Geek question - computers

[matt819]

I've defragmented my drive using the Windows defrag utility. When you look at the graphic representation of the drive, there's some solid blue, then some green, then some more solid blue, then white, then a little blue, little more white, little blue, and the rest white.

If the drive were totally defragmented, why is there blue separated by blank spaces. Shouldn't the solid defragmented part be together?

Incidentally, the defrag report shows no fragmented files.

Is this okay, or should I defrag the drive using another program? And, if so, any recommendations for a freeware or shareware utility for this purpose?

[demnan]

1. Windows defrag will never fully defrag your drive

not that that is necessary. As long as you are in relatively good shape and the most important thing is that you have space on your hard drive for the swap file, I don't think you'll run into any problem on today's type of computer.

[matt819]

6. That's what I thought

However, over the past week the computer seems to be slower than usual. This is a new computer, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB hard drive.

My internet connection (satellite) has been slower than normal (even in good weather), and downright snail-like when accessing multiple sites.

But even apart from internet use, processing for graphics has been slower than normal, especially when I have multiple programs open. This was not the case when I got the computer in May, and I can't really peg the slow down to a specific program installed or other action taken.

I've checked for spyware (Ad-Aware, Spybot S&D, and MS) regularly, and MS spyware and virus-scan are run every night. Computer seems clean. One of my fears has been that somehow I've been hijacked, but I have a firewall and a router, either of which would likely stop an attack.

So I thought about the fragmentation, which prompted the question. Any other advice would be welcome. I'm pretty good with computers (though not an official geek), but this one is nagging at me.

[hobbit709]

8. If it's running slow

I'd check to see how many processes are running in the background. I turn off as many as possible.

[matt819]

12. There's a ton of crap running, only some of which I know what they are

I know some is real-time virus and spyware protection, and then some background stuff for a couple of programs I use regularly. Then a ton I don't have a clue about. I know there's a website that identifies what's what, but there are so many, it's daunting. And that's after I went through to turn off a number of processes.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

9. Run the error checker. It will run on the reboot. Click on

My Computer - Richt click on C: drive - Properties - Tools - Click on the Error Checker. Then it will ask you to reboot - click OK. Then reboot.

First, clean out your Temporary Internet Files.

[matt819]

13. Not on Windows XP, though

Option is not available on WinXP. I can run System File Check, but some of the directions from MS make me nervous - I do not want to do anything to screw up the boot up process once this check is done.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

15. Yes it is. Were you clicking on the "Shortcut" to the drive? Or

did you Click on "My Computer" first?

[Submariner]

2. I use Diskeeper

running in the background to maintain optimum performance.
http://www.softwareshelf.com/files/products.asp?ID=133&page=_at_a_glance

It is more through and faster than the standard windows defrag.

The spacing you see between colors is normal. You probably have quite a bit of empty disk space so it is spreading the file groups around. If you defragged again and again they would compress more, but that is not necessary.

[Deja Q]

11. Diskeeper wrote Windows' disk defragger...

And, yes, they did write it to be slow and only so sufficient... naturally, they still want their own pay-for product to sell.

[Spinzonner]

3. You may be overdefining fragmentation

Technically it just refers to different parts of a file being non-contiguous so that the drive head must move over different parts of the drive to retrieve all the parts.

What you are referring to has to do with making free space contiguous also and might be called compressing the drive space. (Not to be confused with compressing files like ZIP's)

While there is some overall benefit to that, especially for adding new files of non-trivial size, one has to consider the expense in time and wear and tear to, in effect, defragment areas that are not yet in use.

[Goldom]

4. Your files are not really fragmented

or they would show up red. It is also good there is only one green section, meaning your page file isn't fragmented. Blue/white/blue just means files are in different places on the drive. The problem is when it is red, that means a single file is split into multiple parts of the drive, thus making it search many places for one thing.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

5. Not necessarily. It just means that the files are defragmented

as to 'where they are.' However you do want such files as data files at the end or in their own separate area since they do change; that what those could be.

[matt819]

7. All good answers, and appreciated

Take a look at my other reply, above. I'm still stumped as to why things are slower than normal. Okay, maybe I'm being picky, but with as much RAM as I have I never thought I'd be encountering even small delays in processing.

[ET Awful]

10. Some of what you're seeing is space that's taken up by the

Windows swap file, which can't be moved.

If you have enough RAM, you can defrag that space by disabling virtual memory, defragging, then re-enabling virtual memory.

[RC]

14. Bring up task manager and look at the CPU Usage: %

It normally should be some low value, even 0%. If it is higher,, click on the Processes tab. Click on the CPU header so that the 'System Idle Process' is at the top of the list. That should normally be 98-99% Whatever is taking processor time will be listed in descending order under it. That's your clue.
The numbers under the CPU header will always equal 100%

[petronius]

16. Here's a couple of sites that might help in deciphering the task list

http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm

http://www.blackviper.com

(Note: I am no guru, so I make no guarantee that these sites are correct or appropriate.)

[matt819]

17. Thanks.

Okay, so now I have absolutely no explanation for the slowdowns.

In any case, thanks to all of you for the input.

[RC]

18. Can you check the temperature of the CPU, Fan speeds, etc?

If the CPU gets too warm, it may be set slow down.