HDD Defragging

[stuck]

You might not want to rely on Microsoft Security Essentials right now - it is the only AV software that failed in AV test certification recently.

http://www.inquisitr.com/422680/micr...s-certificate/

That's old news and the sky hasn't fallen yet. I saw it here and the last paragraph of this version of the story says:

Another security software testing organisation, Virus Bulletin, says Security Essentials’ performance is sufficient to justify its VB100 rating, which can only be attained by software that “prove[s] it can detect 100% of malware samples listed as 'In the Wild' by the WildList Organization” without generating any false positives

I'm not worried.

Ken

[stuck]

CC Cleaner ... removed all of my passwords and a few other items required for internet use but failed to speed up anything and missed over 2,000 other old files which were found by the AVG version.

I see DollyP (Hi David!) has addressed this already but I'll keep typing...

You can tell Ccleaner NOT to remove cookies for websites you frequent in the Options section. You can make Ccleaner more aggressive by ticking more of the boxes on the 'Windows' and 'Applications' tabs. Also, Ccleaner does not scan your registry unless you use the registry feature.

For me that makes it a better choice as I have more control over what is deemed to be unnecessary and marked for deletion.

Ken

[swanseadave]

I use Ccleaner and its registry cleaner regularly as I also do with Defraggler.

The Piriform software is highly recommended.I wouldn`t be without them.

Another from Piriform is Recuva.I found that invaluable when my PC crashed a while back and lost a lot of photos.Recuva found them all.

It`s worth downloading Filehippo`s Update Checker too which notifies you when updates(alpha and beta) for installed software become available.You can then download then at a time of your choosing.

[Dave Humphries]

I used Defraggler (for first time) over last two days (I did have to turn off the "power down after 15 mins" I had on), or it stopped working - even when maximised on main monitor, its priority obviously wasn't high enough to stop Win 7 from becoming sleepy

First impressions are positive; PC did seem to boot a lot faster just now.
My C drive was 60% fragmented
Others were rather less so, I have one USB drive still to do, it is 8% fragmented, affecting 31 recorded TV files, which I can list and then wonder if I'll ever watch again

Thanks for sharing Glenn.

Cheers,

[Manfred M]

I just schedule MS defrag to run once a week overnight. I also schedule a "deep" anti-virus scan the same way. I generally don't bother to turn off my computers at night anyways, so this works for me.

[Glenn NK]

I used Defraggler (for first time) over last two days (I did have to turn off the "power down after 15 mins" I had on), or it stopped working - even when maximised on main monitor, its priority obviously wasn't high enough to stop Win 7 from becoming sleepy

Cheers,

Dave:

You're welcome - in the meantime, I was informed of another one (but it costs a bit): http://www.condusiv.com/purchase/purchase.aspx

Don't look at the first page (I did and received a shock) - click on "Home Use" at the right under Pricing.

Here's what a former electrical engineer in Silicon Valley said to me; "Diskeeper is the way to go. I replaced Piriform with it and would not go back." This guy is a full time photographer and one of the founders of Naturescapes and is highly respected for his technical knowledge.

Yes, one needs to ensure the machine doesn't go to sleep. I had the same problem with Win 7 - it kept going to sleep - finally it was time for me to go to sleep, and I left it. In the morning it was still sound asleep and hadn't done a thing, so had to go into the power settings let it run full time.

One of the features of Defraggler I like is it's ability to report the HDD's temperature (Health tab).

Glenn

[Colin Southern]

Thanks Colin.


Yes, I know you are right! The main reason that I haven't done is because I'm nervous about how well it will manage the RAID disks - I just don't know enough, but I assume that Win 7 will have a brand new set of drivers. I'm probably due for an upgrade in the next couple of years (my desktop is now four years old), so I'm also thinking that if I install an SSD I'll get a performance boost now and I can also port that across when I do upgrade.

Thanks for your help. I'll certainly have a look at Norton Ghost. BTW, things certainly run faster after Defraggling (though it seems to get stuck around 93%, even if left running overnight)

Hi Dave,

RAID arrays are going to complicate things a bit I'm afraid. What RAID type are they and on what drives?

If you're REALLY keen you could get a couple of SSDs and put them into a RAID 1 config with an inexpensive Intel RAID controller, but I probably wouldn't bother as they're very reliable, and you're more likely to have an issue due to OS corruption which would affect both RAID members anyway. Bottom line is you want to make sure you have copies of all your important files before changing an OS though.

If it were me, I'd ...

1. Copy off all the files from all volumes to an ext HDD
2. Install SSD (keeping a RAID 1 set of data drives)
3. Install Wndows 7 PRO
4. Restore data.

That's what I did anyway ... Windows on the SSD and when I've finished with the data, I copy it across to my RAID 1 pair.

You'd need the corporate edition of Ghost ... now that I know you have the RAID arrays, I would probably just do it the long way and not use it.

[William W]

I have been using the built-in Windows defragmenting software for years now, thinking all was well.

Two days ago, someone recommended Piriform Defraggler:

http://www.piriform.com/defraggler

Thank you.
I am travelling ATM and have a netbook I use for comms and housekeeping stuff (Cdrive): and a partitioned D drive for 'Plan C' storage of images.

I just ran the programme (three times) on the C Drive and Wow! it is a remarkable difference.

I'd recommend running it more than once.

Thanks again.

WW

[Manfred M]

That's old news and the sky hasn't fallen yet. I saw it here and the last paragraph of this version of the story says:

I'm not worried.

Ken

With a glowing comment further down in the article you referenced....


"While tests like these have no official standing, a look at AV-TEST’s longitudinal analysis of Security Essentials show it has consistently struggled to perform well in its malware detection and blocking tests."


I might think about changing my AV software....

[Glenn NK]

With a glowing comment further down in the article you referenced....


"While tests like these have no official standing, a look at AV-TEST’s longitudinal analysis of Security Essentials show it has consistently struggled to perform well in its malware detection and blocking tests."


I might think about changing my AV software....

Thanks Manfred: I must have had a premonition because I added Avast a few days ago because I had some nagging feelings about Microsoft Security Essentials (from the people that provide "hack-easy" software).

Glenn

[Manfred M]

Thanks Manfred: I must have had a premonition because I added Avast a few days ago because I had some nagging feelings about Microsoft Security Essentials (from the people that provide "hack-easy" software).

Glenn

My friends in the IT world have told me to avoid MS, Norton and McAfee AV products. These are the most common ones in use, hence are most likely to be targeted / exploited by hackers and malware writers.

[Glenn NK]

My friends in the IT world have told me to avoid MS, Norton and McAfee AV products. These are the most common ones in use, hence are most likely to be targeted / exploited by hackers and malware writers.

I had Norton on one computer - big mistake - it slowed down everything. When I decided to dump it and get it off my computer, it was like the proverbial task of separating pepper from fly dung.

Glenn

[Colin Southern]

I had Norton on one computer - big mistake - it slowed down everything. When I decided to dump it and get it off my computer, it was like the proverbial task of separating pepper from fly dung.

Glenn

Norton tends to take a "we're the security experts so we know more than you" approach - coupled with a "failsafe" approach. So instead of just getting an anti-virus product you also end up with anti-spam - parental controls - spam blocker - firewall - "you name it" - and it's all those components that slow it down.

Current "weapon of choice" is Vipre anti-virus.

[paldon]

If you have a SSD, don't defrag it

http://helpdeskgeek.com/featured-pos...defrag-an-ssd/

[Manfred M]

Current "weapon of choice" is Vipre anti-virus.

Interesting; same here although I did lose a bit of faith in the product when my wife's computer picked up a virus and the GFI helpdesk recommended that I download Malwarebytes to get rid of some malware that got past Vipre.

[Colin Southern]

Interesting; same here although I did lose a bit of faith in the product when my wife's computer picked up a virus and the GFI helpdesk recommended that I download Malwarebytes to get rid of some malware that got past Vipre.

That's pretty much the case with all AV vendors though. Prevx was one that made a name for itself detecting the ones that other vendors missed (take a look at http://www.prevx.com/ and click on "threats missed by other vendors tab).

Many folks seem to think that an anti-virus package is their first line of defense, but really, it's they're LAST hope. Best defense is to keep PCs fully patched and stay away from "sites of ill-repute" (put "politely"!).

There's also differing definitions of what constitutes a virus or malware - so differing vendors may have differing opinions.

[davidedric]

I've tried Defraggler and Diskeeper. They seem to have very different views on how fragmented my disks are! And I have no idea which of them is telling me what I need to know. I've decided to buy Diskeeper and leave it running, but I've really no idea whether its reassuring messages really mean anything. I don't know how to objectively assess it since timings are so variable. wtf. I'll muddle on.

[AgfaB2]

I've tried Defraggler and Diskeeper. They seem to have very different views on how fragmented my disks are! And I have no idea which of them is telling me what I need to know. I've decided to buy Diskeeper and leave it running, but I've really no idea whether its reassuring messages really mean anything. I don't know how to objectively assess it since timings are so variable. wtf. I'll muddle on.

Hi Dave
Indeed they have different ideas how your hard disk should look. This is how they make their money (or reputation).
Let's say you are defragging your hd with Windows. Everything is fine and your progs/files load faster than before.
Along comes Piriform and says bollocks, that's not the way to do it. Here's how.
And after hours of hd-thrashing your progs indeed start a tad faster. Or not.
Enter Diskeeper:"Oh my, this two don't really know their algorithms from a hole in the ground. I'll show them."
And again, after some hours of intensive disk activity your files open faster. Or not.

All three do the same thing, rearranging the files but to different criteria.
Which one is 'better' depends on your experience on your computer before and after.
The important point: Use only one.
If you use a third party product don't forget to switch off the automatic defrag feature in Windows.

Cheers
Wolf
(with 25 years of muddling under the belt, from command prompt to Win 7)

[davidedric]

The important point: Use only one.

Thanks for the post, Wolf. I hadn't thought to switch off the Windows defrag, so I went to do it - and I found that Diskeeper had replaced it! Then I dug a bit further, and guess what from MS Support:

The Windows Disk Defragmenter tool is a limited version of the Diskeeper program from Diskeeper Corporation.

You live and learn

[Colin Southern]

I think defragging will become a moot point in a few short years, as solid state drives start to gain more traction.