Defrag Blues (or...how Qwertyuiop was exactly correct !!!)

[mark4man]

Q...(& everybody)...

I couldn't just leave well enough alone, I guess.

I surmised that...if the audio data streams more efficiently from a "Files First" audio disk location...the program files on the local drive should also; & I went about painstakingly entering folder paths as such in Speed Disk, for all my SONAR program files (operational files, graphic caches, plug-ins, etc., etc.)

After optimization...the program’s operation has bogged down to near dropout level; & I've noticed in SONAR's CPU usage meter that a higher percentage is now present; & that the graphics are super slow.

How do I at least get back to where TF I was, for god's sake ??? My stock defragger is the Windows XP defragger, which I'm told is a watered down version of Diskeeper...(the British program.) (That's true, correct?) [The only reason I used Speed Disk (as I said before) is because I was also told that the XP defragger, although efficient...doesn't defrag the MFT, Directory & various other system files.] (Is this also true?)

Will it help if I go back & defrag my local drive with the XP defragger? (i.e., will it put the program files back where they were...or will it just organize what's already there?)

Should I go out & get the full version of Diskeeper (the best of the breed...as it was described); & configure it to perform a “typical” or “default” defrag (& in that way get the system files defragged & maybe the program files placed back where they're supposed to be?)

And finally...where exactly SHOULD high intensity programs (graphic art, photo editing, digital audio workstations) be located on the local drive FOR optimum performance (first, middle, last, scattered like holes in swiss cheese) ???

I F'd up, man...

mark4man

 

[warble]

Screw Norton and their bloated wares (although I suppose Speed Disk is up there with the other quality defrag programs). I use the full version of Diskeeper and it works well! The one included in XP is a basic version of this.

I can't really comment about where apps should be located on the drive - I don't mess around with stuff like that - never had a reason to. I'm running Sonar 4 Prod. and have the app installed on my first HD drive. All the audio data in on a second drive I'm using solely for this purpose. I've never run into problems with dropouts due to disk I/O operations.

I imagine you can undo what you've done with Norton, and just defrag the drive again. After this, I wouldn't spend vast amounts of time trying for the perfect optimized system - it will drive you insane. Just get to recording!

 

[mark4man]

warble...

Thanks.

I use the full version of Diskeeper and it works well! (I can't really comment about where apps should be located on the drive.)

I intend on picking that up (full version/Diskeeper.) Does it provide an explanation of where programs are placed...& why?

Thanks,

mark4man


BTW - Notwithstanding your advice to not worry about it...which I intend to heed…but I want to get this one basic problem fixed first.

 

[warble]

warble...

Thanks.

I intend on picking that up (full version/Diskeeper.) Does it provide an explanation of where programs are placed...& why?

Thanks,

mark4man


BTW - Notwithstanding your advice to not worry about it...which I intend to heed…but I want to get this one basic problem fixed first.

No problem. I don't know about an explanation about where programs are placed - I don't worry about that and have never suffered performance issues. You could check out the Diskeeper website for more info on that or even contact them asking about this - maybe a pre-sales question.

Good luck to ya - I remember having that feeling of "I just screwed everything up" before.

 

[jpw23]

Q...(& everybody)...

And finally...where exactly SHOULD high intensity programs (graphic art, photo editing, digital audio workstations) be located on the local drive FOR optimum performance (first, middle, last, scattered like holes in swiss cheese) ???

I F'd up, man...

mark4man

I keep my programs on one hd ( c: ) and my workfiles on d:.......this way I can work from both drives at the same time.........if you have multiple hard disk drives....do not have them on the same cable, you can't access them at the same time..............as for defrag....I just use what windows xp provides and I never have a problem and I let it do it's thing!

 

[Rstiltskin]

I think he's asking about exactly which tracks....

I keep my programs on one hd ( c: ) and my workfiles on d:.......this way I can work from both drives at the same time.........if you have multiple hard disk drives....do not have them on the same cable, you can't access them at the same time..............as for defrag....I just use what windows xp provides and I never have a problem and I let it do it's thing!

like inside tracks, outside tracks, etc.

dude, you are getting into voodoo now. if calkwalk tech support can't help you, hmmm. If you keep asking you will get some answer, and a less than 50/50 chance it will be right.

gary at www.videoguys.com might know if you can get to him. just tell him you are thinking about buying premier from adobe. ask him were to put it.(in a nice way)

the problem is, some programs may actually change in size a little bit, i think. I think someprograms may store some info in internal arrays for the next use, or maybe I don't know what I am talking about (it happens, hard to belive, but true)

You can pack them all down on the inside or outside tracks, but if anything changes the extra info will be written to an empty cluster at the end of the pack. or your config files may change from use to use, if they don't fight exactly back were they were the new data gets written to the first free cluster, god (and your fat) knows where, but it sure ain't gonna be contiguous.

check around some of the video boards, when you are buying a 25,000 dollar video editing system that needs to stream 100mbits per second every second for an hour, you probably know these things.

second thought, try some of the raid companies tech support, like highpoint, promise, laCie, glyph, you get the idea.

good luck...sad to say, this is how we all learned. and if you find what you think is a good answer and it works, please post it here, or pm me.

cause I am interested too.

 

[warble]

.........if you have multiple hard disk drives....do not have them on the same cable, you can't access them at the same time..............

While this is certainly true, I haven't noticed any performance issues with two drives on one cable - and I do know that two on one is not ideal. When I was building my system, I had two hard drives and two optical drives to contend with. Both hard drives went on one channel with the main drive (with the OS, progs) set as master, and the second drive (audio data) set as slave. I only have two channels on my motherboard and thought I might run into resource/performance problems if I popped in a PCI IDE controller card on the PCI bus with my sound interface. Am I crazy for thinking this?

 

[Rstiltskin]

ide stands for integrated drive electronics....

While this is certainly true, I haven't noticed any performance issues with two drives on one cable - and I do know that two on one is not ideal. When I was building my system, I had two hard drives and two optical drives to contend with. Both hard drives went on one channel with the main drive (with the OS, progs) set as master, and the second drive (audio data) set as slave. I only have two channels on my motherboard and thought I might run into resource/performance problems if I popped in a PCI IDE controller card on the PCI bus with my sound interface. Am I crazy for thinking this?

the standerd motherboard controllers send requests and data to and from the drives, the drive is actually controlled by controllers on the drive itself. that means your master controls the slave, not the mb 'controller' (interface). sometimes if you put a optical on as a slave behind a master hard drive, you get problems. for a long time you could not copy cd to cd without making a toaster if they were on the same cable. i would never put an optical as master (i don't know why, i just would'nt) with a hard drive as slave.

i don't really know what the above has to do with your situation, or why I typed it in, because i would of set your system up exactly the same way.

my usual assumption is that MOST of the time, your computer is waiting on mechanical devices, like drive reads or writes, rarely do you saturate the pc bus or agp bus, or your ide channel.

usually something else is the limiting factor.

hope this helps.

 

[warble]

Rstiltskin - thank for the reply.

I have the two optical drives on one channel - CDRW is master and CD-ROM is slave. Haven't had any issues with this and have been able to copy CD's too. I think that may have been an issue from back in the day.

I just was curious what others thought of my thinking and how I've got my system setup. I am not seeing any performance issues (at least that I know of ) and have no troubles recording audio on my system.

As far as the PCI bus, I'm under the impression that it's good to not have too much plugged in there on a DAW - specifically network cards. I could be off base here, but this is what I've read around here. I only have a Firewire card plugged in now that I'm using with my Firepod, and it's grabbing it's own IRQ.


Sorry Mark4Man - didn't mean to take this thread off track.

 

[Rstiltskin]

sometimes it actually makes a difference what pci slot...

Rstiltskin - thank for the reply.

I have the two optical drives on one channel - CDRW is master and CD-ROM is slave. Haven't had any issues with this and have been able to copy CD's too. I think that may have been an issue from back in the day.

I just was curious what others thought of my thinking and how I've got my system setup. I am not seeing any performance issues (at least that I know of ) and have no troubles recording audio on my system.

As far as the PCI bus, I'm under the impression that it's good to not have too much plugged in there on a DAW - specifically network cards. I could be off base here, but this is what I've read around here. I only have a Firewire card plugged in now that I'm using with my Firepod, and it's grabbing it's own IRQ.


Sorry Mark4Man - didn't mean to take this thread off track.

the card is in. its so strange, the software not seeing something or it not working right or the irq's fucked up and then you put it in another pci slot and it works! deep voodoo.

a lot of these problems were worse back in the day, and I hope to god they are getting better! you would never buy a car that by driving through the wrong takeout window would no longer run, or run well without an engine overhaul (i am referring to surfing the net, now.)

is it not wonderful to be using the worlds richest man's software!