Redmond Magazine recently reported a problem with Windows 7 and video performance, where the VC-1 video codec does not use all of the cores in three-core and six-core machines. What does this mean? Well, if you've purchased a new computer with Windows 7 for better graphics and video support, you may not be getting all you signed up for. For example, Blu-ray disc players aren't leveraging the power of some multicore machines running Windows 7.
The issue may also affect Xbox 360 game consoles, which also use VC-1, as well as a few other video codecs. Codecs compress and decompress media files. Most computer users probably don't care about them, as long as the video frames run smoothly. But many do.
As Redmond reports, there's no word from Microsoft on when the problem with the VC-1 video codec in Windows 7 will be resolved. 
In the meantime (and afterward), thousands of videographers, graphic designers and the like turn to thorough disk defragmentation to boost their video performance. Particularly when you're doing lots of editing, with large files changing and being deleted, video performance can take a big hit. That's why so many of them turn to defragmentation utilities like PerfectDisk to keep video performance humming along.
Fast defrag. Faster defrag performance. All leading to better video performance.
While still in its infancy, we get more and more inquiries about Solid State Drives (SSDs) and whether or not they need defragging - is there a need for an SSD defrag. Greg Hayes, Raxco Software's manager of technical solutions, has a recently-published short white paper that gives an overview of the technology as well as performance considerations and the issue of SSD defrag.
I'm going to take the next couple of posts to cover what's in the paper.
SSDs, when used, replace traditional electro-mechanical parts (i.e. rotating disk platters and read/write heads) with flash memory. The benefits of SSD storage are:
• Very fast random access times due to elimination of slow electro-mechanical components
• Low read latency times due to elimination of disk seek times
• Consistent read performance because physical location of data doesn't matter (no "fastest" part of the drive as in traditional disk drives)
• File fragmentation has negligible effect due to elimination of electro-mechanical component (seeking).
Due to the nature of the flash memory and how data is currently written, SSD write performance degrades over time. Unlike a hard disk drive, any write operation to SSD storage requires not one step, but two: an erase followed by the actual write.
SSD performance depends on the following factors:
Write Endurance
The number of write cycles to any block of flash is limited. The maximum number of write cycles (endurance) is dependent on type of flash memory (MLC vs SLC) and varies from 10,000 write cycles in older SSD drives to 1,000,000 write cycles with today's modern SSD drives.
Write Amplification
Write Amplification is native to all NAND flash memory. Just as with traditional disk drives, with NAND flash memory, data is laid down in blocks. However, block sizes on an SSD are fixed - meaning even a small 4k chunk of data write can take up a 512k block of space, depending on the NAND flash memory being used. When any portion of the data on the drive is changed, a block must first be marked for deletion in preparation of accommodating the new data (read/modify/write). The amount of space required for each new write can vary. The write amplification factor on many consumer SSDs is anywhere from 15 to 20. That means for every 1MB of data written to the drive, 15MB to 20MBs of space is actually needed . For example, a read/modify/write algorithm in an SSD controller will take a block about to be written to, retrieve any data already in it, mark the block for deletion, redistribute the old data, then lay down the new data in the old block.
In the next post, I'll cover wear leveling, over provisioning, TRIM, and how PerfectDisk and defrag relates to SSD technology.
I admit, in the day-to-day living of running around and trying to get things done here in the midst of travel and other comings and goings, it's often a challenge to do all the best practices to keep my laptop living as long and efficiently as it can. Of course, I defrag system files and defrag Windows 7 with the best defrag software I know of. That's like getting a PC tuneup every day so my laptop runs as fast as possible and I boot quicker.
But what about the life of the battery itself? I always need to be reminded of the many tips there are to extend battery life, so when I was looking through the new July issue of PC World, the article Breathe New Life Into Your Laptop's Battery got my attention. The usual reminders were there to nag me:
- don't run it down
- keep it cool
- give it a rest
- and more, including a nice set of "myths" debunked.
And keep it cool.
The Microsoft at Work website was put together by the folks in Redmond to help people ”streamline” their work life” so you can spend a little more time on your life…"we hope the information gathered here will help you get—and stay—ahead at the office.” In a collaboration article entitled 5 ways to speed up your PC, Microsoft recommends disk defragmentation as a key component to keeping your PCs running fast. The article states “disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. The response time can be significantly longer.”
And Microsoft continues, noting in particular some instances when performing defragmentation is particularly important. These times include:
- adding a large number of files
- free disk space totals 15% or less
- you install new programs or a new version of Windows,
There are always doubters, but coming from the maker of the operating system that it tells us all is so wonderful, the need for defragmentation is clear. Microsoft has designed a file system that fragments. It tells you so and tells you it should be fixed through defragmentation. It's an easy slow PC fix. Now, what you don’t need is one that isn’t automatic, that can’t run with low levels of free space, and has just a fraction of required functionality. Microsoft creates the problem, go to someone else to fix it. I don’t take my kid back to his sick friend to get better….we go to a doctor.
There’s a smarter cure for faster PC performance.
Bob Nolan, Raxco Software president and CEO, recently appeared on the long-running radio show Let's Talk Computers. The topic was PerfectDisk 11 and how to make your PC run faster. Everything from slow PC startup to slow PC performance is a problem. As host Alan Ashendorf point out in his introduction, "we all want our computer systems to run as fast as possible. No one really likes having a slow computer. But each time we use our computer, our computer will run slower and slower until we do something about this."
In the interview, Bob gets into free space consolidation as well as PerfectDisk's Selected Files Defrag to defrag a file rather than an entire drive.
You can listen to the interview here and see the transcript here.
Listen to see how to make your PC run faster.
Happy St. Patrick's Day! A day for green bagels and green beer...and a green defrag. Yes, while you may have thought about a defrag solution when you were thinking about slow PC tips for your computer, there are also ways that you can improve PC performance and be a little greener, environmentally speaking, in the process.
Here are just a few ways PerfectDisk can help you do your part in keeping the planet, or your life, more environmentally and economically friendly:
- file placement strategies result in fewer resources consumed over time
- flexible scheduling options like idle background processing, screen saver and more result in fewer resources consumed
- longer life for PCs and laptops, because they maintain their performance, means fewer in the trash
- longer life for hard drives.
Looking for a real-world example? Steven V. Smith is the president of SoundsSmith Mastering, a media post-production service company specializing in traditional mastering, fine editing, creating duplication masters, and quality control. Steven writes:
"I have to say that my biggest appreciation is that I’ve noticed my hard drives (all of them, regardless of brand) seem to be so much more trouble-free, and work like new (quiet, fast) after several years of hard use. Before I started using PerfectDisk regularly, hard drive failure was not so uncommon for us here.
"I think the difference has been since PerfectDisk's StealthPatrol proved to be so completely non-performance-impinging, and I could leave it on all the time (for all our drives) and never worry about fragmentation or system performance issues from running an auto defrag. This is like having your cake and eating it too. I attribute it to PerfectDisk and StealthPatrol (with the default SmartPlacement, in our case)!
"I don’t build systems for other people these days, but if I did, not a one would go out without PD11 installed and set for Stealth Patrol."
Less hard drive failure leads to holding on to your hard drives longer. And being greener.
With or without the green beer.
Drew Como is the director of infrastructure at Kaos Studios, in the heart of Manhattan in New York City. Kaos is a division of videogame publisher THQ. Kaos Studios artists, developers and designers need the best possible system performance for their computers. Simply put, they need the best defrag software possible. Of course, the millions of people that play THQ's games also want maximum performance.
Drew has his thoughts on PerectDisk 11:“PerfectDisk 11 is a stellar product that far surpasses PerfectDisk 10 “The engine is many times faster, even on large drives with a high volume of files, and the new customization and reporting capabilities help ensure our computers run as fast as possible and we have the storage information we need.”
On a scale of 1 to 10, it's an 11. Coming tomorrow.
Related Posts:
- PerfectDisk 11 defrag -- What's New
- Windows 7 performance -- defrag to get it
- It goes to 11 -- in 11 days
- Mini-sneak peek: a few few PerfectDisk 11 videos on the PerfectDiskNews YouTUbe Channel
- Well, well -- aren't you picky -- defrag a file -- or 100
- VSS defrag -- more flexibility and control
- More than defrag -- to space and beyond
- Bipartisan support on the best defrag software -- from the defrag capital
- Enterprise defragmentation evolved -- Remote Free Space Management
- A smarter way to speed up PC performance
- Size matters; then again, it doesn't
- Exchange defrag software -- ready for Exchange 2010
- Look beneath the surface, clean your PC, shrink your drive
- Defrag analysis -- catch me if you can
- A smarter SMARTPlacement is a smarter defrag and disk space management
- PerfectDisk 11 -- Gearing up for Beta
- PerfectDisk 11 defrag -- on the horizon
Are you ready? The people below certainly are. They're just a small sampling of feedback from the largest beta test in PerfectDisk history. Thousands of users -- home users, small businesses and enterprises -- have lent their time, energy and expertise to making sure we deliver the best defrag software ever.
And with their help, we've done it. On a scale of 1 to 10, it's an 11.
Coming March 9th, 2010.
"...once again, the best compliment I can give is that YOU GOT IT RIGHT! I have Windows 7 Home Premium 64Bit and the interface is clean, beautiful, and totally functional. This version appears to be noticeably faster than PD10, which was already pretty good. You have stepped ahead of the competition yet again."
Paul T. Blades
"...lots of goodies in this new version. Many times products come up with a new feature here and there or fix things that should have been fixed in the prior version—you guys really aired it out and took a whole new crack at the product. Really speaks volumes of the caliber of your people and company. VERY fast compared to prior editions -- great!
"Like the new progress bars showing how much of the drive is left to defragment and the activity indicators along the bottom right in the drive map view showing 'defrag' 'recycler' and 'schedule.' Again, pounding on the GUI stuff, I really like the new block effects -- the blocks with the 'shine' effect and bright colors are great.
The SMARTPlacement types you can select based upon resources available and performance needs so far as fast file access etc., blew me away. Pretty much ended my even checking to see what each new version of *** expletive deleted *** looks like before I upgrade to one or the other. I did have a chance finally to compare the amount of file information *** expletive deleted *** gives you when you use the 'cluster inspector' versus your new right click feature-- not even close. PD11 wins the details award there. Everything anybody would ever want to know is reachable through a right click and a few other clicks to get to the specific details you want-- very nice."
Gary Michelson
"I've noted significant defragmentation improvement on the Windows-7 system. Very much appreciate the usability features...thanks for a wonderful product."
Henry Gardiner
"Your claim that initial analysis of a drive is faster in Version 11 than in previous versions is an understatement. Analysis used to take several annoying minutes, just to determine whether defragging was needed. I just ran the analysis for an 80GB PATA HDD in 19 seconds. In the past, the analysis of that drive always took several minutes, even when it was not highly fragmented."
Kenton Machina
"Thank you. I have participated in many Beta tests, including Microsoft XP Beta and Vista Beta, but never has the experience been as easy or as pleasurable as my experience with you and PerfectDisk 11. PerfectDisk 11 has been faultless in its operation. You have done an outstanding job with this program."
Michael Downs
"I now find the software excellent and a big improvement on v10. The drive map does not take so long to build; the menu tabs are clearer and more logical. Well done!"
Julian Grenfell
"Version 11 Beta operated flawlessly. Solid, stable and much faster than Ver 10."
Richard Lindsay
"New StealthPatrol features make this a very feature-rich version."
Alfred Morgan-Jones
"I think you're showing off a little - when I installed this build, PD11 immediately analysed my 4 1TB disks simultaneously in just a few seconds. Keep up the good work."
Robert Rigby
"The speed improvements are very obvious with the analysis. Going maximum window and analyzing gives the WOW to the client. Just two words: Love it."
James Brown
"I've noted significant defragmentation improvement on the Windows-7 system. Very much appreciate the usability features...thanks for a wonderful product."
Henry Gardiner
"...faster than previous versions. So far everything looks great to me."
John Hull
"PD 11 Home Edition is looking good, and its performance is excellent. I like the changes you've made to the Drive Map tab."
Greg Webb
"...quick....smooth..."
Richard Futch
"...faster....solid..."
Richard H. Brown, Jr.
"....much faster....thank you...."
John Hall
Having used PD11 HE and Pro the same as I have been using PD10, the overall impression I have is one of a more professional and robust feel. There are many minor interface tweaks and additions, input and output, which contribute to this feel and after a while I could tell that there are many improvements under the hood too."
Mark Stubbs
"It is substantially better on the Win7 x64 system! So the better the system, the more performance gains you'll see with PD11 (which makes perfect sense). Congratulations on a smooth dev cycle. I generally leave PD in Stealth Patrol, and forget about it. Once in awhile, I check on things and find all my hard drives in optimal condition. I just smile and silently thank you guys for a great product."
Stephen V. Smith
"...noticeably faster and has a very nice feel. Congratulations."
Alan Burt
"Product has worked flawlessly on several different machines using various operating systems and hardware."
Ronald Chenoweth
“awesome software”
Shawn Antosz
“…very impressed…”
Bryn Pritchard
"Analyzing and defragmenting is noticeably faster than previous versions and I like the new layout. I've not noticed any issues. Installed on Win 7 x64. Looking forward to the final release! Good work."
Adrian Jefferies
"I like the intelligent handling of SSD drives."
Tom Bruce
"Bravo Zulu!!"
Tom Vaughn
Related Posts:
- Mini-sneak peek: a few few PerfectDisk 11 videos on the PerfectDiskNews YouTUbe Channel
- Well, well -- aren't you picky -- defrag a file -- or 100
- VSS defrag -- more flexibility and control
- More than defrag -- to space and beyond
- Bipartisan support on the best defrag software -- from the defrag capital
- Enterprise defragmentation evolved -- Remote Free Space Management
- A smarter way to speed up PC performance
- Size matters; then again, it doesn't
- Exchange defrag software -- ready for Exchange 2010
- Look beneath the surface, clean your PC, shrink your drive
- Defrag analysis -- catch me if you can
- A smarter SMARTPlacement is a smarter defrag and disk space management
- PerfectDisk 11 -- Gearing up for Beta
- PerfectDisk 11 defrag -- on the horizon
eWeek Labs recently put together a list of the 25 Technologies That Changed the Decade, an interesting list of hardware, software, applications and more "that have changed the way we work, play and live" over the last 10 years. I guess since Windows defrag software has been around more than a decade, and defrag programs in general have been around for much more than that, the simple yet important task to defrag a computer was nowhere to be found (insert smirk here).
But I was interested to see how much defrag programs touched on many of the 25 technologies. While the expected flashy consumer products were on the list, including the iPhone, iPod and other smart phones, several back-end technologies that power our world of technology were also there, and disk defrag software played a role with those technologies. From multicore processors to netbooks to blade servers to virtualization to Windows XP, PerfectDisk is there to help these technologies work better. Whether it's a faster PC startup or the need to speed up PC performance or a server defrag to ensure a mission critical application runs fast and efficiently, auto defrag has played a role.
Regarding the 25th spot, it seemed a bit amusing to see Windows XP listed, since the flashier and well-received Windows 7 seems a more likely candidate. But as the article states, "Windows XP is certainly the most dominant operating system of the decade." I can see some merit in that selection.
You can read the entire article here and compare it with your Top 25.
With every new release of PerfectDisk, we're always working on performance improvements for a fast defrag, regardless of whatever other features we add. As files and drives get larger and larger, it's always a challenge. But we've always been able to point to some performance gains between versions. Some of these improvements have been more noticeable in particular environments (e.g. large drives, drives with limited free space) than othersbut they're always there to help with fast defragmentation.
This go around, we've made some fundamental changes to the analysis operation in PerfectDisk - it goes beyond a tweak here and a tweak there. I can throw out numbers of several hundred percent, but the truth is, when you defrag a computer, data like this always varies depending on the environment -- number of files, drive size, file size, etc. But I am very confident that just about everyone, if not everyone, will notice a significant change for the good in analyze time of PerfectDisk. Whether you'd doing a Windows 7 defrag or any other Windows environment.
In test after test, it's faster....no doubt.
On a scale of 1 to 10, it's an 11. Coming March 2010.
Related Posts:
- A smarter SMARTPlacement is a smarter defrag and disk space management
- PerfectDisk 11 -- on the horizon
Defrag this, defrag that. Fast defragmentation. Defrag a computer, defrag a server. Disk cleanup tools. Okay, even I need an occasional break from defrag banter!
So, to lighten up as the year winds down, here are a couple of "undrag" things for your entertainment:
Wave goodbye to 2009 -- click here.
JibJab -- never a year like '09 -- click here.
Thanks again for all the support in 2009 - and don't forget to defrag Windows one last time!
In the continuing story of what is missing from the Windows 7 defrag tool, today I’ll touch on drive optimization. PerfectDisk’s patented file placement strategy (SMARTPlacement) is based on file modification activity. This strategy groups files with similar modification patterns together, in a single pass. Since the rarely modified files are typically unchanged and grouped together, PerfectDisk is not required to use resources to process them during a subsequent defrag. This saves system resources and improves speed, as the drive is in essence “shrunk,” and you get a fast defrag on subsequent passes.
The recently modified files are adjacent to the contiguous free space. If one of these files grows, the fragment will be created in one piece from the contiguous free space. As a result, fewer defrag passes are actually needed, saving more system resources.
The Windows 7 defragmenter has no file placement strategy whatsoever. Files are defragmented haphazardly with no regard to type and usage pattern. No consideration is made to slow the rate of fragmentation build up. No attempt is made to improve the speed of subsequent defragmentation passes in order to reduce resource impact, and no attempt at free space consolidation for the best possible write performance is made. As a result, the Windows 7 defrag will never provide the same level of performance and resource optimization that PerfectDisk does.
Lucky 7? Not if you're going to defrag Windows.
In a press release from StorageNewsletter.com today, the University of California, San Diego has released a report that states U.S. households consumed approximately 3.6 zettabytes of information in 2008, with the bulk coming from computer games and TV. Some of the numbers are truly mind boggling. For example, Americans consumed information for about 1.3 trillion hours, an average of almost 12 hours per day. Consumption totaled 3.6 zettabytes and 10,845 trillion words, corresponding to 100,500 words and 34 gigabytes for an average person on an average day.
Wow - no wonder Grandma and Grandpa say life was a lot simpler back in the day!
And while the tried and true, "traditional" methods of consumption (radio and tv) dominate our consumption of information (60%), the UCSD report states that "computers have had major effects on some aspects of information consumption. In the past, information consumption was overwhelmingly passive, with telephone being the only interactive medium. Thanks to computers, a full third of words and more than half of bytes are now received interactively. Reading, which was in decline due to the growth of television, tripled from 1980 to 2008, because it is the overwhelmingly preferred way to receive words on the Internet."
With all this information overload, everything can become easily fragmented -- your brain, your paper files...and of course your computer files. Just another reason it makes sense to schedule defragmentation on your computers today. Even better, set up an automatic fast defrag.
So much data and information to absorb, so little time.
You can see the entire press release here.
When IT consultant, Fred Flye, of Kake, Alaska, moved to Windows 7, he knew that with his 650GB hard drives, he would need something beyond the standard, built-in Windows 7 defrag. As many of his clients were also in the process of moving to Windows 7, he looked at most of the defrag downloads that were out there. The biggest things Flye was looking for were the ability to handle large drives in the Windows 7 environment, significant performance improvements, and a fast defrag.
He found PerfectDisk delivered. He did notice that PerfectDisk's initial defrag took longer than subsequent passes, but after that, it was fast, "efficient, performed very well, and the performance of my PC is noticeably improved. I recommend it to everyone I know."
Bypassing the built-in Windows 7 defrag isn't going rogue, it's just smarter.
UPDATE: It goes to 11 -- in 11 days
Our development staff has been making some final improvements to Version 11, including the incorporation of some new enhancements, all with an eye toward making what we believe to be the best defrag software even better.
We've expanded our Alpha test and incorporated feedback from additional testers. Additional tweaks have been made to the new analysis phase of PerfectDisk, allowing for some really good results which lead to a much faster analyze and fast defrag. Some of the performance improvements will be particularly noticeable on large drives. In some cases we're seeing improvements of several hundred percent. We're now also incorporating new graphics into the product and will begin the beta test in just a few weeks.
With PerfectDisk 11, we plan to release all the client versions together with the Enterprise Console. This will be particularly beneficial to our corporate customers, especially with all the new virtualization functionality.
Our latest disk defragmenter program -- the PerfectDisk 11 beta test comes soon.
Related Post:
PerfectDisk 11 defrag -- on the horizon
As the National Football League continues negotiations on a new labor agreement, many issues need to be addressed in order to reach an agreement and avoid a strike or lockout two years out. And the urgency increases, as this week NFL commissioner Roger Goodell indicated that he'll participate in the latest round of labor negotiations with the players' union today in New York, along with NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith.
As both sides' lawyers and representatives crunch numbers and perform the research necessary to make their cases, it wouldn't seem that something as mundane as Windows defrag software or a disk cleanup program would come into play. And perhaps in the big scheme of things, they don't.
But when the NFLPA (NFL Players Association) goes about the backend of their business, they don't mess around. They use PerfectDisk. As do many NFL teams. In fact, the Seattle Seahawks take it a step further, as they defrag Exchange and compact their data stores with PerfectDisk Exchange.
Pro labor. Pro business. Pro fast defragmentation.
It's here.
With almost 12 million monthly subscriptions, Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft (WoW) has a fanatical user base. And like these or players of any other MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing game), they look for any advantage, any edge they can get. Every day, we hear from WoW players telling us how PerfectDisk has beefed up their game and improved their WoW performance. Fast defragmentation is just part of the story.
Take Lee Morris, whose own words say it best:
"PerfectDisk is an amazing product. I originally downloaded the demo to see how it could improve the performance of World of Warcraft. Specifically WoW's MPQ files which are huge files that are updated weekly. They fragment so easily, and when fragmented they cause lagging and hangs during interactive game play as you cross particular boundaries between geography. Once I used PerfectDisk, I had nearly flawless performance. No hangs or lagging. I bought the tool immediately and scheduled the defrag after each patch from Blizzard. I've never had any lag since. I bought a 5 user license for my guild mates. Totally amazing product that's fast running and reliable. Might as well call it a WoW optimizer."
Disk defragmenter software that goes to war for WoW players every day....and wins battle after battle.
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