Halo 1 & 2 for PC
This topic has moved here: Subject: A question on defragmentation
  • Subject: A question on defragmentation
Subject: A question on defragmentation
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Lot of people here in the b.net forums always suggests "defragging your hardrive", etc. I heard that it can make your computer go more faster and smoother, but I have a couple of questions:

1) What does it really mean to "defrag" your hardrive?

2) Can it really make my computer faster and smoother?

3) What are the risks of defragging my hardrive? Are there any at all?

Thank you for any answers.

  • 08.30.2006 7:23 AM PDT
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It Rearranges the files on ur comp to run faster

Yes

No Risks

  • 08.30.2006 7:24 AM PDT

*I sense a disturbance in the forum*
Jaws on Zanzibar?
Sniper 's Ed 101
my myspace
teh explosion
purchase a leaf blower at any Sears store
After kim saying pc gamers are more mature:
Posted by:ImSpartacus
we r?

here's a link from wiki
second but less info

  • 08.30.2006 7:25 AM PDT
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Thanks guys, but I have no clue what "rearranging" my files means, and I couldn't understand at least a quarter of what wiki told me. Are you guys SURE, there are no risks involved of me defragging my hardrive? I don't want my files corrupted or screwed up, or even worse, deleted because I wanted to make my computer go faster.

And also, after I defrag, when should I defrag again? And this time about Halo and my other PC games, will my framerates go a little up, by AT LEAST 10-30%? Hopefully, increasing my framerates will increase my next Halo video's quality, I understand that people here don't like the choppiness of my montages.

  • 08.30.2006 7:32 AM PDT
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Defragging doesn't really boost performance the way most people think it does unless you're running an app that utilizes the HDD a lot.

In layman's terms, defragging rearranges the files on you hard drive to be more organized. Let's put it this way. It's like having a lot of folders and papers scattered all over your desk. When XP wants to locate something, it's gotta dig through this whole mess to find what you want. When you create a new folder/file/whatever, XP basically plops it on top of the huge mess of a pile. When you defrag a hard drive, you basically clean this pile up and sweep it into an organized stack. Hence, it's easier for the computer to find stuff.

Again, defragging won't boost performance except on HDD-intensive apps. I doubt it would have that much an effect on Halo, and shouldn't have any effect on your video performance...unless you set aside part of you HDD as VRAM.

[Edited on 8/30/2006]

  • 08.30.2006 7:43 AM PDT
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Posted by: me15ter
Defragging doesn't really boost performance the way most people think it does unless you're running an app that utilizes the HDD a lot.

In layman's terms, defragging rearranges the files on you hard drive to be more organized. Let's put it this way. It's like having a lot of folders and papers scattered all over your desk. When XP wants to locate something, it's gotta dig through this whole mess to find what you want. When you create a new folder/file/whatever, XP basically plops it on top of the huge mess of a pile. When you defrag a hard drive, you basically clean this pile up and sweep it into an organized stack. Hence, it's easier for the computer to find stuff.

Again, defragging won't boost performance except on HDD-intensive apps. I doubt it would have that much an effect on Halo, and shouldn't have any effect on your video performance...unless you set aside part of you HDD as VRAM.


Oh, now I get it, so basically my computer is "cleaning up" its desk, so it can find the files I need in the future extremely faster? That's cool, I might try it.

Oh and bummer, I had my hopes up for a little while there, I thought defragging will allow my Halo to have better FPS while on Game Cam, oh well.

But how often should I defrag my hardrive? As often as I clean my room or something? lol

  • 08.30.2006 7:58 AM PDT
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Again, if GameCam saves to the HDD, it might boost performance, though minimally. Like I said, this boosts the speed of the HDD lookup only. The diff is most noticeable during startup or when trying to open larger files. The action also saves space on your hard drive by freeing up spaces.

The Windows XP defrag assistant (or whatever it's called) should be the most indicative. Basically, the less white space you have on the bar, the better. If you see a lot of white gaps here and there between the blue/pink/etc, it's time to defrag. The defrag app should tell you about this, though, when you fire it up.

  • 08.30.2006 8:04 AM PDT