I'm looking for a free disk fragmentator for Mac. I am trying to partition my drive through boot camp in order to install windows, but each time I try it fails, and tells me to reformate my drive (which I would like to avoid if possible), so I was thinking maybe my drive was somewhat fragmented. So does anyone know of a free disk defragmentation application, or maybe have some other solution for my problem?
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Is there a free disk defragmentator for Mac?
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The only tools I know of are all paid for.
A possible solution is the one suggested by apple. Erase the drive and copy everything over again. This is an easy process if you have an external drive but can take several hours depending on the amount of data.
MacHipster please can you enlighten us to where about in OS X there is a tool to defragment a disk.
If you are referring to the fact that OS X defrags on the fly and as such doesn't need a defrag tool I refer you to the first post in this thread.
A possible solution is the one suggested by apple. Erase the drive and copy everything over again. This is an easy process if you have an external drive but can take several hours depending on the amount of data.
MacHipster please can you enlighten us to where about in OS X there is a tool to defragment a disk.
If you are referring to the fact that OS X defrags on the fly and as such doesn't need a defrag tool I refer you to the first post in this thread.
How can this be done easily? I have a 120gb external harddrive, the same size as my internal harddrive. Is there any automatic backup and then restoration of my computer at the same state as before the formatting?
IMO, it's still too risky to rely on Time Machine for an intentional erase and restore.
For the record, I don't think fragmentation is your problem. Exactly what error does Boot Camp give you?
For the record, I don't think fragmentation is your problem. Exactly what error does Boot Camp give you?
I had a similar (EDIT: same) problem when I tried using boot camp, and the HD did need to be defragmented to install windows. iDefrag was what I used, but it is not free.
The classic bootcamp error.
I had this error twice and on both occasions defragging the disk solved it.
As EricNau said, and I agree, at this stage I have problems suggesting Time Machine as a relable tool for complete erase and install tactics.
What I have done in the past and would be my recommended tactic is to use CCC to clone the drive. Then boot from that drive and open up disk utility and erase your internal drive. Then use CCC to clone back to the internal. This process can take quite a long time if you have lots of data.
You can use Time Machine if you want. To do pop the Leopard DVD in and boot from it by holding down "C" on boot. Then somewhere (sorry can't be more specific don't have my disks with me at the moment) there should be an option to restore from a Time Machine backup.
Fair word of warning though, restoring from Time Machine in the Leopard DVD will only work if you have a complete system backup (Library, System folders included). Tried to do that before but it didn't work because I didn't back up all the folders.
so this situation proves that OS X doesn't defrag on its own...at least not "enough" for some purposes. interesting...
I think it is funny that Apple's "solution" to a fragmented hard drive is to copy everything to another disc and reformat.
brilliant.
I think it is funny that Apple's "solution" to a fragmented hard drive is to copy everything to another disc and reformat.
brilliant.
Keep in mind that partitionning a drive while keeping files intact (Like BootCamp does) is not an ideal situation.
In Windows, i've used Partition Magic (who is not a free program) to do that on my PC because Windows Disk Manager cannot create a partition while keeping old files. However, one time I used it (Partition Magic), and the program crashed for no apparent reason and I lost an entire HardDrive. Of course, I had external Backup of all the important stuff I had then.
The MAC OS X automatic defrag. probably doesn't care much about "keeping all the files in the same portion of the drive" but simply keeping each files information continuous (in a single place) on the drive.
But anyway, partitionning a drive should always be after you've made a backup of your important data.
I would recommend putting in the install disc. Reboot. Hold down C. It will boot from the disc. Click through the menu's until the Menubar comes up. Go to utilities and then to disc utility. Repair permissions, then verify and repair the disc (should be across from the disc permissions.
The issue is that while OS X does defrag the disk on the fly, keeping all the pieces of a files contiguous to each other, it does not necessarily Optimize on the fly, which is what happens when you copy all the files off the disk, erase it, and then copy them back.
I close the lid of my MBP every night and it sleeps. Does OS X defrag it regardless?
The nightly/weekly/monthly scripts do not defrag. The only automated defragging that happens is for files smaller than 20MB, that are in more than 8 fragments, and also meet a couple of other requirements. This happens on file access (or write, I don't recall), not on a set schedule.
I had this same problem with bootcamp, I found it was because I was downloading a large file through torrents. Once I put the file on my external drive and deleted it from the internal drive, Boot Camp did its thing. If you have any large files downloading that might be the problem.