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.

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.

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.

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?)

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.