Author Topic: Windows Disk Defragmenter  (Read 20661 times)

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Offline bob3160

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Re: Windows Disk Defragmenter
« Reply #15 on: August 02, 2011, 05:38:31 PM »
My Laptop came with Windows Vista some years back. I've since upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate.
I certainly have no intentions to ever going back to Windows Vista.  ;D
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Offline justinlee

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Re: Windows Disk Defragmenter
« Reply #16 on: August 02, 2011, 06:21:42 PM »
I couldn't agree more, who in their right mind wants to go back to the factory installation image. The older your system is 3-6 or even longer the less use doing a factory restore is, you may well have done numerous security updates or even SP updates, not to mention application installations, updates and tweaks to settings.

Making regular Image backups (weekly) with hard disk/partition imaging software is really the way to go and keep at least the last 6 backups. Should you ever have to recover from a problem, be that system problem or virus etc. you just recover to the last image backup.

I perform a weekly backup of my system, including image onto an external HDD. I am correct in saying that i can also create a new set of Recovery Disks that if ever needed would restore my system to the exact state it is in now, with all the programs, settings, drivers etc? On previous occasions when i re-installed Windows i created a new set of recovery disks immediately after re-installation so obviously once used they would restore my system to its original 'Out if the box' state.

I suppose on the other hand i could question why that would be needed as the back up of my system the way it is now is on an external HDD and constantly being updated so even if i had to re-install Windows using the original restore disks i could then restore to the latest image afterwards. But. I would still like to know if the latest image can be saved to a DVD Boot Disk just in case the external HDD ever failed?
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Offline DavidR

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Re: Windows Disk Defragmenter
« Reply #17 on: August 02, 2011, 06:26:09 PM »
That rather depends on what the backup software is.

I can't recall if the win7 backup feature allows you to create a recovery disk as such. I have never investigated that as a don't have a cd/dvd on my win7 netbook.
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Offline CraigB

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Re: Windows Disk Defragmenter
« Reply #18 on: August 02, 2011, 06:41:10 PM »
If you go to backup and restore then up the top left there is create system image, open that and you have the choice to put it to hard disc or DVD

Offline justinlee

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Re: Windows Disk Defragmenter
« Reply #19 on: August 02, 2011, 06:42:04 PM »
That rather depends on what the backup software is.

I can't recall if the win7 backup feature allows you to create a recovery disk as such. I have never investigated that as a don't have a cd/dvd on my win7 netbook.

It allows to to create a System Repair Disk, which is different from Create System Image See attached file.
« Last Edit: August 02, 2011, 06:43:50 PM by justinlee »
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Offline CraigB

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Re: Windows Disk Defragmenter
« Reply #20 on: August 02, 2011, 06:51:34 PM »
click on create system image then you get the choice.

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Re: Windows Disk Defragmenter
« Reply #21 on: August 02, 2011, 09:52:27 PM »
I have read that you should never defrag the Recovery Partition, especially on HP computers. They say it can mess it up. How, I have no idea.
I messed up my recovery partition on HP. It failed to restore when I need it.
But I'm not sure which s*** I have done ;D
I really can't believe on defragmentation to do that.

I have read a bit about this and apparently it can do that.
The simple answer to this is to make a restore CD/DVD and get rid of the recovery partition. :)

How would I do that? I have a Dell that has a "RECOVERY" partition that shows can be defragged by the W7 defrag tool. I don't need that RECOVERY partition since I do System Images every 2 weeks............How would I delete that?


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Re: Windows Disk Defragmenter
« Reply #22 on: August 02, 2011, 10:13:43 PM »
I've switched to SSD on my netbook and now i'll never have to bother with defragmentation :P
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Re: Windows Disk Defragmenter
« Reply #23 on: August 02, 2011, 10:45:02 PM »
Forget my question above. I did some searching and it seems it's not at all a good idea to remove the Dell RECOVERY partition on a W7 computer..........The machine won't boot.

Offline bob3160

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Re: Windows Disk Defragmenter
« Reply #24 on: August 02, 2011, 11:20:05 PM »
Forget my question above. I did some searching and it seems it's not at all a good idea to remove the Dell RECOVERY partition on a W7 computer..........The machine won't boot.
You must be using a different search engine that me.  ;D
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Offline DavidR

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Re: Windows Disk Defragmenter
« Reply #25 on: August 02, 2011, 11:30:39 PM »
Forget my question above. I did some searching and it seems it's not at all a good idea to remove the Dell RECOVERY partition on a W7 computer..........The machine won't boot.

You would presumably also have to replace the MBR (Master Boot Record), and there are ways to do that.

I find it strange that it wouldn't boot as it should default to boot into the primary boot partition. The only time it would be a problem is if you tried to interrupt the normal boot sequence to get into the Dell recovery console or recovery partition.

Edit: I have never had a Dell (goes back a long way to the cr*pware it used to install) and I didn't do any searches, just basic logic that it would only be an issue for trying to boot into the Dell recovery console or recovery partition.
« Last Edit: August 02, 2011, 11:36:04 PM by DavidR »
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Re: Windows Disk Defragmenter
« Reply #26 on: August 03, 2011, 01:28:41 AM »
I have read that you should never defrag the Recovery Partition, especially on HP computers. They say it can mess it up. How, I have no idea.
I messed up my recovery partition on HP. It failed to restore when I need it.
But I'm not sure which s*** I have done ;D
I really can't believe on defragmentation to do that.

I have read a bit about this and apparently it can do that.
The simple answer to this is to make a restore CD/DVD and get rid of the recovery partition. :)
If you mean make an OS installation disc and then reformat the drive, you're right. If you mean just removing the Recovery Partition and leaving everything else as it is it's not quite that easy. In order to remove it without causing problems, you have to follow the procedure given by the manufacturer. Just removing it by other means can seriously compromise the machine. The best way to do it is to download an ISO of the operating system and burn it to a disk. After saving the drivers from whatever folder they are stored in, (for HP it's called SWSETUP and you just save the whole folder to an external media) then reformat the drive and install the OS from your created disk using the product key that came with the machine. You will then have a fresh OS with no extra partitions. Or you can make a system image if you have the proper software and hardware and just copy that to the HDD after reformatting it. I'm not sure if the system image would include the Recovery partition or not though since I have never made an image.
« Last Edit: August 03, 2011, 01:32:29 AM by Dch48 »

Offline justinlee

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Re: Windows Disk Defragmenter
« Reply #27 on: August 03, 2011, 03:32:16 PM »
Going back to my original post i have given this some thought. In my household we have 2 Sony Vaios and a Samsung laptop and they ALL have the Recovery Partition & System Reserved checked by default in disk Defragmenter. With this is mind surely it is of no harm to leave them checked.

The likelihood of the Recovery Partition ever becoming fragmented is practically zero, but if for whatever reason it did then Windows would do what it needed to do and Defrag it. It Defraging those partitions would cause harm then i cannot see how the computer manufacturer would leave them checked.
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Offline CraigB

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Re: Windows Disk Defragmenter
« Reply #28 on: August 03, 2011, 03:43:11 PM »
justinlee its up to you if you want to defrag the recovery partition or not, as you said it's unlikely to get fragmented and at the same time it will not harm anything if you do.
Did you manage to work out how to put a system image to disc ?

Offline justinlee

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Re: Windows Disk Defragmenter
« Reply #29 on: August 03, 2011, 04:07:30 PM »
Did you manage to work out how to put a system image to disc ?

Yes i knew this already but have chosen not to do it as i do a weekly backup to an external HDD anyway and i include a system image. Btw, thanks for your advice. Greatly appreciated :)

Apologies if it seems i am going on about this one but its just that in all the forums i have posted no one seems to be able to give a straight yes or no answer. Apart from in the Avast forum of course ;)
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