Does Defrag shorten the HD Disks lifespan?

TayMan · 08-17-2008, 09:54 AM

Just wondering if Disk Defrag shortens the lifespan of the physical disk inside the HD?

I've heard many people say it does and some say it doesn't...also heard that you shouldn't do it too often for the same reason?

some expert advice?

**manic** · 08-17-2008, 12:24 PM

Im no expert. How I understand it is, if your disk is all fragmented,
that means it is always seeking and scanning the drive to find what
it needs. Which means its working harder, all of the time. Thus
decreasing its longevity. When you dump large games, or programs,
or alot of little things over time, it leaves a big hole in the allocation
table. Then the drive has to scan and sift through that big blank hole.
When you defrag it tightens things back up, making it a little faster
and the drive happier because it has to do less work. If you dont
dump alot of files, or install alot of files, and use your pc regularly
I would say defrag about every 6months.

Tumbleweed36 · 08-17-2008, 12:37 PM

A simple defrag should not be an issue and should not shorten the life of a drive, so manic (as usual) has given you good advice.

TayMan · 08-18-2008, 06:11 AM

thank you very much Manic
^_^

**af3** · 08-18-2008, 06:40 AM

Don't defrag a Solid State Drive. A defrag would shorten it's life a bit. This includes flash drives too.

08-17-2008, 09:54 AM	#1 (permalink)
TayMan Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 18 OS: Windows XP Pro	Does Defrag shorten the HD Disks lifespan? Just wondering if Disk Defrag shortens the lifespan of the physical disk inside the HD? I've heard many people say it does and some say it doesn't...also heard that you shouldn't do it too often for the same reason? some expert advice?

08-17-2008, 12:24 PM	#2 (permalink)
manic Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 5,241 OS: xp	Re: Does Defrag shorten the HD Disks lifespan? Im no expert. How I understand it is, if your disk is all fragmented, that means it is always seeking and scanning the drive to find what it needs. Which means its working harder, all of the time. Thus decreasing its longevity. When you dump large games, or programs, or alot of little things over time, it leaves a big hole in the allocation table. Then the drive has to scan and sift through that big blank hole. When you defrag it tightens things back up, making it a little faster and the drive happier because it has to do less work. If you dont dump alot of files, or install alot of files, and use your pc regularly I would say defrag about every 6months. __________________

08-17-2008, 12:37 PM	#3 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,655 OS: XP Professional	Re: Does Defrag shorten the HD Disks lifespan? A simple defrag should not be an issue and should not shorten the life of a drive, so *manic* (as usual) has given you good advice. __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread.

08-18-2008, 06:11 AM	#4 (permalink)
TayMan Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 18 OS: Windows XP Pro	Re: Does Defrag shorten the HD Disks lifespan? thank you very much Manic ^_^

08-18-2008, 06:40 AM	#5 (permalink)
af3 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: USA Posts: 1,173 OS: XP32, the gaming OS. My System	Re: Does Defrag shorten the HD Disks lifespan? Don't defrag a Solid State Drive. A defrag would shorten it's life a bit. This includes flash drives too.