Should I defrag??

[MZB]

I have an Inspiron 2200-- 33 gb hard drive--about 14 gb free. I use XP HOME

I use Windows defrag every so often (about every 2-3 months I use the
analyze function and if it recommends defrag I'll do it).

My question: should I?? It's a pain in the butt-- it seems to take a couple
of hours (it seems to stall at 10% but then eventually finishes).

I haven't noticed a great deterioration in performance.

So should I bother to defrag.

Is there a particular file fragmentation factor I should use in determining
whether or not to defrag?? (I think anything over 10% and the program
recommends defragging)

Mel

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I have an Inspiron 2200-- 33 gb hard drive--about 14 gb free. I use
XP HOME
I use Windows defrag every so often (about every 2-3 months I use
the analyze function and if it recommends defrag I'll do it).

My question: should I?? It's a pain in the butt-- it seems to take
a couple of hours (it seems to stall at 10% but then eventually
finishes).
I haven't noticed a great deterioration in performance.

So should I bother to defrag.

Is there a particular file fragmentation factor I should use in
determining whether or not to defrag?? (I think anything over 10%
and the program recommends defragging)

Yes. You should defrag.

You don't *have to*, but you don't *have to* dust, straighten your house,
clean your dishes, take out the trash or maintain your vehicles either.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I have an Inspiron 2200-- 33 gb hard drive--about 14 gb free. I use XP HOME

I use Windows defrag every so often (about every 2-3 months I use the
analyze function and if it recommends defrag I'll do it).

My question: should I?? It's a pain in the butt-- it seems to take a
couple of hours (it seems to stall at 10% but then eventually finishes).

I haven't noticed a great deterioration in performance.

So should I bother to defrag.

Is there a particular file fragmentation factor I should use in
determining whether or not to defrag?? (I think anything over 10% and the
program recommends defragging)

Mel

Defragmentation goes a lot faster if you clear out temporary files, browser
caches and the recycle bin first.

If you do this, the defragmenter usually has thousands fewer files to move
around. This also applies to indexers and virus scanners. If a
defragmenter appears to slow or stop, it's possibly looking at one large
file. The name may appear in the status bar.

At www.ccleaner.com you can get ccleaner, an excellent utility which will
be very helpful in getting rid of all these files in a couple of easy steps.

HTH
-pk

 

[Poprivet]

I have an Inspiron 2200-- 33 gb hard drive--about 14 gb free. I use
XP HOME
I use Windows defrag every so often (about every 2-3 months I use the
analyze function and if it recommends defrag I'll do it).

My question: should I?? It's a pain in the butt-- it seems to take a
couple of hours (it seems to stall at 10% but then eventually
finishes).
I haven't noticed a great deterioration in performance.

So should I bother to defrag.

Is there a particular file fragmentation factor I should use in
determining whether or not to defrag?? (I think anything over 10% and
the program recommends defragging)

Mel

-- Yes, you should defrag.
-- The more often you defrag, the less work it has to do and the less time
it takes to run.
-- It recommends doing a defrag BEFORE speed degradation is very
noticeable, but AFTER it has reached a fairly defragged state, making the
defrag operation take longer.
-- Clearing off temp files and internet history can speed up defrag by
making fewer files to move around.

I try to defrag once a week; that way it only takes a few minutes to run.
If it takes over an hour to defrag, it's often worth running defrag a second
time as it may not have been able to defrag everything it could. Defrag on
a fully defragged disk only takes a minute or two; it's fast because there
is "nothing to do". I defrag in the background and continue to work unless
I am defragging drive C. In that case, I let the machine idle so defrag can
have all the power.

HTH
Pop`