PerfectDisk 10 for Windows Home Server on a Friday night

To defrag or not to defrag. Is that a question? Tonight I will walk you through the installation of PerfectDisk 10 on Windows Home Server via four short videos. If you have ever thought of using defrag software then check this article out.

Background

Over the last six months I have been thinking about whether defragmentation on my Windows Home Server is really worth the time and effort. I have decided that I will try it on my WHS and see how it performs. What do you think?

To Defrag Or Not To Defrag

Do we need to do it? Seriously? You can argue either way I guess. In theory it makes sense. If a file is in multiple parts it takes longer to read it. However, is there a significant quantifiable performance gain after defragmentation? Is it worth the time and money? If I spend an hour to defragment a drive, would it save more than an hour of actual read time had I not done it?

I am not sure on WHS, but this theory may have real life implications. Would it take more time and energy to move them all to the front or just leave them be?

Microsoft Windows Disk Defragmenter

If Windows Home Server needed a Disk Defragmentation tool would it have not come with it?

Since Windows 95 each Microsoft OS has shipped with some sort of Disk Defrag tool. Windows 7 has a built in Disk Defragmenter so there must be a performance gain by using these types of tools. Right?

I recently did a clean install of Windows 7 on my main system. I would expect Windows to keep the fragment percentage low.

More information can be found at: http://www.microsoft.com/atwork/maintenance/speed.aspx

Do we really need one for WHS? So much stuff is being duplicated and moved around.

PerfectDisk 10

According to the Raxco Software website Perfect Disk 10 for Windows Home Server will:

? Completely eliminate WHS fragmentation
? Maximize Streaming Media performance
? Reduce Backup times
? Improve Anti-Virus Performance
? Seamless integration with WHS Console
? Includes PerfectDisk Pro to also defrag connected PCs.

Perfect Disk is $49.99 for Windows Home Server and also includes a license for a regular PC. You can also buy site license which is a 10 pack of the PerfectDisk Pro licenses and the Windows Home Server.

UPDATE – Raxco Software is currently having a special (as of 12/13/09) on their PerfectDisk 10 Windows Home Server Site License (10 pack) for $59.99.

I am curious if a defrag will make a noticeable difference on my WHS so, I will download PerfectDisk 10 and give it a try. Their manual has 325 pages so there must be something to it. Right?

Equipment Needed

• PerfectDisk10 Download
• Windows Home Server
• Two Beers (Optional as always)

The PerfectDisk 10 software can be downloaded for a Free Trial at:

http://www.perfectdisk.com/products/home-perfectdisk10-windows-home-server/learn-more

Installation

Once you get the msi file to your Add-Ins folder you are good to go.

Initial Defragmentation

I have had my WHS running on the same disks for over a year so I guess I am a candidate for defragmentation.

Adding Backup Drives

I have two USB drives that I use for backups.

Metrics and Additional Functionality

PerfectDisk 10 can do quite a bit more than what I show in the videos.

…and what does the chart mean? Is 100 optimum? Is 100 the best? I could not find a definition in the documentation. $50 for a jump from 86 to 92 in Drive Performance might be a little costly if I cannot explain what the increase is in performance gain.

Conclusion

Overall I like the functionality and interface of PerfectDisk 10. If you are looking for a Disk Defragmenter for your WHS then this is a great choice. In addition, like I said earlier, their manual has 325 pages so there is a lot more to it then what I covered here.

Only time will tell whether PerfectDisk10, and disk defragmentation in general, is worth the effort and money. For now I will give PerfectDisk 10 the benefit of the doubt.

That said…does WHS really need a Disk Defragmenter? Microsoft would have included it if it needed it, right? Seriously.

See you next Friday night,

Timothy Daleo