MacBook Cleanup Utility - Defrag?

[PCMacfly]

Hi, in November I purchased a MacBook and have been adding a lot of large files from video capture and creating movies in iMovie. When I first bought it it would boot up fast and load programs quickly. But over the past few weeks, this past week in particular, I've noticed it is taking much longer to get to the desktop and load applications.

I am wondering if there is some sort of defrag utility I can use to help defragment my files to help make my MacBook run as fast as it used to. Or better yet, is there another type of clean up utility that I can use that would be more preferred than others?

Thanks in advance.

 

[uicandrew]

i purchased iDefrag and it worked wonderfully.

For me, I had worked with and deleted so many large files that the bootcamp utility was not able to form a bootcamp partition because the hard drive was so fragmented.

I bought iDefrag online and downloaded it from their website and started defragging right away.

Unfortunately, i searched and could not find a freeware or shareware defragger.

 

[PCMacfly]

So I guess MacBooks do not have a pre-loaded utility for defragging or cleaning up files. Yet another reason why Apple is doing so well.

Thanks

 

[uicandrew]

well, theoretically (and i don't know for sure, but my mac expert friend told me this when i first thought about switching many years ago) the Mac OS X and the file system is more efficient and doesn't need to be defragged because it did so on the fly, to a limited extent. (or something to that nature)

there is another way that is free but it is extreme.

Reinstall leopard and when you reinstall, choose to wipe the entire drive clean and zero over everything.

If you make regular FULL backups, this could be a free alternative.....extreme, but you would save $30

 

[SHADO]

Well the HD never needs to be de-fragged in OSX, but the directory does occasionally. I use DiskWarrior and Drive Genius 2 for this, and they are excellent utilities.

 

[uicandrew]

Drive Genius 2 = $100
Disk Warrior = $100
iDefrag = $30

although the aforementioned $100 programs can do more, for a one-time usage, iDefrag is a much less bitter pill to swallow

Note: Drive Genius 2 is known for being able to repartitions on the fly without having to format (aka - lose everything) the drive. The company that makes iDefrag also makes iPartition which does the same thing for $45.

Furthermore, if you buy iPartition and iDefrag together, there is a 10% discount, making it $67.51 (which is still MUCH more palatable than $100)

I do not have any affiliation with the company that makes the software, except for that I am a satisfied customer and I like saving money (unless it is outright piracy/theft)

 

[brop52]

If you have some extremely large files they may get fragmented and slow things down while in use. Otherwise, it isn't really needed unless the free space is less than 10% of the drive.

 

[268144]

i have exactly the same problem as the OP, and

..well the same scenario too, i was using iMovie to import videos from my camera and they took like 70gb space :/ after exporting and burning to dvd, i deleted them and tried using bootcamp to reinstall my windows partition and it didn't work. so i google'd for answers, most suggested to use iDefrag.

so i got iDefrag and used the on-line defragmentation, it took about 3 hours (i had 60 or so gb free). but a boot camp partition still wasn't being created so.. i'm kinda stumped lol, could anyone help me out?

although the defrag did make my boot up time a lot faster than what it was

 

[Consultant]

So I guess MacBooks do not have a pre-loaded utility for defragging or cleaning up files. Yet another reason why Apple is doing so well.

Thanks

About disk optimization with Mac OS X
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1375

 

[uicandrew]

so i got iDefrag and used the on-line defragmentation, it took about 3 hours (i had 60 or so gb free). but a boot camp partition still wasn't being created so.. i'm kinda stumped lol, could anyone help me out?

although the defrag did make my boot up time a lot faster than what it was

why didn't you burn the disc and defrag that way? I've never heard of online defragmentation. (I read it on the company's website, and I still don't understand the purpose of it)

 

[268144]

why didn't you burn the disc and defrag that way? I've never heard of online defragmentation. (I read it on the company's website, and I still don't understand the purpose of it)

on-line meaning, it does it while your still using the HDD and its files.

hmm oh yeah! i'll try that later today thanks i'll go find some blank CD's

 

[uicandrew]

on-line meaning, it does it while your still using the HDD and its files.

hmm oh yeah! i'll try that later today thanks i'll go find some blank CD's

ah. you should definitely do that.

the instructions specifically say that if you want to defrag your boot partition (ie - the one that the OS is on) you should burn the disc and boot from the disc to run the idefrag program.