Scatch Disks + Defragging

FC
Posted By
Fabienne_Christenson
Jan 3, 2004
Views
560
Replies
15
Status
Closed
I just got a digital camera for Xmas and it takes big images. I had a couple of Photoshop freezes while trying to edit an image. I got myself a 40 gig hard drive to add on to my set up so that I would not run out of space. I also want to make sure that I have the right settings for scratch disks as well. My current settings are First: Startup and Second: E: (which is the new hard disk). Do you think that is the best way of setting it up? Is there anything else that I will need to do along that score?

Secondly, what is the usual way that people handle defragging their hard drives when they have an extra one? I am using XP Pro, it has detected the new hard drive but I understand that you cannot run a scheduled defrag (from the system help area…I was mildly surprised when I read that). So do you manually turn on the defrag (say when you get ready to go to bed for the night) or have you found an easier way to do it?

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

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RK
Rob_Keijzer
Jan 3, 2004
Fabienne,

First remember that Photoshop doesn’t clear the scratch volume(s) when it is not shut down normally. (e.g. after a freeze etc.).
So before defragmenting delete all *.tmp files. You’ll probably find one or more huge ones related to PS.
Remember to check for tmp files regularly.

Defragmenting: Yes it can take a while. I defrag my 2 HDD’s before I go to sleep. It’s nice to hear the head-actuators work themselfs into sweat in the background.
Defrag on a regular base. It makes sense.

Rob
H
Ho
Jan 3, 2004
I’m not sure how much value there is in defragging the scratch disk as far as PS is concerned. I seem to recall a discussion by one of Adobe’s programmers that indicated it doesn’t really matter. As far as overall OS/file performance is concerned, I defrag when the level of fragmentation hits 12-15%, which means, for me, almost never. Remember, a defrag means ALL your data is moved and rewritten. I see it as a necessary evil to and I do it sparingly.
IL
Ian_Lyons
Jan 3, 2004
Scratch is meant to be free of data – how do you defrag nothing?
FC
Fabienne_Christenson
Jan 3, 2004
Since I got the computer a year ago, and since I was going along merrily thinking that it was defragmenting like it used to (on a schedule once a month in the Windows 98 days) I think that a good defragging would be in order now. But I will have to remember to defrag since I cannot schedule it. That goes for the C: drive and the new E: drive, too. It appears that I can do them both with one command.

I have to say that I was under the impression that the scratch was a temporary holding area to work on Photoshop images and that it vaporized when Photoshop was shut down.

Finally, what about the scratch disks to specify for Photoshop? My current settings are First: Startup and Second: E: (which is the new hard disk). Do you think that is the best way of setting it up? Would you think that First:E: then Second: C: Or the other way around? Or to leave it the way it is?
RO
Robert_Oliver
Jan 3, 2004
My current settings are First: Startup and Second: E: (which is the new hard disk). Do you think that is the best way of setting it up? Would you think that First:E: then Second: C: Or the other way around? Or to leave it the way it is?

Think about the setting. You are telling Photoshop to use your old drive first, which means it would only use the new drive if your old drive was full.

I believe it is always best for the scratch drive to be a seperate physical drive from the one that Photoshop runs from.

I’d set it to first use the new drive, and then the startup drive.

Depending on how you use the new drive, you could always partition part of it and make that partition a dedicated scratch partition. This would alleviate any real need to defrag it, since only Photoshop would ever use it. You’d only have to check it occasionaly to see if any files were left behind after crashes.

As for defragging, I use Diskeeper 8 and it is set to defrag all drives on the system whenever the screensaver is running.
RP
Russell_Proulx
Jan 3, 2004
Scratch is meant to be free of data – how do you defrag nothing?

Used to be that PS needed empty contiguous space for its scratch disk. Folks who offered PS a drive/partition that had other files on it needed to insure that it was defragmented so PS could have access to as large an empty contiguous space as possible. Not everyone can justify offering PS an empty partition or drive.

Well, that’s no longer the case since PS learned to jump, which I’ve been told has been the case since a few versions. Defragging is no longer as much of an essential chore as it used to be. Combined with an HTFS disk format (which collects data out-of-order in one pass access the HD) defragmenting a HD has lost most of its allure.

I still do it out of habit (use Raxco’s PerfectDisk v6) but I do wonder why I bother …

Russell
RK
Rob_Keijzer
Jan 4, 2004
Scratch is meant to be free of data – how do you defrag nothing?

By making it contiguous.

Rob
RP
Russell_Proulx
Jan 4, 2004
By making it contiguous.

Rob,

I’ve been informed that this is no longer necessary.

Russell
RH
r_harvey
Jan 4, 2004
I’ve been informed that this is no longer necessary.

Was your source Blatner & Fraser? It’s not necessary, of course, but it’s a good thing.
RK
Rob_Keijzer
Jan 4, 2004
IMHO Defragmenting is like pushing all books on a shelf to one side, thus creating the maximum contiguous empty space. So, by saving files, or installing software the O/S doesn’t have to work like hell to keep track of where it’s all going.
Although it serves certain OS’s right.

BTW is it me, or was this forum down for the past 9 hours? or shall I just buy a new keyboard.

Rob
RP
Russell_Proulx
Jan 4, 2004
Was your source Blatner & Fraser?

And..What’s that supposed to mean?

Actually it was from a post by Len Hewitt whose opinion I also respect :

LenHewitt "Formatting a Scratch Disk to Maximize Space" 11/23/03 10:58am </cgi-bin/webx?13/8>

While Len does also say that it’s ‘not quite as efficient’ as with an unfragmented. disk, the important point seems to be that contiguous space us no longer essential (as it once was) for Photoshop to make full use of disk space for it’s scratch file. Considering how the HTFS disk format works it would also be interesting to see how much fragmenting would be necessary before any real world difference occurred (pun intended <g>)

Many people (including myself) are/were under the assumption that PS REQUIRED contiguous space for its scratch disk. I thought that is what you were saying in your reply to Ian Lyons. I apologize if I misunderstood.

BTW: I defrag my disks fairly often as I do agree that it helps keep a computer in tip-top shape. I also assign a separate empty disk to PS’s scratch file.

Russell
IL
Ian_Lyons
Jan 4, 2004
BTW is it me, or was this forum down for the past 9 hours? or shall I just buy a new keyboard.

Nope Adobe were just defragging the servers 😉
RK
Rob_Keijzer
Jan 4, 2004
Nope Adobe were just defragging the servers

I like that one! ad rem.

Rob
L
LenHewitt
Jan 4, 2004
or was this forum down for the past 9 hours<<

Not exactly down, but going at a snail’s pace leading to time-outs. Adobe.com was the same…..
Y
YrbkMgr
Jan 4, 2004
Fabienne,

In your situation, as Robert said, use your new hard drive for photoshops primary scratch, and set C to the secondary. When E gets full it will use C.

I cannot envision a situation in which one would dedicate an entire 40 gig HD to photoshop’s scratch disk. Perhaps some do it, perhaps they have a reason to do it, but I cannot imagine a situation where it would be sage advice to do so.

That said, you will probably use your E drive for other things as well as the scratch disk (put a TEMP folder on the E drive and PS will use that). While photoshop does not REQUIRE free contiguous space to use as scratch, over time, a hard drive used for other things as well as scratch will become fragmented. As Rob said, it’s a good idea, but certainly not required, to defrag E.

Note: except in the most extreme of circumstances, you will not see a performance boost from defragging your scratch volume. Period. It’s just good housekeeping practices.

Hope that helps some.

Peace,
Tony

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