Defrag and Power Schemes (Win XP (Home Edition))

[Rudi]

Hi all,

This is probably a silly Q, but help does not mention this, so I need to confirm! When I defrag my PC, must I always ensure that my power scheme is set to none (ie... that my hard drive does not switch off during the defrag), or does the defrag take care of that automatically (just like screen savers do not activate during a PowerPoint show!)

<img src=/S/blush.gif border=0 alt=blush width=15 height=15> for question, but what the heck...i'm learning all the way! Knowledge is better than image!

[JohnGray]

I thought a "power scheme" only operated during a prolonged (but length-chooseable) period of hard disk inactivity. I wouldn't think that defragmentation fitted into that category!

John

[Rudi]

Now you see...I did not realize that! I thought the hard drive is always active until the power scheme stops it spinning! I did not realize that only if there is an activity of some kind...like a calculation, or a defrag, etc... that it is rendered active I thought it is always active as long as it is spinning!

So the bottom line is...I do NOT have to hassle about my power schemes to ensure the defrag runs through?
I trust the only scheme I must concern myself with is the wall socket power scheme and the schemes that are issued by the local power stations! <img src=/S/grin.gif border=0 alt=grin width=15 height=15>

[JohnGray]

Sorry - I could have been clearer!

You are right to think that the disk keeps spinning unless the power-scheme cuts in. But it will only cut in if the disk heads have not had to move (to write or read data from the disk) for the specified period of however many minutes. A defrag involves a frenetic amount of disk head movement, so the power scheme would not cut in while the defrag was running. Any request to read or write data from/to the disk will cause a dormant disk to spin up again immediately.

John

[Rudi]

Thanx John. I can see clearly now...the brain is ?re-programmed
<img src=/S/cheers.gif border=0 alt=cheers width=30 height=16>