[MacDV] Re: Disk fragmentation

[YangZone at aol.com]

Since there have been several references to PlusOptimizer I thought I'd throw in this report. Using PlusOptimizer was, for me, a defrag reality check. (Nortons Speed Disk "was", as you described, a  simple and understandable program that appeared to do the job.)

While it is likely that Alsoft's software is superior to Symantec's I was uaware of "anchored" files and that they might be a problem when using PlusOptimizer or any other optimizer for that matter.

Anyway, I emailed the optimizaton report to Alsoft as requested (in the report) and here is the reply: (Apparently the disk was optimized.):

Thank you for sending us the PlusOptimizer log and enabling us to keep
 our anchored files list current.
 
 The message 'the directory is anchored as it is always in use' basically
 means the directory is fragmented.
 
 PlusOptimizer cannot defragment open files.  Since the directory is
 always open PlusOptimizer will not be able to defragment the directory. 
 A fragmented directory does not represent an error and the disk will
 function without a problem even with a fragmented directory.  The files
 and free space on your disk were defragmented by PlusOptimizer but the
 directory was not.
 
 The directory of a disk grows in 4mb increments.  When a disk is
 initialized it is given 4mb for the directory and an additional
 (contiguous) 4mb for the directory to expand.  Once the directory expands
 beyond the contiguously allocated 4mb + 4mb = 8mb, the directory
 fragments.  Even reinitializing a disk that has a fragmented directory
 will not help, the directory will be fragmented even after reinitializing
 and restoring from backup.
 
 There are two ways a directory fragments.  Above I explained the
 fragmentation of directory extents.  The second is fragmentation within
 the extents themselves.  The fragmentation of the directory data within
 the extents is repaired when DiskWarrior builds a new optimized directory.
 
 You will not notice a performance loss with a fragmented directory and
 your machine will function without a problem.  PlusOptimizer tells you
 that the directory is fragmented only because it did not move it, it
 reports all files not moved.
 
 The file "Remote Desktop Log" is unknown.
 
 The file "Icon " is unknown. (probably a Microsoft file)
 
 The file "SAInitFile" is unknown. 
 
 The file "TMPpn5vl6m5gl.htm" can be unanchored.
 
 Files that are listed as unanchored can be moved safely. Unanchoring can
 be accomplished by using the Unanchor choice in the File menu of
 PlusOptimizer.
 
 In order to unanchor a file PlusOptimizer has to write this data to disk
 so that the next time it runs it can read the information and remember
 that this file is unanchored. PlusOptimizer normally does this by
 creating a preference file in the current system folder. If you are
 starting from a CD that contains PlusOptimizer or a Mac OS CD then the CD
 of course is not rewritable so it cannot create the preference file
 there. So currently you cannot be started from a CD and unanchor files. 
 
 If you do not know the location of the file you can search for the file
 using Sherlock.  You can use Sherlock to find invisible files (there is
 an invisible option in Sherlock).  Once the file you want to unanchor has
 been located you can launch PlusOptimizer from your hard disk, while
 started under OS 9.x (copy it over from the CD), go to File in the menu
 bar and select Unanchor.  Navigate to the location of the file and then
 select the Unanchor option. After the file has been unanchored you can
 then boot from your DiskWarrior CD or other CD and run PlusOptimizer.
 
 Files that are listed as unknown are not in our database. We do not know
  what programs are associated with these particular types and creators.
 Try to determine what applications created them by doing a search on your
 machine for those creators.  Send this information to us and we will find
 out from the publishers if unanchoring these files is ok.
 
 Files that are listed as "needs to stay anchored" should not be moved. Do
 not unanchor them. The program they belong to will not function correctly
 if the files are moved.
 
 --
 Mike Rogers
 Alsoft Tech Support
 www.Alsoft.com
 
In a message dated 4/18/2003 4:45:38 PM Eastern Standard Time, Dorothy Hennings <hennings at verizon.net> writes:

>I don't know what most of this stuff below means but did the disk get 
>optimized? Is there some way PlusOptimizer shows this? Norton used to 
>show the optimization as all the little frags represented by color rods 
>were put back together.
>
>On Friday, April 18, 2003, at 02:34 PM, YangZone at aol.com wrote:
>
>> I recently used the latest version PlusOptimizer 1.3 that came with 
>> the OS 9 disk on a PB 800 1GB 60GB OS X 10.2.5 After attempting to 
>> Optimize the TiBook's hard drive from the DiskWarror 2.1.1 CD's OS 9.2 
>> system (and after a 6 hour, slow moving progress bar!) this is the 
>> Optimization report:
>>
>> The directory is anchored because it is always in use. The directory 
>> is always in use and cannot be moved. Normally it is not necessary to 
>> move the directory but the directory on this disk is fragmented.
>>
>> The file "Remote Desktop Log" with creator "mcpx" and type "LogF" is 
>> anchored because it is invisible and its creator and type are unknown 
>> to PlusOptimizer.
>>
>> The file "Icon" with creator "MSIE" and type "icon" is anchored 
>> because it is invisible and its creator and type are unknown to 
>> PlusOptimizer.
>>
>> The file "SAInitFile" with creator "APmk" and type "PICN" is anchored 
>> because it is invisible and its creator and type are unknown to 
>> PlusOptimizer.
>>
>> The file "TMPpn5vl6m5gl.htm" with creator "DmWr" and type "TEXT" is 
>> anchored because it is invisible and its creator and type are unknown 
>> to PlusOptimizer.
>>
>> 5 anchored file(s) found.
>>
>> Anchored files are files which cannot be moved by PlusOptimizer. When 
>> a disk with anchored files is optimized, there is a possibility that 
>> other files or the free space will be fragmented around the anchored 
>> files.
>>
>> When a file is reported as anchored because it is invisible and its 
>> creator and type are unknown, the file is being anchored for safety 
>> purposes but may not need to be anchored. The file and all other files 
>> with its creator and type can be unanchored by choosing Unanchor from 
>> the File menu.
>>
>> Future releases of PlusOptimizer will correctly classify unknown 
>> invisible files. To help us classify these files, print this log and 
>> mail it to Alsoft Tech. Support, P.O. Box 927, Spring, TX 77383 or 
>> e-mail it to Tech.Support at Alsoft.com.