Should Fragmentation Be Taken Seriously?
September 5th, 2007 Leave a comment Visited 23 times, 1 so far today
Should Fragmentation Be Taken Seriously?
Fragmentation has become a controversial issue, with some IT professionals seeing daily defragmentation as a necessity whilst others believe it to be a secondary factor to system performance. However, many computer users are not aware of the issue of fragmentation at all. So why is there such a divide of opinions?
Those who see fragmentation as a minor issue state other issues, such as security, are more threatening. However, advocates of defragmentation argue by dismissing fragmentation computer performance can be dramatically affected – or suffer a total performance decline. Nevertheless, both parties can agree neither security flaws nor system losses affecting performance and reliability are desirable in daily corporate production.
To solve either problem there are some basic rules, for example. It is vital to keep anti-virus software up to speed at all times. Fragmentation should also be handled the same way. But first let’s examine what fragmentation actually is.
As files are added, removed, or changed in size they are saved in the first available space disk creating file fragment all over the disk leading to slower access time. Free-space is also broken into pieces around the disk. Now available storage will be reduced as it too is divided into smaller segments. Since this causes the disk head to frantically seek free space or locate files, it slows down system performance in a remarkable way.
All computer systems experience fragmentation as it is a default of the operating system. Even on freshly built systems, after installing the OS, fragmentation occurs. However, fragmentation is more noticeable on systems with large networks and file traffic which could explain why home users aren’t aware of the subject or see it as a relevant issue.
Fragmentation is an ongoing problem that leads to system inefficiency and effects computer storage. Overtime as files get more fragmented it will cause a slow in performance and can cause your system to suffer total breakdown.
Many IT administrators use defragmentation software to physically restore the disk to create whole files, no longer scattered throughout the disk. Defragmentation also handles fragmented free-space.
Wherever one stands in the debate, it is clear that fragmentation is a problem that needs to be handled. Savvy IT professionals will save space and time for every enterprise.
Contacts
SSPR
Amanda Gilmore
847-415-9320
agilmore {at} sspr(.)com
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September 5th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
If sluggishness, lags and freezes dont bother you and you dont stand a risk if your system crashes or you lose data. On a system that has been heavily used, fragmentation which has accumulated over time can really have a negative impact on performance. Its like a neural disorder, when you have to wait for seconds or minutes after each click for the task to get excecuted. For someone used to smooth and extremely fast system performance, its an important maintenance task and there are people who run the utility on a daily basis. But most people dont bother until the systems gets painfully slow or when their disk is full.
September 11th, 2007 at 01:09 am
A good solution for defragmentation is PerfectDisk from Raxco Software. I’ve used several different programs, and PerfectDisk, for me, does the best job of defragmenting free space, which is important.