Fragmentation 2

[dik]

My one 4T hard drive is partitioned into drives D:, E:, and F:. I recently checked drive D: and it was badly fragmented. There are no program applications on drive D:, only text, source code, and software that can be installed, but isn't (a backup of different versions of software).

I created a folder on Drive E: and copied the entire contents of Drive D: into it. I erased drive D:, reformatted drive D:, and copied the contents from the folder on Drive E: back to Drive D:.

I had understood that the files would be copied, in a contiguous manner, completely de-fragmented. I ran Piriform's Defraggler, and. it started de-fragging drive D: as if it was badly fragmented.

Can anyone offer an explanation?

Dik

 

[xwb]

Was it a quick format or a full format?

 

[technome]

I had understood that the files would be copied, in a contiguous manner, completely de-fragmented"
You are correct.
Each defrag program has it's own algorithm. some programs place all fragments contiguously but randomly on the disk. Other programs try to defrag but place the unfragmented files in specific area of the disk or try to place files used the most in the fastest area on the drive ... all depends on the programmer's purpose.
Funny how technology has advanced. Defragmentation is still needed on mechanical drives, but far less necessary then in the past. In the 1990s regular defragging was imperative if you wanted performance, now it needed but not so much.


........................................

"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
Popular Mechanics, 1949

 

[dik]

full format, not quick...

Dik

 

[dik]

I guess defraggler tried to 'fix' a de-fragmented logical drive.

Thanks, Dik

 

[Beilstwh]

When you said that you copied the data to the E and then formatted D and copied to back to D, what tool did you use. Just right click and copy or did you use some thing else?


Bill
Lead Application Developer
New York State, USA

 

[dik]

<Ctrl><A>, <CTRL><C>, and after <CTRL><C> and <CTRL><V> and then erased the old one, I think... no third party stuff.

Dik

 

[ChrisHirst]

I had understood that the files would be copied, in a contiguous manner, completely de-fragmented.

Nope! That might only happen if you selected each file independently and copied/moved them individually.

Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.

Never mind this jesus character, stars had to die for me to live.

 

[dik]

Chris: that's not my understanding of how file copying works... it used to be; when did it change and why? There is nothing to be gained by doing otherwise and would only slow down file transfers.

Dik

 

[dik]

Chris:

This is what the result is. I check the copy to see that the same number of files and directories are present, then I will erase the copy on drive D:. Also a print of defraggler showing the defragging from filecopy.

Drive D: has been defragged in the same manner and copying Drive E: to it... it's tacked on to the back end of the existing Drive D files.

Dik

 

[Scott24x7]

GO SSD, then none of this matters anymore...

Best Regards,
Scott
MIET, MASHRAE, CDCP, CDCS, CDCE, CTDC, CTIA, ATS

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, and no simpler."

 

[ChrisHirst]

that's not my understanding of how file copying works

If you were using Linux and EXT4, I would agree with you, but NTFS just isn't that efficient, which is why NTFS drives HAVE to be defragmented regularly, whereas EXT4 file systems rarely do.

Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.

Never mind this jesus character, stars had to die for me to live.

 

[dik]

Thanks Scott... I have an M.2 and an SSD... in my current build... My little ITX board had a spot for an M.2, so I had to use it... were't readily available at the time and had to import it from Australia... Starting to think of a new build...

Dik

 

[dik]

My son's the linux 'geek' in the house... I've just dabbled with it and have one machine dedicated to it... he was telling me about a new file system... I think it was ZFS... know anything about it?

Dik

 

[ChrisHirst]

ZFS is not particularly 'new', it is a filing system created by Sun for their Solaris OS that has been 'ported' to Linux but unless you intend to have, or need to have data storage capabilities that exceed the output of the Large Hadron Collider probably not that useful for the average user.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZFS

https://www.howtogeek.com/175159/an-introduction-to-the-z-file-system-zfs-for-linux/

Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.

Never mind this jesus character, stars had to die for me to live.

 

[technome]

Quote:
I had understood that the files would be copied, in a contiguous manner, completely de-fragmented"

"Nope! That might only happen if you selected each file independently and copied/moved them individually. "

Chris , DIK was copying to an empty drive, the file copy contiguously, if he was copying to a used drive I agree the files would be copied fragmented.

........................................

"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
Popular Mechanics, 1949

 

[dik]

Chris:
Thanks...

Dik

 

[strongm]

ZFS? Perhaps he meant BTRFS.

 

[Scott24x7]

Since SSD are already random access, there is 0 need for defrag.

Best Regards,
Scott
MIET, MASHRAE, CDCP, CDCS, CDCE, CTDC, CTIA, ATS

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, and no simpler."

 

[Scott24x7]

In fact in NVMe and 3DXpoint it's a BAD idea to defrag.

Best Regards,
Scott
MIET, MASHRAE, CDCP, CDCS, CDCE, CTDC, CTIA, ATS

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, and no simpler."