Optimizing Master Disk Defragmentation

The system is used for a long time, will produce disk fragmentation, too much fragmentation will not only lead to system performance degradation, but also can cause the loss of storage files, serious, even shorten the hard disk life. As a system maintenance tool, Windows Optimization Master provides Windows2000/xp/2003/vista users with disk fragmentation analysis and collation to help users easily understand and organize file fragments on their hard drives.

What is disk fragmentation

In a logical volume of Windows, files are not always kept in a contiguous cluster of disks, but are dispersed and stored in different locations. When the application requires insufficient physical memory, Windows generates a swap file (typically: Pagefile.sys) on disk, which uses the disk space that the file occupies as a virtual memory, namely: virtual memory. Because of the need for frequent data exchange between physical and virtual memory, Windows virtual memory management programs frequently read and write to hard disks, resulting in a large amount of fragmentation, which is the primary cause of disk fragmentation. In addition, another major cause of disk fragmentation is temporary files that are frequently generated by the system or application, such as when browsers are browsing the web, resulting in a large amount of disk fragmentation as a result of the need for constant caching. In addition, when installing or downloading new software, the system usually stores files on the first contiguous free space that is large enough for the file. If you don't have enough free space, Windows saves as many files as possible on the largest available space, and then saves the rest of the data on the next available space, and so on.

How much disk fragmentation can damage the system

When the system runs a program, the head of the hard drive first searches for the files that the program needs to run, and then reads the data into memory or disk cache. The search time is called the mean seek time in the hard disk performance metric (Average), in milliseconds (ms). If you can put the application's related files in the contiguous space of the disk, the head search time will be much reduced. This is also true when the hard disk reads the data in the sector below the head for only one-fifth of the time it takes to move the head to another location and then read the data. Read the disk, the system will first check whether the data in the cache, if there is a direct read, if not the hard drive from the read. When you need to read the same data multiple times, the cache is very useful, but for the first time to read a file, the cache can do nothing. Therefore, search time and reading time affect the efficiency of program execution to a great extent.

According to the official Microsoft document: The more fragments in the volume, the lower the file input/output system performance of the computer. We can also understand that excessive disk fragmentation causes the head to continuously search and read data from one file to another in different places, thus reducing the efficiency and speed of system operation. In the long run, it will also reduce the service life of the hard disk.

In summary, it is necessary for us to analyze and organize the disk fragments on a regular basis (e.g., once a month). The Disk Defragmenter module currently provided by Windows Optimizer can analyze local volumes, defragment files, and folders so that each file or folder can occupy separate and contiguous disk space on the volume. This allows the system to access files and folders more efficiently, and to save new files and folders more efficiently. By merging files and folders, Disk Defragmenter also merges the free space on the volume to reduce the possibility of fragmentation of new files. Currently, the disk defragmentation provided by the Windows Optimizer master is compatible with the FAT, FAT32, NTFS file system under Windows2000/xp/2003/vista.

Note: The disk defragmentation currently provided by Windows Optimization Master does not yet include a paging file that collates virtual memory (usually: Pagefile.sys). Because of the relative normal file, the paging file appears less fragmented. However, the paging file will inevitably be fragmented.

Before you perform disk fragmentation analysis and collation, make sure that you are a member of the Administrators group.

First, please click the "Analysis" button to analyze the volume. After analysis, a pop-up dialog box tells you the percentage of fragmented files and folders on the volume, and suggests that you want to defragment it. It is recommended that the user follow the "Windows Optimizer Master Recommendations" in the analysis report. We recommend that users analyze the volume on a regular basis (for example, once a month), but defragment it only when you get the recommended disk defragmentation by the Windows Optimizer master.

After the analysis, the user can view the analysis result in the color square below the main form, in the upper right of the square graph, the size of the hard disk space indicated by each square is indicated for different volumes. At the same time, the squares of different colours represent different meanings.

The default color meanings are as follows:

(1), Red: fragmented documents;

(2), Blue: Consecutive files (not fragments);

(3), Green: Files that cannot be moved (usually the paging file Pagefile.sys), which cannot be relocated through disk defragmentation, and to organize such files, use the professional and independent Disk Defragmenter tool that the Windows Optimizer master expects to launch in 2007;

(4), White: The free space available on the volume;

(5), Purple: The space occupied by the main file table, namely: MFT Zone. Note: This area is currently being fed to Windows Vista users only.

If you are advised to organize the analysis report, click on "Defragmentation". In the process of finishing, the user can see the process of finishing through the color square diagram below the main form: the red squares are gradually reduced, and the blue squares are gradually increasing.

After finishing, you will also pop up a report of the results of the collation, like the analysis report, the user can view the selected volume details.

Note: The amount of time that disk defragmentation takes depends on several factors, including the size of the volume, the number and size of files on the volume, the number of fragments, and the available local system resources. First, analyze the volume to find all the fragmented files and folders before defragmenting the files and folders. You can then observe how the fragments on the volume are generated and decide whether to benefit from defragmenting the volume.

Before you defragment the Windows master, you can set up to automatically run the system disk Doctor to check for possible problems with repairing the backlog, thereby preventing the file from being mistakenly written to the problematic location and causing loss. Please refer to the relevant recommended instructions later.

Before defragmenting the disk, the Windows Optimizer master can go directly to disk file management and automatically select the pending volumes when it detects that the user's remaining space is less than 15% (2000/xp/2003), so that the user scans to analyze and delete the junk files on the volume. This frees up more free space for disk defragmentation. Please refer to the relevant recommended instructions later.

Windows Optimization Master when running in Vista, there is no space for 15% limit, but more remaining space will facilitate the collation more comprehensive.

Master of Windows tuning automatically turns off the screen saver during disk defragmentation. Please refer to the relevant recommended instructions later.

Note: How do I defragment multiple partitions at the same time?

Click the Defragment button to organize multiple partitions at once by pressing the CTRL or SHIFT key to select more than one partition to be sorted.

At the same time, the Windows Optimizer master also pops up a disk fragmentation analysis report.

Report:

Recommendations and instructions for disk defragmentation by Master of Windows optimization

• The first analysis before finishing. Make sure your disks need to be defragmented before finishing, not only avoiding unnecessary waste of time, but also avoiding excessive disk defragmentation.

Note: A partially circulated document says: Disk defragmentation can cause hard disk life to slow down because of the high speed of the hard drive, and we think even so, it will be after a nearly astronomical number of times the hard drive is sorted. After all, when the hard disk is used for a long time, the location of the file will be fragmented (the contents of the file will be scattered in different locations on the hard drive). The presence of these fragments will not only reduce the working efficiency of the hard drive, but also increase the likelihood of data loss and data corruption, and will the fragmentation lead to frequent movement of the head without reducing disk life? Defragmentation is indeed a very small task for the running parts of the hard drive. If the hard drive has arrived at its final stage of life, defragmentation does have the potential to cause the hard drive to become corrupted. But in this case, even without defragmentation, the hard disk will quickly crash, not to mention the individual experience of corruption, often is not in accordance with the requirements of the operation, such as: Did not follow the "collation period do not read and write data" recommendations. So, we think that regular disk defragmentation should be to reduce the hard drive wear. After all, it's much easier to get the head of a hard disk to read the entire contents of a file from one location than from multiple locations. To sum up, we believe that a regular analysis and according to the report recommended that the disk fragmentation of the hard disk life should be longer than a never-collated hard disk, as long as it is not nothing to defragment the disk without worrying about the life of the hard drive. Therefore, we recommend that users perform a periodic analysis every half month or every January, and then organize them after they get a report on how the Windows optimizer master needs to defragment the disk.

• Use the system disk physician module provided by Windows Optimizer Master to scan, detect, and repair errors in the disk before defragmenting the disk. Avoid defragmenting disks that have errors, and run system disks before finishing. Doctor is necessary. By checking the integrity of your hard disk, checking and fixing file system errors, and scanning, labeling, and recovering bad sectors, you can avoid files being mistakenly written to the location where the problem exists and causing loss.

• Close other applications during collation and do not read or write data. Disk defragmentation often takes a long time, many users feel idle at this time, in order to play music at the same time, playing games, etc., this should be absolutely avoided, because the disk defragmentation when the hard disk in high-speed rotation, at this time the frequent data reading and writing, may cause computer crashes, serious even if the hard disk damage. For these reasons, we recommend that users close all other applications including screen savers, virus firewalls, chat software, media players, and so on during the collation process.

• Before disk defragmentation, use the disk File management module provided by the Windows Optimizer master to scan, analyze, and clean up garbage files, and make sure that the volumes you need to defragment are 15% of the remaining space before you defragment them. A small volume of garbage files, in addition to getting faster finishing speed, but also to avoid cleaning up after the end of the garbage files, resulting in new disk debris generation. In addition, because you need to use part of the free space as the sorting area for file fragmentation, the volumes you need to defragment must have at least 15% free space to perform full disk defragmentation. If the volume has less than 15% free space, it can only be partially defragmented. To increase the volume free space, use the disk file management provided by the Windows Optimizer master to remove the junk files or move some files to another disk.

• Analyze or defragment a volume after it has been installed with new software or a large number of files have been added. After installing the new software, many new files are added to the hard disk, often resulting in a lot of fragmentation, so please analyze or defragment the disk to make sure your system gets the best file input/output system performance.

• Do not cross-organize each other's partitions under multiple systems. Some users install multiple operating systems, for example: Windows98 and Windows XP are installed at the same time. Because of system compatibility and other reasons, cross defragmentation may result in file translocation, confusion, and even system crashes, so it is recommended that you clean up the Windows XP partition instead of Windows 98 partitions in windows®.

Files that Windows Tuning Master is currently unable to defragment

Pagefile.sys, Hiberfil.sys, Bootsect.dos, Safeboot.fs, Safeboot.csv, SAFEBOOT.RSV, Memory.dmp, files within the Recycle Bin.