Do I need to defrag the hard disk even if I format the hard disk

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  1. Posts : 31,479
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #11

    NavyLCDR said:
    I've got a couple of Windows 7 installs on a spinner, I'll have to play with those and see how the latest version of Macrium behaves.
    I'll be interested in the results. I used V7.1.3317 in my tests.
      My Computers


  2. Posts : 448
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #12

    Bree said:
    I'll be interested in the results. I used V7.1.3317 in my tests.
    Now with the help of both of you, with your tests, a clear picture will come out, which will help many others.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #13

    So here are the results of my testing:

    I made a backup image of a Windows 10 installation that was in a 250GB partition. First when I restored the partition, I shrunk it by 1GB so the restored partition was 249GB is size. This was the result:
    Do I need to defrag the hard disk even if I format the hard disk-resized.jpg

    Expanding the partition back to 250GB did not change the fragmentation. Conclusion: the partition was defragged (file by file copy) when it was shrunk and restored.

    Now, here are the results when I restored the partition without resizing it:
    Do I need to defrag the hard disk even if I format the hard disk-original.jpg

    So....the behavior Bree posted is correct. Restoring the partition without resizing is a sector by sector restore, not file by file, and no defragging occurs. So if you want to defrag during your restore, you have to shrink the partition when you restore it - then you can expand the restored partition back to it's original size after the restore is complete.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 448
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #14

    NavyLCDR said:
    So here are the results of my testing:

    I made a backup image of a Windows 10 installation that was in a 250GB partition. First when I restored the partition, I shrunk it by 1GB so the restored partition was 249GB is size. This was the result:
    Do I need to defrag the hard disk even if I format the hard disk-resized.jpg

    Expanding the partition back to 250GB did not change the fragmentation. Conclusion: the partition was defragged (file by file copy) when it was shrunk and restored.

    Now, here are the results when I restored the partition without resizing it:
    Do I need to defrag the hard disk even if I format the hard disk-original.jpg

    So....the behavior Bree posted is correct. Restoring the partition without resizing is a sector by sector restore, not file by file, and no defragging occurs. So if you want to defrag during your restore, you have to shrink the partition when you restore it - then you can expand the restored partition back to it's original size after the restore is complete.
    Thanks for taking pain to do the test and clearing my doubts. Thanks to Bree also.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 15,444
    Windows10
       #15

    Actually, I think the File by File copy statement is actually rather an oversimplification. The restore is still an intelligent sector restore afaik, but instead of just excluding pagefile etc, it intelligently moves sectors around to remove fragmentation. Ultimately, it comes to the same thing but is more subtle than the old "Ghost" style defrag by file copy and I expect it is faster. Conceptually thinking of it as file by file copying is easier but I think it is more subtle. Its a moot point anyway as these tests show the way to defrag on the fly, and it is obviously far more efficient than the standard defragging.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 14,046
    Windows 11 Pro X64 22H2 22621.1848
       #16

    Windows 10 defrags (or trims if an SSD) automatically once a week anyway so it's basically a moot point but I thought this was a great discussion. The shrink trick is very cool, I'll have to try that the next time I need to do a restore.
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 152
    Windows 10 Pro/Education x64
       #17

    So, do I shrink the partition before restoring or before backing it up via macrium?
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 15,444
    Windows10
       #18

    titetanium said:
    So, do I shrink the partition before restoring or before backing it up via macrium?
    Before restoring.
      My Computer


 

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