Post by Doug L on Sept 5, 2012 12:40:23 GMT -5
As you work away your storage devices (drives) are continually saving and fetching data.
The fragmentation occurs when the saving part is going on, the saving of stuff is far more that you saving something, all sorts of system stuff is being updated also. This is why you may notice your drive so busy when you are not.
The way the computer saves stuff is a messy business, instead of each "file" being kept together as an unbroken (contiguous) object, bits of it are saved wherever the computer can find space.
This means one file can be saved as many pieces. It is continually having to dart to the beginning of the next slice and add it to the other slices in the right order as it works with that file. It works with many files simultaneously so you can imagine the resource expended even when you are not using it.
In order to join the pieces back together the computer creates a table which reminds it where the bits of the file are. The end result is the computer has to do a lot of input/output (I/O) when working with files.
Every time a file is called on the computer has to find all the pieces and put them back together again in the right order. Not only that, it may be juggling many files simultaneously, this is why it gets so busy when not being used.
Why should you care?
Well file fragmentation can seriously slow things down for you... and as time goes by it gets worse.
The answer is occasional fragmentation maintenance, this in effect takes all the fragmented files and restores them as single data elements on the storage... in other words it makes them contiguous again on the storage.
Obviously starting off cleaner with far less to do... the computer will be far more responsive, to your bidding.
SeeHere
These type of de-frag utilities graphically show how bad your situation is. An ounce of prevention is still better than a pound of cure.
Once a week or more is good.
The fragmentation occurs when the saving part is going on, the saving of stuff is far more that you saving something, all sorts of system stuff is being updated also. This is why you may notice your drive so busy when you are not.
The way the computer saves stuff is a messy business, instead of each "file" being kept together as an unbroken (contiguous) object, bits of it are saved wherever the computer can find space.
This means one file can be saved as many pieces. It is continually having to dart to the beginning of the next slice and add it to the other slices in the right order as it works with that file. It works with many files simultaneously so you can imagine the resource expended even when you are not using it.
In order to join the pieces back together the computer creates a table which reminds it where the bits of the file are. The end result is the computer has to do a lot of input/output (I/O) when working with files.
Every time a file is called on the computer has to find all the pieces and put them back together again in the right order. Not only that, it may be juggling many files simultaneously, this is why it gets so busy when not being used.
Why should you care?
Well file fragmentation can seriously slow things down for you... and as time goes by it gets worse.
The answer is occasional fragmentation maintenance, this in effect takes all the fragmented files and restores them as single data elements on the storage... in other words it makes them contiguous again on the storage.
Obviously starting off cleaner with far less to do... the computer will be far more responsive, to your bidding.
SeeHere
These type of de-frag utilities graphically show how bad your situation is. An ounce of prevention is still better than a pound of cure.
Once a week or more is good.