When files aren’t stored as a single unit on a computer’s disk The Disadvantages of Fragmentation, it’s called fragmentation. This can cause some big problems, depending on how bad the fragmentation is and what the computer is being used for. In most cases, though, these disadvantages can be avoided or fixed.
The Causes of Fragmentation
A computer’s file system stores files as blocks on a disk. When the disk has adequate space and the system is working correctly, these blocks are stored together.
However, as the disk fills up or files are deleted and modified, the file system may store a file’s blocks in multiple locations, causing fragmentation. When the file is read, the disk’s read/write heads must skip around the disk to read all the file’s blocks, which can slow down the system.
Read/Write Speed
file fragmentation can cause a significant slowdown in performance. When files are fragmented, the read/write heads have to move around the disk more to read the file, which can take up a lot of time. In severe cases, files may be stored in small chunks throughout the disk, causing even more of a delay.
If you want your computer to work faster, you should keep your files unfragmented. This is because when files are fragmented, your computer has to work much harder to access them.
For example, if you have a 30 megabyte Microsoft Word document, it may take three seconds to save on an unfragmented disk. However, on an extremely fragmented disk, it could take up to 46 seconds.
Application and System Speed
Some applications, such as photography or video editing apps, may use your computer’s hard drive, or “scratch disk,” for temporary storage during memory-intensive operations. If the scratch disk is fragmented, the result will be a slowdown in the application itself.
Most operating systems use virtual memory to temporarily store files that would otherwise use random access memory (RAM). If the virtual memory space is fragmented, the operating system can slow down.
Avoiding Fragmentation Problems
Neglect leads to fragmentation more often than any other factor. The simplest way to stop fragmentation from happening is to defrag the disk regularly and get rid of files and applications you don’t need. Microsoft Windows has a built-in defragmentation tool for this, and there are also commercial defragmentation tools you can use.
Mac OS X comes with automatic file defragmentation, but if your disk is almost full, Apple suggests manual defragmentation may help. Other ways to avoid the disadvantages of fragmentation include creating a partition for large files or scratch disk space, adding a second disk, or upgrading to a larger one.
Hello, My name is Shari & I am a writer for the ‘Outlook AppIns’ blog. I’m a CSIT graduate & I’ve been working in the IT industry for 3 years.