An explanation of what data fragmentation is on a hard drive, why it slows down our computers, and software solutions to reverse the process.
Episode #1-10 released on November 21, 2010
Welcome back listeners to another episode, we are November 21, 2010, and yes, my name is Steve Smith, also known as, Zed Axis, founder of Zed Axis Productions, your host for this week's episode all about Hard Drive Data fragmentation, more specifically, defragmentation software solutions, on this week's episode of Technology Questions Answered. Let's talk about what hard drive data fragmentation is, before I start talking about software solutions.
Hard drive fragmentation refers to data clusters and files being saved in multiple pieces in different physical locations along the surface of a traditional rotating disc hard drive, which most of us still use. The problem is caused by the multiple accessing and repeated savings of the file force overflow from the file to be saved at the end of the drives occupied space, where there is still free space on the drive. This causes the reader heads of the hard drive to have to seek for the entirety of the file's fragmented pieces to be able to load the whole file as a whole. The more pieces there are of the same file, the longer it will take to find them all, and as a result, load the files. This also occurs to system files, graphics, documents, anything in the computer that is considered data, which is everything.
Now, if you decided to regularly use a data defragmentation solution, you will reduce the amount of reader head seek time by placing all the file's data clusters closer together, reducing load time, speeding up your computer.
Your computer, comes with such a software solution, and chances are, set correctly, its already doing functioning like it was intended. However, if you want to use a better software solution than the Window's Disk Defragmenter, I suggest IOBit's Smart Defrag, available on iobit.com and cnet's download.com. It comes with more options, and the ability to diagnose your computers current fragmentation percentage. You also have the ability to defrag only, fast optimize, and deep optimize, which allow for faster program and data load times, and longer lasting data contiguity, as a result. It also includes the ability to shut down the computer for those long defragmentation sessions.
You may also find Smart Defrag, and many other software solutions, at my favourite download web-site, CNET's Download.com.
Next week, I will be talking about connecting your game console to your computer screen. We'll explain what you may need, and what needs to be done to have the full experience of the game.
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This has been a podcast, hosted by Steve Smith, aka Zed Axis, Digital Technologies Consultant for Zed Axis Productions, Stay Safe and Online. This has been Technology Questions Answered.
Host : Steve Smith | Music : Steve Smith | Editor : Steve Smith | Producer : Zed Axis Productions