Do I have to defragment my hard drive in Mac OS X?

Hi, I'm fairly new Mac OS X user, and I remember I had to occasionally defragment my hard drive in Windows. Now Mac OS X uses different partition system than Windows, but question remains - do these things exist on Macs?
MacBook   Mac OS X (10.4.9)   iPod Nano 2nd gen, wireless Apple Mighty Mouse

hi!
you don't need defrag your HD.
this artice contains a larger answer.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25668

Similar Messages

  • Defragment your hard drive

    i read you can Defragment your hard drive in windows, but can you do it in a mac? if so, how?

    Unix(core of os X) handles files far better than windows does, so you do not get near the fragmentation that you get under windows.
    OS X automagically defrags files under a certain size.
    Short answer-you do not have to defrag.
    If you absolutely feel you have to, search out some utilities for os x to do so.

  • Defrag my hard drive on my iMac now I tunes can't find my songs in the iTunes library

    I defraged my hard drive now iTunes can't find the songs in the library. Not connected to the cloud yet. Any suggestions on getting iTunes to find the master copy of the songs so I can play them on my iMacs. I have the same songs on my I pad but I don't know of any way of transferring my music from my iPod to the iTunes library on my iMac. Any thoughts.

    Same problem here. In my case I suspect due to having been cleaning out duplicate music files when hard disk was filling at an alarming rate (as I watched.) No longer doing that but my cleanup must have moved essential elements and files.
    Anyone know how to get my purchased stuff, showing as purchased but with exclamation mark, back into itunes again?

  • Best way to defragment my hard drive?... XD

    I use my mac to run ProTools and Logic. Because I have so many audio files on my hard drive and make edits all the time I need a way to defrag it. OSX takes care of most of the problems for the average user... too bad I don't fall into that category XD... DON'T TELL ME IT TAKES CARE OF ITSELF! An external drive with a is normally my way to solve this problem but i'm in a situation where that resource isn't available to me. All thoughts are appreciated. If theres a free way to do it I'd be smitten THANKS Y'ALL

    How To Defragment A Hard Drive
    This is the fastest and safest method for defragmenting a drive. Plus, it does not require third-party software, but it does require a spare hard drive.
    1. Get an empty external hard drive and clone your internal drive to the external one.
    2. Boot from the external hard drive.
    3. Erase the internal hard drive.
    4. Restore the external clone to the internal hard drive.
    Clone the internal drive to the external drive
    1. Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
    2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
    3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
    4. Check the box labeled Erase destination.
    5. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
    6. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
    7. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
    Destination means the external backup drive. Source means the internal startup drive.
    Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager appears.  Select the icon for the external drive and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
    After startup do the following:
    Erase internal hard drive
    1.  Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
    2. After DU loads select your internal hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area.  If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing.  SMART info will not be reported  on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
    3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.  Do not quit Disk Utility.
    Restore the clone to the internal hard drive
    1. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
    2. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
    3. Check the box labeled Erase destination.
    4. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
    5. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
    6. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
    Destination means the internal hard drive. Source means the external startup drive.
    Note that the Source and Destination drives are swapped for this last procedure.

  • New user from PC.. how do I defragment my hard drive?

    Not really sure how to defrag my hard drive as someone normally would with a PC..

    I would go the empirical way. If at some point you think that performance is degrading, you could install some application with a defragmentation tool (such as Drive Genius or SpeedTools Utilities) and try them out (not all have demo possibilities). I don't know any free alternative, but a poor man's solution is to copy as much data as possible to another disk, delete it and copy them back in so that files get laid out in the best way possible (or do a full restore of the drive for maximal performance).
    Appl'es view on fragmentation is usually optimistic, though sometimes they estimate that it might be a workaround to applications such as the one you suggest. Keeping a lot of free disk space seems the way to avoid fragmentation for as much as possible, but I imagine that only experience will tell.
    Cheers.

  • How to defragement a hard drive

    Just upgraded my iMac 27" purchased in August 2012 to Yosemite.  I move a lot of video files and my machine is running slow (nothing to do with the Yosemite upgrade).  I used iDfrag in the past but it has not been updated for Yosemite.  My questions is:  What is the easiest way to defrag my hard drive?
    Thank you
    VPH

    You don't defrag a drive running Apple OS X.
    Defragmentation in OS X:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1375  which states:
    You probably won't need to optimize at all if you use Mac OS X. Here's why:
    Hard disk capacity is generally much greater now than a few years ago. With more free space available, the file system doesn't need to fill up every "nook and cranny." Mac OS Extended formatting (HFS Plus) avoids reusing space from deleted files as much as possible, to avoid prematurely filling small areas of recently-freed space.
    Mac OS X 10.2 and later includes delayed allocation for Mac OS X Extended-formatted volumes. This allows a number of small allocations to be combined into a single large allocation in one area of the disk.
    Fragmentation was often caused by continually appending data to existing files, especially with resource forks. With faster hard drives and better caching, as well as the new application packaging format, many applications simply rewrite the entire file each time. Mac OS X 10.3 onwards can also automatically defragment such slow-growing files. This process is sometimes known as "Hot-File-Adaptive-Clustering."
    Aggressive read-ahead and write-behind caching means that minor fragmentation has less effect on perceived system performance.
    Whilst 'defragging' OS X is rarely necessary, Rod Hagen has produced this excellent analysis of the situation which is worth reading:
    Most users, as long as they leave plenty of free space available , and don't work regularly in situations where very large files are written and rewritten, are unlikely to notice the effects of fragmentation on either their files or on the drives free space much.
    As the drive fills the situations becomes progressively more significant, however.
    Some people will tell you that "OSX defrags your files anyway". This is only partly true. It defrags files that are less than 20 MB in size. It doesn't defrag larger files and it doesn't defrag the free space on the drive. In fact the method it uses to defrag the smaller files actually increases the extent of free space fragmentation. Eventually, in fact, once the largest free space fragments are down to less than 20 MB (not uncommon on a drive that has , say only 10% free space left) it begins to give up trying to defrag altogether. Despite this, the system copes very well without defragging as long as you have plenty of room.
    Again, this doesn't matter much when the drive is half empty or better, but it does when it gets fullish, and it does especially when it gets fullish if you are regularly dealing with large files , like video or serious audio stuff.
    If you look through this discussion board you will see quite a few complaints from people who find that their drive gets "slow". Often you will see that say that "still have 10 or 20 gigs free" or the like. On modern large drives by this stage they are usually in fact down to the point where the internal defragmentation routines can no longer operate , where their drives are working like navvies to keep up with finding space for any larger files, together with room for "scratch files", virtual memory, directories etc etc etc. Such users are operating in a zone where they put a lot more stress on their drives as a result, often start complaining of increased "heat", etc etc. Most obviously, though, the computer slows down to a speed not much better than that of molasses. Eventually the directories and other related files may collapse altogether and they find themselves with a next to unrecoverable disk problems.
    By this time, of course, defragging itself has already become just about impossible. The amount of work required to shift the data into contiguous blocks is immense, puts additional stress on the drive, takes forever, etc etc. The extent of fragmentation of free space at this stage can be simply staggering, and any large files you subsequently write are likely to be divided into many , many tens of thousands of fragments scattered across the drive. Not only this, but things like the "extents files", which record where all the bits are located, will begin to grow astronomically as a result, putting even more pressure on your already stressed drive, and increasing the risk of major failures.
    Ultimately this adds up to a situation where you can identify maybe three "phases" of mac life when it comes to the need for defragmentation.
    In the "first phase" (with your drive less than half full), it doesn't matter much at all - probably not enough to even make it worth doing.
    In the "second phase" (between , say 50% free space and 20% free space remaining) it becomes progressively more useful, but , depending on the use you put your computer to you won't see much difference at the higher levels of free space unless you are serious video buff who needs to keep their drives operating as efficiently and fast as possible - chances are they will be using fast external drives over FW800 or eSata to compliment their internal HD anyway.
    At the lower end though (when boot drives get down around the 20% mark on , say, a 250 or 500 Gig drive) I certainly begin to see an impact on performance and stability when working with large image files, mapping software, and the like, especially those which rely on the use of their own "scratch" files, and especially in situations where I am using multiple applications simultaneously, if I haven't defragmented the drive for a while. For me, defragmenting (I use iDefrag too - it is the only third party app I trust for this after seeing people with problems using TechToolPro and Drive Genius for such things) gives a substantial performance boost in this sort of situation and improves operational stability. I usually try to get in first these days and defrag more regularly (about once a month) when the drive is down to 30% free space or lower.
    Between 20% and 10% free space is a bit of a "doubtful region". Most people will still be able to defrag successfully in this sort of area, though the time taken and the risks associated increase as the free space declines. My own advice to people in this sort of area is that they start choosing their new , bigger HD, because they obviously are going to need one very soon, and try to "clear the decks" so that they maintain that 20% free buffer until they do. Defragging regularly (perhaps even once a fortnight) will actually benefit them substantially during this "phase", but maybe doing so will lull them into a false sense of security and keep them from seriously recognising that they need to be moving to a bigger HD!
    Once they are down to that last ten per cent of free space, though, they are treading on glass. Free space fragmentation at least will already be a serious issue on their computers but if they try to defrag with a utility without first making substantially more space available then they may find it runs into problems or is so slow that they give up half way through and do the damage themselves, especially if they are using one of the less "forgiving" utilities!
    In this case I think the best way to proceed is to clone the internal drive to a larger external with SuperDuper, replace the internal drive with a larger one and then clone back to it. No-one down to the last ten percent of their drive really has enough room to move. Defragging it will certainly speed it up, and may even save them from major problems briefly, but we all know that before too long they are going to be in the same situation again. Better to deal with the matter properly and replace the drive with something more akin to their real needs once this point is reached. Heck, big HDs are as cheap as chips these days! It is mad to struggle on with sluggish performance, instability, and the possible risk of losing the lot, in such a situation.

  • I have 3 older ext. hard drives that I've utilized many times. Today while searching for old files, one of the three is no longer recognized by my PowerMac.  Any suggestions?

    I have 3 older ext. hard drives that I've utilized many times. Today while searching for old files, one of the three is no longer recognized by my PowerMac. The drive is not listed in Disk Utility.  Any suggestions?

    Is the computer in you equipment line:
    Dual Core Intel Xenon
    (which is not a PowerMac but a Mac Pro) the one you are asking about, or do you have an older PowerMac?
    If a Mac Pro, their forums are here:
    Mac Pro
    and, as Mac Pros have a totally different architecture from the pre-2005 Macs this forum covers, you may not have the same issues that can affect the older models. If someone didn't notice your equipment line, you could get advice that doesn't apply.
    If you really have a pre-2005 PowerMac, read on.
    If the stubborn external is USB and does not have its own power brick (i.e., it gets power only from the computer's UBS ports--"bus powered"), it may not be getting enough power. As electric motors age, they can demand more power than when new, and the power available on any USB port is limited.
    The typical workabouts to making a computer recognize an aging, bus-powered USB drive are:
    Get a powered USB hub (has its own power brick
    Get a "Y" USB cable: 1 Meter USB 2.0 A to 5 Pin Mini B Cable - Auxiliary USB "Y" Power Design for external hard drives.
    The second gets power from two USB ports on the computer and often that's enough.
    Remember that the USB ports on your keyboard seldom provide enough power even for a thumb drive, so be sure to use the USB ports on the back of the computer.

  • I have replaced my old hard drive with a new SSD drive. Can I restore a complete Time Machine backup

    I have replaced my old hard drive on a MacBook Pro midyear 2010 with a new SSD drive. I have a complete system backup of my old drive in an external hard drive using Time Machine.
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    Let me first document the steps that did not work and then I will document the steps that worked.
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    11) Booted successfully and all my content is now accessible on the new SSD.
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    See http://www.alsoft.com/diskwarrior/

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