Disk Defrag Utility

Behind all the noise, real benefits. 

                                                     
 

                                                

You may have read recently about our favorite competitor's (Diskeeper's) latest release and its introduction of a file system filter for defragmentation called IntelliWrite.

As a major developer of enterprise and consumer software for defragmenting computers, many inquiring minds in the industry have begun to ask us what our opinion of IntelliWrite is. It's the kind of inquiry we expect, and eagerly answer. Erwin Solis, PerfectDisk product manager, went about directing our lab tests on the issue. Rather than give you just opinion, we attempt to provide solid numbers and easily reproducible proof.

So what is IntelliWrite and why does it create free space fragmentation?

The good folks at Diskeeper questioned the importance of total free space consolidation -- getting the biggest possible piece of free space -- in a recent blog post. The argument Diskeeper appears to be making is that free space consolidation can be ignored in favor of using a file system filter to eliminate file fragmentation on the fly. There are three key issues with this theory. First, if you intentionally (or unintentionally) cause free space fragmentation to build up, you'll quickly leave a volume in state where files will be forced to fragment. Secondly, in order to prevent such an issue from happening, you'll have to consolidate free space anyway and therefore consume even more resources. Lastly, by using a file system filter, if not done properly, additional overhead is introduced to accomplish something that NTFS already does on its own.

At the heart of this issue is the apparent insistence that the NTFS file system is incapable of preventing file system fragmentation on its own. Actually, NTFS does an excellent job all on its own, and does an even better job when free space is effectively consolidated.

So - how about a reproducable demonstration?

For the following test, feel free to use any sized volume, large or small. The key is to have plenty of consolidated free space. In order to be completely fair, we've used a freshly formatted 100GB volume so that neither NTFS nor Diskeeper's IntelliWrite will have an excuse for their behavior.

This is what we did:

1) Turned IntelliWrite off
2) Completed a Full Install of Office 2007 on a freshly formatted 100GB volume.
3) Analyzed the volume with Diskeeper and noted the statistics provided.

As you can imagine, we then ran the same test over again, this time with IntelliWrite turned on. Here are the results:

The data shows that, for the area of the disk where data was written, the average free space gap dropped from 49GB to just 25MB. Instead of free space being broken into just 2 fragments, Intelliwrite splits it into nearly 4,000 pieces. Notice how in this example that NTFS managed to prevent all file fragmentation on its own, without the additional resource impact associated with a 3rd-party file system filter. In this case, IntelliWrite provides ZERO benefit and instead proves to be the exact opposite of what you would consider a "green" technology. Try adding the I/O Other Bytes column to the Processes tab under Task Manager to see just how much I/O activity Diskeeper generates over time; we believe you'll find Diskeeper's resource usage to be a real eye opener. These are the results that IntelliWrite provides during the installation of a common office application; the impact for servers is even greater. Recently, a Diskeeper customer contacted us about a problem that IntelliWrite caused for them on one of their file servers; we saved a snapshot of the summary statistics provided by PerfectDisk Server:

 


As you can see, IntelliWrite was effectively addressing the file fragmentation on the volume - but at the cost of creating other performance issues. By eliminating the resource overhead associated with IntelliWrite and applying SMARTPlacement with PerfectDisk Server, performance was restored just 24 minutes later. Here's an analysis of the results:



As many users know, the PerfectDisk solution to this problem is to combine the intelligent placement of files, with the best possible consolidation of free space - so that NTFS can do the best job possible without additional resource overhead. After all, it's not just whether or not files are fragmented, but how and where they are written that also matters.

Our impression is clear. We suggest that users simply ignore the currently available file system filter - just turn it off. Even if Diskeeper is your preferred disk defrag utility, don't create free space fragmentation to the detriment of your system performance. 

Finally, regarding the issue of IntelliWrite being a "green" solution...because it creates a situation where resources are consumed in order to prevent file fragmentation - but which results in the need to consume yet more resources to clean up the free space fragmentation issues it leaves behind...there might be another color I'd use to describe it.

The bigger point here -- make sure you do your own testing and verification. As with just about all software, results may vary. But do your own checking -- just because someone says something is so, doesn't necessarily mean that something is so, right? I think we learned that lesson time after time in 2009.

                                                      
 
Note: Diskeeper is a registered trademark and IntelliWrite is a trademark of Diskeeper Corporation.

                                                        

Defragmenting computer or your Windows Home Server on a Friday night? Seems like a great idea!

Tim Daleo did just that on Friday night. Tim is a Project Resource Analyst and Oracle Applications Trainer for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Tim currently runs a Dell Power Edge server running Windows Home Server and a HP MSS at an off-site location. On Friday nights, Tim posts in the Using Windows Home Server blog - which classifies itself as "your number one stop for all things Microsoft Windows Home Server, Windows Media Center and anything in the Connected Home."

                              

Tim provides a good overview of PerfectDisk 10 Windows Home Server, although he is still looking for the definitive answer as to whether disk defrag software is needed, especially since there is not a Microsoft defrag for Windows Home Server.

Here is how Tim concludes his review:

Overall I like the functionality and interface of PerfectDisk 10. If you are looking for a Disk Defragmenter for your WHS then this is a great choice. In addition, like I said earlier, their manual has 325 pages so there is a lot more to it then what I covered here.

Only time will tell whether PerfectDisk10, and disk defragmentation in general, is worth the effort and money. For now I will give PerfectDisk 10 the benefit of the doubt.

That said…does WHS really need a Disk Defragmenter? Microsoft would have included it if it needed it, right?"

                                                             

Well, PerfectDisk 10 Windows Home Server lets you not only defrag the server but also defrag PC or multiple PCs in your environment. One of the reasons HP partnered with PerfectDisk for its MediaSmart Servers is that its testing showed PerfectDisk would eliminate hard drive fragmentation, consolidate free space to speed backups, and allow HP users to stream media faster.

HP recognizes the need to defrag Windows Home Servers, and it has partnered with the leading disk defrag utility as part of its validation. This review provides some more insight. And thousands of users around the world provide more evidence.

Your entire connected home defragmented is a better-connected home. You can read the entire review here.

                       
My favorite video magazine, Videomaker, has its annual Camcorder Buyer's Guide out in the just-released December edition. And as the guide's author Randy Hansen states, "in video, if there's one constant, it's change." Like so much of electronics, do you buy today or wait a few months for the price to drop and/or for extra storage and capabilities to be added.

It's a very comprehensive guide, covering a wide range of camcorders, including those that start as low as $50 and skyrocket to the "if you have to ask" range. For me - I'm asking...and I have to! And there are lots of choices in the various categories - not like the choices for defragmenting a computer, of which I find very few if any (insert grin).

But unlike a disk defrag utility, where you'll receive regular updates to the software, a camcorder is typically an investment that you will hold onto for quite a long time, as is - barring add-on accessories.

We get emails from people every week who are video editors and videographers of all types - just starting out and professionals. The more anyone performs video editing on their computer, the more they realize the importance of a disk defragmenter program like PerfectDisk. The video editing gets them better videos; disk defragmentation makes it all easier, from a faster PC to better use of their PC's space through free space consolidation and things like duplicate file removal. It really acts as a disk cleanup program as well.

                                        

If this upcoming holiday shopping season includes shopping for a camcorder, I'd recommend taking a look at this guide before you spend your money. And of course, once you start taking those videos and editing and storing them, I'd recommend maximizing your investment with the necessary software to keep your computer performing like new.

You can see the entire roundup here.