thread that ever since Windows 95, I have used Microsoft's built-in defragger and have never had a problem.

I bounce back and forth with some of the 3rd party ones but always come back to our built in one.
Thanks for getting back to us.
THW

 

[wanchoo]

Auslogics free defragger and Puran free defragger are two very good third party defraggers and free. Try out Puran.

 

[gregrocker]

After ten years using Auslogics superior Disk and Reg defraggers, I switched to Puran free to get the boot-time defrag which can get at System files. There is also on the Additional Operations tab an Intelligent Optimizer that moves most-used files to the outer edge of HD for faster reads, which can noticeably speed up an older HD.

 

[HowardB]

The built-in defrag as well as the others mentioned in this thread are a reactive approach to fragmentation and provides a temporary solution to an on-going problem. Just because you defrag your PC, doesn’t mean the problem has been solved. The minute you finish running your defrag, your PC will once again start accumulating increasingly more fragmentation with each and every use, so you feel like you are fighting a losing battle.

It also means that your PC is wasting resources by first writing fragmented files to your hard drive, and then requiring the defrag engine (built-in or other defrag only solution) to go to work locating and consolidating your files so that they that they are contiguous. This reactive, after-the-fact approach to fragmentation still leaves you vulnerable to an unreliable and slow performing PC.
The ideal solution is fragmentation prevention. Implemented as a proactive solution it provided a more complete solution that keeps your disk performing at optimum speeds at all times. Diskeeper is unique as it combines the best of both worlds by automatically handling any fragmentation that is already hurting your disk performance, and combining that with a fragmentation prevention technology that stops future fragmentation before it happens.

When your files are written to the disk contiguously (without fragmentation) rather than scattered across your disk, your PC doesn’t have to work as hard to read or write your files. Plus as an added bonus, the reduction in disk activity actually extends the life of your hard drive by an additional 1-3 years - saving you money in replacement costs.
Send me a private message for further information.
Thanks,
Howard

 

[manhunter2826]

have never defragged any of my win 7 machines -- yet...i always read (was told ? lol ) as not necessary with win 7.

 

[bru]

have never defragged any of my win 7 machines -- yet...i always read (was told ? lol ) as not necessary with win 7.

So you specifically turned off the built in Disk Defragmenter. I'm pretty sure mine was enabled by default. I've noticed it defrags more often than the once a week it is set for .

 

[manhunter2826]

have never defragged any of my win 7 machines -- yet...i always read (was told ? lol ) as not necessary with win 7.

So you specifically turned off the built in Disk Defragmenter. I'm pretty sure mine was enabled by default. I've noticed it defrags more often than the once a week it is set for .

oops forgot about that and just checked; u are correct sir -- it is indeed enabled to run weekly in background. thanks for reminder sir. rep given .

 

[Layback Bear]

I have found that Windows 7 doesn't fragment as much as the older systems. It will depend how much stuff one installs and removes. Windows 7 does as good as any other free ones I have tried. On my XP systems I used Diskeeper Pro and swore it was great but that be because I paid so much for it.

 

[Vince53]

Howard, if you have a lot of empty space on your hard drive, you will not be continually making fragments.

Manhunter, it is not necessary to run defrag on Windows 7 because Windows 7 does it automatically once a week, unless you tell it not to. If you have not done anything yet, then you are fine: Win 7 is already defragging for you.

 

[GeneralEclectic]

The best defragger is no defragger, which is what you need when you have an SSD.

None of these defraggers, including the one Howard's employer (the Diskeeper spammers) makes are worth much of anything because they ignore the fact that the files you need to do *anything* are always scattered all over the disk. Any program you want to start is going to involve exe, dll, ini, cfg, etc. etc. files and NONE of these defraggers makes the slightest attempt to consolidate these files in a way that minimizes seek and latency of mechanical disks. All the publishers of these things want to talk about is file (and sometimes directory and metadata) fragmentation which you can see is only a part of the problem of speeding up response times of mechanical disks.

Actually, there is (or was) one defragger that kinda sorta recognizes the importance of consolidating files on a folder-by-folder layout -- O&O has that option. But even that only half-addresses the problem because on any typical startup, the system still has to access files in the program directory, directory structure itself, the Windows hierarchy, the User hierarchy, and perhaps other places, which are still scattered across the disk.

Bottom line -- use the one Bill gave you. It's 90% as good as anything else, none of which really solve the fundamental problem as well as a SSD does.