De-Fragging

Post by **Garry Russell** » 27 Apr 2007, 12:02

I can't defrag with windows at the moment because it need 15 percent free.

I was down to 3 percent the other day..........threw off loads of stuff and now it's nine so still won't do it. :sad:

Garry

DanKH · Post by **DanKH** » 27 Apr 2007, 12:09

Diskeeper 2007 has even got the neat feature of defragmenting in the background using available idle processes thus constantly keeping the system up to its full potential.

I have never thought twice of the benefits of a defragmented disc compared to a fragmented.

Even the sound of that last sentence seems to prove the benefits.

dswanson · Post by **dswanson** » 27 Apr 2007, 13:43

Hi,

Another factor is the amount of file deleting you do. I do a weekly clean up deleting temp files etc. and this adds to the fragmentation. I also use Registry mechanic in the weekly process as deleting files leaves rubbish behind in the registry that will slow things if not cleaned up.

I use the XP defrag but from these posts may now invest in Diskeeper.

VEGAS · Post by **VEGAS** » 27 Apr 2007, 15:52

Thanks for all the feedback gents. Quite of lot of information for me to look into there. I'll take it all on board and see what's best.

Thanks again for your time.

petermcleland · Post by **petermcleland** » 27 Apr 2007, 20:46

Garry Russell wrote:I can't defrag with windows at the moment because it need 15 percent free.

I was down to 3 percent the other day..........threw off loads of stuff and now it's nine so still won't do it. :sad:

Garry,

A couple of points:-

1. If you have had System Restore going for a long time, it will have built some massive files and you might like to Switch OFF System Restore and then restart your machine and turn System Restore back on again. You may find that you have now regained a huge amount of space.

2. USB Large External Disc Drives are getting cheaper all the time...at the moment Maplin are selling a 400GB Maxtor for Â£90...you can just plug it in and fire it up (Reformat it to NFDS which might take a little time). It would give you a lot of space to Archive things off your system and get things fluid again. I run a couple of large External Drives for Backing up my system and find them trouble free to operate.

Post by **Garry Russell** » 27 Apr 2007, 20:54

Thanks for the advice Peter

I don't use system restore though.

I have an ICY box but it has been stopping during transfers.

I have re formatted it but need to do more tests before I trust it as a back up.

Unfortunately buying anything else is just not an option for the forseeable future, as soon as it is I will install a second drive on the PC and another standalone back up. :dance:

ATB

Garry

nigelb · Post by **nigelb** » 28 Apr 2007, 05:15

petermcleland wrote: Garry,

If you have had System Restore going for a long time, it will have built some massive files and you might like to Switch OFF System Restore and then restart your machine and turn System Restore back on again. You may find that you have now regained a huge amount of space.

The only problem with that method is it destroys all your restore points. In Win XP you can go into the control panel, select the System icon and then select the System Restore tab at the top and adjust the size of the disk space used by System Restore. The size can then be either increased or decreased.

jeggsy · Post by **jeggsy** » 28 Apr 2007, 17:20

A few little things I do to keep my home PC running sweetly. As I work in an IT department, time and money allowing, these tips usually get used there to.

I always aim to keep at least 20% free space on all drives.

Use a 3rd party defrag utility (I use Diskeeper 2007) and schedule it for at least a weekly defrag and more often if you like deleting and saving files a lot. Every now and then I do a Boot-Time defrag which organises folders, swapfile, MFT etc.

I have always turned off system restore in XP as it use disk space and can also be a pain if your trying to clean a virus from a PC.

Use a 3rd party utility to clean and compact your registry (I use JV16 Powertools) This will clear useless information and should provise a nice little boost.

Hope this helps.