Defragmentation Result -- is this normal?

[K1200]

Under Windows XP, I defragmented a drive containing a 70Mb FileMaker runtime application and was surprised by an entry in the results of "Files that did not defragment: APP.fp7 1643 fragments 70Mb". This represents over 60% of the area that remained fragmented on the drive.

Can anyone shed some light on this aspect of managing single-user runtimes? Is this normal for FileMaker Apps? Does FileMaker allocate space in physical blocks under XP, not logical ones? Is there a technique to minimize fragmentation? Is this a valid instance to occasionally use Compact or Optimize File?

Any insights will be appreciated.

[jaydonne]

Is this a valid instance to occasionally use Compact or Optimize File?

Yes. Use save as compacted (not optimize).

But it sounds like you may have a bigger problem with drive congestion. You need a certain amount of free space to defrag successfully.

[K1200]

Thanks for the response.

I've been reluctant to use Compact or Optimize because of the "bad press" they've received over the years. I guess I'll backup and then try Compact this week -- and then defragment again -- to see if I get a better end result.

Regarding total free space for defragmentation, that hasn't been a problem so far. I'm at 17 percent free, beyond the recommended 15%.

I guess my one question remains: what would be a good plan for managing a single-user runtime from month to month? Given, for example, that a user adds a few hundred records each month, would running Compact on a monthly basis be a good recommendation? I realize the single-user environment is less demanding in these respects, but I'm concerned of the cumulative effect of doing nothing for months on end.

[Fenton]

Be aware that jaydonne is saying "Save as Compacted," NOT the Advanced commands "Compact" or "Optimize" (which are somewhat dangerous to files which are not 100% healthy, and how can you know?)

[K1200]

Thanks, Fenton. I hadn't yet considered that. After reading up on the choices, I'll be adding the Compacted option to my scripted Save A Copy backup operation. From the user's standpoint, I suppose they can occasionally replace the database portion of the runtime with the most recent backup (this app uses the 2-file separation model) if conserving space is a concern.