Reformatting VS Defragging a HD

[redwudz]

Just wondering:

If you have processed all the files from your video drive and you have no more use for them. The drive has no programs on it, only video.

Would erasing all the files eliminate the need for defragging? I know reformatting would.

Would it be easier or quicker or better to erase the files on the drive or reformat it? Quick or full reformat?

[waheed]

Defrag only arranges the files in a way which is accessible quicker. Not useful when the files are going to be erased.

[ViRaL1]

Quick format would be the fastest, followed by erasing, followed by full format. If you erase the files OR format the drive, there's nothing to defrag. If you decide to erase, use the Shift+DEL method to avoid moving to the Recycle Bin.

[dipstick]

I never defrag any more, except maybe my "C" drive once in a blue moon.

It's much faster and better to move files from drive 1 to drive 2, format drive 1 and move the files back ect. When you have something like 80 GIGs of files, Defrag could take all day, while moving and formatting only takes a few minutes and does a much better job.

[guns1inger]

My capture drive, on the now rare occassions that it holds only a single project, gets formatted upon completion. Nice and simple.

[redwudz]

Thanks, everybody. I defrag rarely, partly thanks to XP. But I do check my boot drive every couple of weeks for defrag and it usually says it's OK.

I don't use a capture card so drive speed is not critical. I have noticed that my video drive never really seems to need defragging as I erase the files after I complete my projects.

Defragging would seem to cause more 'wear and tear' on a HD than normal usage if done very often. I have Maxtors , and I would like them to last a while longer.

I have an extra drive I use for storage/archives of programs and small files I have collected. I tend to dump everything there to get them off the boot drive. When I go in and arrange them occasionally is when I notice the fragmentation of that drive.

I like the idea of temporarily dumping them into to the video drive after rearrangement, then doing a quick reformat of the archive drive before restoring them there.

[pfh]

Defragging would seem to cause more 'wear and tear' on a HD than normal usage if done very often. I have Maxtors , and I would like them to last a while longer.

There is some debate on this- some say it's not a bad idea. It "remagnitizes" the data because the magnetics in data storage can lose their intenstiy over time.

[jollyjohn]

My capture drive, on the now rare occassions that it holds only a single project, gets formatted upon completion. Nice and simple.

G'day.
How do you do that dipstick. I'm interested. It ounds like a great idea. Do you use xxcopy, or what. would you mind tellin us.
Thanks mate
John

[dipstick]

I actually have 2 HDDs. The 1st HDD has 3 partitions. The first two are for OS's (98 + XP), the last partition is for backup data. The second HDD is strictly for video capturing/editing ect.

When I'm done with a video project on HDD-2, I format it. That way it never gets fragmented. When my Backup partition on HDD-1 gets too fragmened from adding or deleting files, I move the files into HDD-2 using Explorer. Then I format the Backup partition on HDD-1 and move my files back to it. This keeps everything fragment free.

Once a year or so I'll defrag C: (my root partiton for my OS) on HDD-1. Unless of course I resore it with one of my Ghost images, in witch case there is no need to defrag. The last time I remember defraging was about two years ago. I don't miss it one bit.

[jollyjohn]

Thanks for the tip mate
John