How often do you defrag your computer?
@wildcatsthree (289)
United States
February 2, 2010 6:04am CST
I posted a discussion yesterday on your favorite way of keeping your computer's registry clean and running smoothly, and the unanimous response was to use the free CCleaner software by Piriform. After downloading CCleaner, I see that they also offer a free defragging software called Defraggler. Have any of you used this, and do you feel it does a better job than the defragging program built into Windows? And how often do you defrag your computer?
9 people like this
53 responses
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
3 Feb 10
thanks for taking the time to ask your hubby about this saphrina. I appreciate it.
@john_ronald (383)
• Hong Kong
2 Feb 10
you should defrag your computer if you don't have any special tools that will clean your registry. In defragging the use of it is to provide a clean copy of files in the hard disk to arrange it accordingly.. I don't defrag mine because that will cost much of your time it will cost a lot.
1 person likes this
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
3 Feb 10
I did it yesterday and it took about 3 hours, so I will definitely schedule it for the weekends late at night. Thanks for your input.
@Lionel0008 (36)
• Malaysia
3 Feb 10
Maybe you could schedule your computer to defrag at night, once a week if it reall takes a long time.
1 person likes this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
2 Feb 10
I have my Windows defragmenter set up for that it automatically defrags every week. I also have my Webroot Security Essential clean sweep and scan every week automatically. I do a Registry Easy clean every couple of months. This way my laptop is always pretty fast and and secure.
1 person likes this
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
3 Feb 10
Sounds like you're really on top of keeping your computer running at it's best. Thanks for the recommendations - I plan to follow them regularly from now on.
@rsa101 (38126)
• Philippines
2 Feb 10
I am using IOBIT smart defrag. I used the defreggler before but I encountered some problems in ther defregmentng and sometimes there are files that keeps on popping saying it did not defrag at all. In Iobit Smat defrag that usually does not happen and they are very fast in defragging my HDD.
1 person likes this
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
2 Feb 10
That's good to know. I've found that some sites offer a great tool for one thing, but others offered by the same company don't work as well. Maybe that's the case with CCleaner versus Defraggler. Thanks so much for your input on Defraggler.
1 person likes this
@neildc (17239)
• Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines
2 Feb 10
i still never tried CCleaner or Defraggler with my computers. but i know and used the windows' built-in defragging program. i can't tell how often i use the program but when i feel there is something wrong with the speed of the machine, especially, i try to check it and one way or one program i use is defragging.
1 person likes this
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
2 Feb 10
I've only had CCleaner 1 day but it has helped me like so many of the people who responded to my discussion yesterday. My PC was really sluggish yesterday, but after using CCleaner, it has improved quite a bit. Thanks for your comments Neil.
@purplealabaster (22091)
• United States
2 Feb 10
I don't think there is one set answer for this question. It depends on your operating system, how much you use the computer, what programs you use, and how much data you store, retrieve and delete. Some operating systems are fine if you defrag only once a month, especially if you do not use the computer all the time. Some operating systems really do need to be defragmented on a weekly basis, especially if you use the computer a lot.
If a computer is highly fragmented, then it can cause unpredictable results in programs. You might get explorer.exe errors, your word processing program might suddenly freeze, etc. That is why it is a good idea to defrag on a regular basis, but you need to find a schedule that works for you. You can go in and manually run the defrag when you are done working on the computer or you can set it to run at a specific time each week or month. If you are using it while it is running the defrag, though, you will generally see a decrease in performance and things will work a lot slower.
1 person likes this
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
2 Feb 10
I think you answered it quite well, and I appreciate your input.
@purplealabaster (22091)
• United States
3 Feb 10
Thank you so much for the honor of best response. I used to deal with this issue all the time, and people are always surprised at how a simple defrag can fix such an assortment of issues. Of course, it will not always work, but if you are having problems with your computer's performance or programs not working properly, it is always the best place to start. I have had users that thought that they had to uninstall and re-install programs (and in extreme cases the operating system), when they really just needed a little routine maintenance, like performing the defrag. Sometimes there would be so many errors, because it had not been done in so long, that it would take a whole day or even two to complete.
@GardenGerty (160483)
• United States
2 Feb 10
I do not defrag very often. My computer keeps saying I do not need it. My dad does it every week, though. I do not know if a commercial program would be any better than the one that is built in.
1 person likes this
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
3 Feb 10
When I defragged yesterday, the preliminary report showed I didn't need to either, but I went ahead with it anyway. It seemed to help the speed afterwards.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
2 Feb 10
I think I read the same discussion and wrote down a reminder to myself to defrag. I haven't done it since my computer was reloaded last April and it's time to get things all straightened out! It just takes so long! I haven't heard of Defraggler, I just use my pc's own defrag option. It's pretty cool that you can use it for specific files but I prefer to just do the whole hard drive.
1 person likes this
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
2 Feb 10
it does take a long while which is probably why so many people like me put it off. But it is well worth it rather than dealing with a sluggish computer. Thanks for your thoughts.
@thedailyclick (3017)
•
2 Feb 10
I've always stuck with the one which comes with the PC on the simple basis that I have never had any issues with it, it's easy to use and has always appeared to improve my pc. I suppose partly because of this I have never bothered to search for or use another version.
As for how often, well because I am on my pc for probably 12 hours a day every day, saving, deleting, editing various files I have it set to automatically run a defrag once a week on a Friday afternoon. It always runs in the background and there is no real noticable frop in performance whilst it is running. But that will depend on how powerful your pc and what state the system is in when it tries to defrag.
To put it into perspective I was asked to look at a friends PC a while back who had used it for 2 years and never heard of defragging. It took a staggering 12 hours to complete. That's why I always recommend to fit it into a regular maintenance schedule so it never gets out of hand and takes so long.
1 person likes this
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
3 Feb 10
yes, I can see how defragging regularly will cut down on the time it actually takes. I defragged yesterday using Windows and it took about 3 hours, but afterward my PC was moving quite a bit faster. It was well worth it. Thanks for your input.
@MrKennedy (1978)
•
2 Feb 10
I defrag my computer about once a month, maybe more depending on how smoothly and swiftly it is running.
After defragging it, I can definitely notice a difference in how my PC performs overall, because all that gunk clogging up the hard-drive is zapped away
1 person likes this
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
3 Feb 10
I noticed a big difference too so I'll be doing it much more often. Thanks for your input.
@kaylachan (68461)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
2 Feb 10
I try to do it at least once a month.I've gotten out of the habit. I also only use what tools windows comes with. Downloading programs uses memory and resources. Why clutter the computer's memory with usless programs? Personally I think that's a waste. I use the tools that windows provides and find I've got no problems.
1 person likes this
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
3 Feb 10
That's a good point about wasting space with downloaded programs. I have to admit though that I really like the CCleaner - it seems to find more than just clearing temp files and cookies using Windows. Thanks for your comments.
@roysudeep007 (216)
• India
2 Feb 10
I had used Defragment which is inbuilt in the windows,that also when I saw that the performance of my Personal Computer has slowed down that's why.But I have not used the CCleaner or defraggler.Are they good to use than the De fragmentation given in the windows.I think I will check out the software.
1 person likes this
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
3 Feb 10
One or two of the commenters here said that they had used Defraggler and had a problem with it, so I'm personally going to stick with Windows defragging facility. Thanks for your input.
@kingsly321 (10)
• India
2 Feb 10
ccleaner aint a defraggmenting software..but it advisable to use defragment ur comp atleast once every 3 week's..depends on ur usage tho..the inbuilt one tht comes in vista and 7 are reliable
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
3 Feb 10
No, I know the CCleaner isn't a defragging software, but they have one by the same company called Defraggler. That's why I asked if it was any better or worse than Windows Defragging system. Thanks for your comment.
@Lionel0008 (36)
• Malaysia
2 Feb 10
I use Auslogics Disk Defrag which is free and a lot faster than the Windows version.
Defraging is best after you install or download a lot of files. At least that's when you see the difference.
I defrag after every download or once a week whichever comes first.
1 person likes this
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
2 Feb 10
That's good to know Lionel. The time it takes to defrag using Windows has been a deterent for me, I have to admit. Has anyone else had good luck with Auslogics Disk Defrag?
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
2 Feb 10
I use the one from windows. I probably don't do it as ofen as i should, no set time, usually when i think about it. How often do u think we need to do that?
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
2 Feb 10
Hi Antiquelady. Some people have told me weekly, others do it monthly. I hope to get more input on this today so I know how often I should do it too. Thanks for your input.
@grakesh (88)
• India
2 Feb 10
I don't know about Defraggler. But i use tuneup utilities for defragging my system. In windows there is an limit of 15% free space. But in other softwares like tuneup utilities there are no limitations. And i often defrag my PC every 3 to 4 days. It keeps system clean and accessing speed will be increased.
So my suggestion is to atleast defrag the system every week
1 person likes this
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
2 Feb 10
That's interesting about the free space limit - I didn't know that. Thanks for your input.
@cowboyofhell (3063)
• Philippines
2 Feb 10
The only time I get to defrag my pc is when I sense the slowness of its performance. Sometimes I wait a month before another defrag but its more frequent that I clear the registry errors than making a defrag. I do not have any defragmenter other than from windows still. At least it keeps the job done. Ive just installed a program called flux that dims the brightness of the screen when it is night and its a nice tweak aesthetically.
1 person likes this
@wildcatsthree (289)
• United States
2 Feb 10
Like you I've only defragged by PC when it starts running slowly, but I'm planning to do it weekly now that I've read comments from other people here. That screen dimmer sounds like a nice addition, especially for people who's computer is in their bedroom. Thanks for your comments.
@dh1811 (114)
• Australia
2 Feb 10
Most of the i jus clean my computer of old files and temporary internet files. I rarely defrag my computer. I heard it helps speed the computer but my computer is still pretty fast and i have never defragmented it ever. Will try it someday. But til date im happy with the performance of my PC.
1 person likes this
@Gladiator28 (42)
• Bulgaria
2 Feb 10
I defrag my computer at least 1 time on 2 months butI know that we must defrag our computrer once on 1 month in order to become more fast and convinient for work.
1 person likes this