The "optimizing" installation step is pre-binding the installed program(s); it has nothing to do with defragmenting. The defrag is done on the fly for all files that are smaller than 30 meg (I believe that's the size, but I may be off).slipper said:I know OSX self defrags organizes files, but when does it do it? Is it after i install a program when it 'optimizes'?
daveL said:The "optimizing" installation step is pre-binding the installed program(s); it has nothing to do with defragmenting. The defrag is done on the fly for all files that are smaller than 30 meg (I believe that's the size, but I may be off).
GeeYouEye said:Generally though, defragging simply isn't needed.
daveL said:2. No, it has nothing to do with journaling, per se. Journaling simply logs meta data changes to the file system so they can be replayed, if needed (a dirty shutdown, for instance). The defrag stuff was added in Panther, I believe, and although it came at the same time as journaling, they are two different features of HFS+.
The defrag may use the journal's meta data. I just wanted to make it clear that they are two different functions, i.e. you could have a journaled filesystem, but not have the defrag feature or vice versa.mkrishnan said:Ahhh... Thanks! I thought that the journal's meta-data was the thing being used to know what to move around and fix for de-fragmentation. At least with hot clustering, that's what some other sites seemed to imply. Anyway, it's good to have it, at least on my Mac. Not that WinFS doesn't sound impressive, should it ever be released....
daveL said:The defrag may use the journal's meta data. I just wanted to make it clear that they are two different functions, i.e. you could have a journaled filesystem, but not have the defrag feature or vice versa.
mkrishnan said:Got it... which would explain NTFS on NT4 Win2k and XP, I guess....I do *not* miss defragging. Stupid #$#@ thing restarting because some mouse movement or TSR caused a system file to be accessed.
stcanard said:I had a Windows 2000 system where the defrag kept stopping because defrag had changed a file! I don't miss that...
mkrishnan said:This would be when you physically throw the computer out the window.