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Question

Do I need to keep Running Auslogics Disk Defragmenter?

Aug 19, 2011 2:50PM PDT

Hi there!
I got some info. today, from another site, about this program, and Cnet gave it high praise, so I installed it.
I am a "Newbie" with a Laptop equipped with Windows Vista Home Premium.
I see it going through everything, and am just wondering, how long does it take to go through everything, and, do I need to keep it on here?
Is there any harm to having this program running?
Thanks so much everyone!

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Absolutely not
Aug 20, 2011 5:46AM PDT

If it is running, best to leave it and leave the computer and come back later. I wouldn't attempt to cancel it. If this is a laptop, ensure the mains supply is plugged in. Depending on the size of the hard disk and the speed of the computer, it could take a long time.

But when it is done, do you need to keep it running? Absolutely not. In fact, now you have run it once, it won't be needed for another 6 months to a year, if at all.

Defragging is one of those issues that has grown up over the years as an 'essential task'. It is not, unless you are constantly installing then uninstalling files, moving multiple files around, and deleting files all the time.

But for normal use modern computers it is hardly ever needed.

Mark

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Answer
Do You Need to Keep on Defragmenting?
Aug 23, 2011 12:01PM PDT

To really give a meaningful answer would require knowing how much you use the PC.

If you have a laptop, I assume you use it a lot (or you plan to) so chances are good you should defrag much more frequesntly than every 6 months (even Microsoft sets the built-in to defrag once a week....)

Auslogics is a better than the built-in defragmenter, but they both have limitations in that you can't use the computer while it is being defragmented (mainly because basic defragmenting uses a lot of system resources, making the computer run very sluggishly), so you either have to not use it while defrag is running or set it to defrag over night (but many people are not big fans of leaving their laptops on all night, especially since many times it won;t complete over night, depending on disk use and size).

There are some commercial defragmenters that monitor your system and defrag as needed. These run transparently so you don't have to interrupt your PC usage while defrag is running and the best one actively prevents fragmentation so defrag truly becomes a non-issue at that point.

Rather than give you opinions about your system with insufficient
information, I would suggest you check out the "Defragmentation
Information Center
" where you can get some hard facts and then decide
what would be better for your system as far as defragmenting goes. You can find it at: http://www.diskeeper.com/defrag/defragmentation-center/<span id="INSERTION_MARKER"> .

Good luck to You!

Bill R TechSpec

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Personally
Aug 23, 2011 9:35PM PDT

I distrust "FACTS" that are sponsored by a product that sells the item being discussed.

This is a case in point. FACTS about Defragmentation, by Diskeeper. Why would I trust Diskeeper to tell me about the facts of defragmenting when they are suppliers of defragmenter software anyway?

Why would this OP want to install yet another disk defragmenter when they already have one?

Continuous or frequent defragmenting is not required unless the user is heavily involved in file movement, file deletion, video editing, software install and uninstall, and so on.

Normal use users do not need to 'frequently defrag' their hard drives.

Mark

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Personally?
Sep 1, 2011 11:52AM PDT

Sorry if my post rubbed you the wrong way, dude!

I didn't say you should believe anything or even that you should go to the defrag info center; the comment was in reply to the OP's question.

As for why would anyone want to listen to what Diskeeper has to say about defragmentation? I don't know -- maybe because they have been in the business of resolving fragmentation for over 30 years and as a result they probably know a little bit about fragmentation?

They do usually place at or near the top in most impartial side-by-side comparisons like in this recent one by Top 10 Reviews:

http://disk-defragmenter-software-review.toptenreviews.com/


And since they mainly cater to large enterprise sites, they would probably ensure that whatever "facts" they put in their information center would be verifiable by their customer base (enterprise sites rarely "believe" anyone -- they are interested in facts and results, which is why Diskeeper, along with most other reputable software companies offer fully functional free trials so anyone like the OP can get the product, try it at no cost and see for themselves what it does for their system).

Again, I a m not saying anyone should do or believe anything, nor do I particularly think the OP should either -- I feel that people are intelligent enough to observe for themselves so I am just giving the OP options and suggesting a course of action that will not cost anything to see what the solution in question can do for the OP's system based on personal observation and experience, not opinions....

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Answer
Auslogics Is Fantastic
Sep 1, 2011 6:24AM PDT

I used Auslogics Disk Defrag for a long time and never had any problems with it. As for defragmenting being an "essential task?" It IS. Moving/deleting/installing/uninstalling things of your own volition are not the only causes of fragmentation. ANYTHING that gets moved on your hard drive causes fragments. Simply booting up or restarting causes them. An example: When you boot up, your antivirus program (which I assume is automatically on startup) creates a log by itself. It then places the log where it belongs on the disk and names it. This causes fragmentation. Many, many other things are going on in the background that you cannot be aware of. I suggest trying different cleanup utilities and get a daily regiment of running cleanup at the end of the day. Manually run Auslogics Defrag LAST in line. The more often you run it, the less time it takes. I have XP HOME also. It takes me about TWO MINUTES each night to Defrag. Why? Because there aren't many fragments to begin with. I ran it yesterday! Grin If I wait 6 months to defrag, it's gonna take a half a day or more. I'd rather surf the net LOL.