Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

New Products

Plenty of Free Space on a Disk? Yes, You Do Need to Defragment

Plenty of Free Space on a Disk?
Yes, You Do Need to Defragment

It’s an old myth that still crops up from time to time: if you have a disk with plenty of free space, you don’t need to defragment that disk. This is one of those bits of information that would logically seem to be true. But unfortunately logic has nothing to do with it, and due to the nature of operating and file systems it is completely false.

If you have a disk that is half-full, the files on it are already fragmented just simply due to the way that files are written to a disk. But let’s take a hypothetical situation, and begin with an assumption of a half-full disk with all the files contiguous (each file in one piece). If you leave that disk alone and never write to it again, your free space and your files will remain defragmented. But as soon as you begin opening, saving, closing and deleting files, tiny fragments of free space are created in between existing files, and the file system automatically writes file fragments to those free spaces. Soon, the files on that disk are fragmented, and your performance is just as slow as if you had far less free space.

Additionally you have to consider this: how quickly is that drive going to fill up? It’s an old law of physics that an empty space is a vacuum. Just by virtue of the fact that there is empty space on that drive, you’re very likely going to find data and applications that “need” to reside on that disk. As that disk becomes more full, fragmentation will even more heavily impact performance.

Many sites already know that fragmentation impacts performance regardless of the quantity of data on a drive, and install a defragmenter with every new system they deploy. That way, disk drive performance is never compromised.

An additional mention should be made regarding the specific defragmentation technology in use. The current method, scheduled defragmentation, is no longer sufficient in today’s computing environments. It absorbs valuable computer personnel time to analyze defragmentation on all drives and then to set up schedules for each drive. But more importantly, fragmentation rates are far worse than those of just a few years ago, and scheduled defragmentation is no longer keeping up; fragmentation continues to build and impact performance in between scheduled runs. And in some cases, scheduled defragmentation isn’t even affecting the fragmentation.

Today’s demands require a fully automatic defragmentation solution, one which requires no scheduling and operates transparently in the background utilizing idle system resources whenever they are available.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Latest Products

DALI PHANTOM M-80 A in-ceiling speaker and PHANTOM CI AMP-4750 Amplifier

In-Wall Speakers

DALI expands its architectural product line with the Phantom M80 A In-Ceiling Speaker and CI AMP-4750 4-Channel DSP Amplifier.

Focal Utopia Cinema LCR Speaker Front Angle Focal Utopia Cinema LCR Speaker Front Angle

In-Wall Speakers

The Focal Utopia CINEMA LCR and Subwoofer are designed for luxury home theater set-ups in large spaces.

Audioengine A2+ Next Gen Desktop Speakers Lifestyle Laptop Audioengine A2+ Next Gen Desktop Speakers Lifestyle Laptop

New Products

For 2025, the Audioengine A2+ now includes Bluetooth 5.3, 24-bit audio, and USB-C connectivity - still at an affordable price.

Audio Pro A28 Wireless Speakers Walnut Lifestyle Audio Pro A28 Wireless Speakers Walnut Lifestyle

New Products

Audio Pro can add more style to your home entertainment system with new walnut finish on its A28 wireless speaker at $650 pair.

TAD ME1TX-SW Stand-mount Loudspeakers Silver Pair Lifestyle TAD ME1TX-SW Stand-mount Loudspeakers Silver Pair Lifestyle

Bookshelf Speakers

At $18,000 per pair, the TAD ME1TX feature an upgraded CST Driver and other refinements.

Shanling CR60 CD Transport Front Angle Silver Shanling CR60 CD Transport Front Angle Silver

CD Players

The Shanling CR60 provides CD playback and ripping capability for a very reasonable $299, but it requires an external DAC.

Gift Ideas?

Super Bowl LIX Gift Guide

Gift Guides

Experience the full impact of Super Bowl LIX in your living room with both a big picture and big sound.

You May Also Like

Advertisement

ecoustics is a hi-fi and music magazine offering product reviews, podcasts, news and advice for aspiring audiophiles, home theater enthusiasts and headphone hipsters. Read more

Copyright © 1999-2024 ecoustics | Disclaimer: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.



SVS Bluesound PSB Speakers NAD Cambridge Audio Q Acoustics Denon Marantz Focal Naim Audio RSL Speakers