From: RnR on
On Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:27:57 -0500, Ben Myers <ben_myers(a)charter.net>
wrote:

>On 2/17/2010 8:44 PM, RnR wrote:
>> On Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:57:38 -0600, "Monica"<reese(a)iluvlabs.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> OK, maybe I should have said (or added to what I said) that I'm careful
>>> about WHAT I put on my computer, which in turn keeps down the amt of space
>>> used. Before you know it, it's easy to have piled on a lot of programs you
>>> don't need or use (I have an aversion to clutter<g>) and add to the chances
>>> of "bringing the machine to it's knees". My C drive is for programs. My
>>> backups store my data, music, photos, videos and downloaded exes.
>>> A lot of programs means a fatter registry and more processes. A leaner
>>> registry and fewer processes running makes for a faster access, right?
>>> Anyway, it's works for me and I manage to keep a smooth running and zippy
>>> computer :) (knock on wood!) As for backup history, I had 10 levels until
>>> yesterday. I deleted the oldest 7.
>>> Monica
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> Monica, I don't think you need my advice. You sound like you know
>> what you are doing<grin>.
>>
>> And as to a defrag program, likely comes down to what your prefer. I
>> would just suggest that if you decide to use one, download from a
>> reliable source to try to avoid spyware, viri, etc.. .
>
>Defraggler. Trust me on this one... Ben Myers


Actually I tried it, Auslogics Disk Defrag and a trial version of the
latest Diskeeper. Defraggler and Auslogics seemed okay to me but not
Diskeeper. I didn't realize (after the fact) that one of the trade
mags I subscribe to, liked the same two also.

I didn't care for Diskeeper because it's interface seemed too busy and
difficult to use, at least compared to Defraggler or Auslogics. I
can't say which (defraggler or Auslogics) did a better job but I think
either should be okay for Monica if she looks for a defragger.
Certainly the price is right (zero cost).

In my opinion, I still say for "most" people, defraggers aren't
needed but see no harm if used. For some or some uses, they will
make a difference.

All this aside Ben.... you are one of the few people I do trust here.
Maybe it's because a lot of what I read jives with a lot of your hands
on experience or vice versa. I think where we disagree, which isn't
often, is in judgement or preference.

Monica probably got a lot more education on this subject than what she
expected. Hopefully some helped her <g>.
From: Hank Arnold on
First off, defragging won't do much for you on a drive that's "pretty
much full". Defragging doesn't increase the amount of space, it just
optimizes the location of the files and clusters to minimize the time to
open the files.

There's also not much reason these days to obsess about saving space.
With the cost of hard drives plummeting, you can just add another
external hard drive or replace an existing one. You can get an external
1TB drive for around $100...

BTW, if you want to keep your drives optimized automatically, I can
heartily recommend Diskeeper. It keeps your drives defragged
automatically with virtually no effect on performance. For $40, it's
worth the money.....

--

Regards,
Hank Arnold
Microsoft MVP
Windows Server - Directory Services
http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/personal-pc-assistant/

On 2/17/2010 11:54 AM, Monica wrote:
> Thanks guys. In all the years I've been reading newsgroups for help, this
> one remains my favorite :)
> I obsess over filling up my hard drive so after nearly a year I still have
> 281GB free of a 300GB hdd.
> My backup drives...now that's a different story. The one with the most used
> space is down to 48gb
> free out of 150gb drive. At what point should I stop adding to it?
> As for defragging, I think I'll try one of the ones suggested on the backup
> drive that's pretty full.
> My C drive, I think I'll just leave as is for right now. Like others
> mentioned, I don't see a difference
> after defragging anyway and I'm not having any problems with it.
> Monica
>
>
>
> "Hank Arnold"<rasilon(a)aol.com> wrote in message
> news:4b7a610a$0$31281$607ed4bc(a)cv.net...
>> On 2/15/2010 1:21 PM, Monica wrote:
>>> I've always used Window's defrag program. This is adequate or can
>>> I/Should
>>> I be using something better?
>>> A newsletter I got today mentioned a program called UltraDefrag. It's
>>> free
>>> so maybe it's worth what it costs<g>
>>> What would you guys suggest?
>>> Thanks,
>>> Monica
>>>
>>>
>>
>> I've been using UltraDefrag for a while. It's good and works fast. A lot
>> faster than the built in XP defrag....
>>
>> --
>>
>> Regards,
>> Hank Arnold
>> Microsoft MVP
>> Windows Server - Directory Services
>> http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/personal-pc-assistant/
>
>
First off, defragging won't do much for you on a drive that's "pretty
much full". Defragging doesn't increase the amount of space, it just
optimizes the location of the files and clusters to minimize the time to
open the files.

There's also not much reason these days to obsess about saving space.
With the cost of hard drives plummeting, you can just add another
external hard drive or replace an existing one. You can get an external
1TB drive for around $100...

--

Regards,
Hank Arnold
Microsoft MVP
Windows Server - Directory Services
http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/personal-pc-assistant/