Performance on multicore processor

[mrahk]

I think the auto defrag function isn't working on a multicore processor.

I've this program installed on a "normal" single core computer and auto defrag kicks in every now and then, so that's the behaviour I like.

I've it installed on a computer with a dual core processor too and so far I've never seen the auto defrag getting into action.

Both machines have identical settings.

Even if I set the start switch to the lowest idle state position (wait only 1 minute) and the processor usage switch to the highest position (100/%, so it'll never pause) auto defrag never starts.

 

And I took even drastic measures by disabling those switches completely, but too no avail. Auto defrag just never starts.

 

I guess SD has some problems with the multicore concept in that multicores are in fact never completely idle because they use always a little bit "time" for communicating with each other. That's how the cores split tasks between each other.

[Toppack]

I have a multicore (quad) processor and it appeared to be doing the Auto-defrag.

You have to be monitoring processor usage to know it's doing it tho, since no message is displayed to let you know.

 

I did have to disable the 'auto defrag if Idle for _ minutes' check-box,

to get it to run tho.

I guess there's too much running in the background on my computer for SD to consider the system to be Idle?

 

Since I did not find a good way to control how often it was run, I just went to Manual mode.

[solbjerg]

Hi Toppack

In my view an intelligent approach.

After all - how often is a computer idle if you are a fan of automated processes?

Or don't clean out spyware and tracking cookies constantly!

Cheers

solbjerg

 

I have a multicore (quad) processor and it appeared to be doing the Auto-defrag.

You have to be monitoring processor usage to know it's doing it tho, since no message is displayed to let you know.

 

I did have to disable the 'auto defrag if Idle for _ minutes' check-box,

to get it to run tho.

I guess there's too much running in the background on my computer for SD to consider the system to be Idle?

 

Since I did not find a good way to control how often it was run, I just went to Manual mode.

[mrahk]

All right, then. I'll try that approach too. You're very right, as far as I can tell my computer is never idle, therefore I've started this topic.

Toppack is illustrating my point here. I'm trying to say that in case of a multicore there will be probably never a prolonged period of idleness because the cores don't perform the same tasks and therefore I guess there's always a core doing work, and besides that the cores use time to communicate with each other as I pointed out so they will not be simultaneously idle anyway. This causes the "idle setting" of SD to not work properly on multicores.

 

I didn't know that you could disable the "idle" setting completely without disabling auto-defrag.

But if you switch off that "idle" setting, then how is determined if auto-defrag will start or not?

 

B.T.W.: You can easily see if auto defrag is active. It shows up a balloon stating so (provided if you've activated that) and the icon starts moving.

[solbjerg]

Re: Performance on multicore processor

 

Hi mrahk

You may be right about about your type of machine.

I did a test last year (around May last year) concerning both the auto-defrag and the scheduled defrag. Both worked fine on my machine. (I made a post about it at that time)

The display about auto-defrag showed up when the defrag had finished if you hovered over the icon with the pointer.

If I wanted to make use of the auto-functions I would choose the scheduled defrag and let it run its course at a time where I knew that I would not be using the machine.

But I only do it when I feel and can see that it is needed - I do have a few spare minutes on my hands :-)

Cheers

solbjerg

 

 

All right, then. I'll try that approach too. You're very right, as far as I can tell my computer is never idle, therefore I've started this topic.

Toppack is illustrating my point here. I'm trying to say that in case of a multicore there will be probably never a prolonged period of idleness because the cores don't perform the same tasks and therefore I guess there's always a core doing work, and besides that the cores use time to communicate with each other as I pointed out so they will not be simultaneously idle anyway. This causes the "idle setting" of SD to not work properly on multicores.

 

I didn't know that you could disable the "idle" setting completely without disabling auto-defrag.

But if you switch off that "idle" setting, then how is determined if auto-defrag will start or not?

 

B.T.W.: You can easily see if auto defrag is active. It shows up a balloon stating so (provided if you've activated that) and the icon starts moving.

[Toppack]

Re: Performance on multicore processor

 

You can easily see if auto defrag is active. the icon starts moving.

 

Thanks for the Info. I did not experiment with Auto-defrag long enough to notice that. I sure don't remember a balloon message tho ?

I may try it again Someday. :wink:

[mrahk]

Re: Performance on multicore processor

 

OK, it's a few days later now. And auto-defrag is definitely not working on a multicore processor. According to its own information it has auto-defragged 0 files.

 

I'll try that approach suggested in another thread about SD not working properly on Windows 7 when started simultaneously with Windows. In my case the tray icon does show up, but I'll try it anyway.

[mrahk]

Re: Performance on multicore processor

 

Well, another few days later and I'm going to ditch it and it is forever.

I've tried every suggestion here in the forums including starting it manually and auto-defrag is just NEVER WORKING!

 

Apparently the devs don't give that much about it because whatever topic is raised here in the forum a sensible reaction from a dev is no where to be found.

[Toppack]

Re: Performance on multicore processor

 

I've tried every suggestion here in the forums including starting it manually and auto-defrag is just NEVER WORKING!

.

 

Does it find files to Defrag when you do a Manual defrag, immediately After seeing (0 files) to defrag in Auto?

(the '0-files' message means that it did not find anything that Needed defragmenting)

Just asking to find out if you are sure there were actually files that needed defraging, when you did the Auto?

 

To make sure I was correct, I scheduled an Auto defrag on 3 harddrives (to give more run time), on my quad-core, and watched it while it ran.

There was No animated Icon, (it must be configured to be Hidden), but I had windows-7 Task-manager monitoring CPU usage and saw it start and run at the correct time.

I also opened SD afterward and saw that the Last defrag 'time & date' was the time that I had scheduled the Auto.

So, again, it appears to be operating properly (and Very Quickly) on my multi-core. :)

[mrahk]

That's not exactly the problem, toppack.

I said that auto-defrag is just never working.

The number of fragmented files is a few hundred on whatever moment I check it. It has been that number ever since I've installed SmartDefrag. I don't consider the message in the auto-defrag window that shows how many files have been auto-defragged. It still says zero (so nothing has been auto-defragged, but that message could be wrong). That the number of fragmented files remains the same that proofs that auto-defrag does nothing.

The fragmented files are quite regular; they're not extremely large and they're not locked or whatsoever so there's definitely work to do for auto-defrag.

 

I've installed SD on a single core Windows XP machine too and then auto-defrag kicks in very soon. So there's not a general problem, but only on Windows 7 multi-core.

 

I know I can do a manual defrag and that procedure is indeed working on Windows 7 multi-core but I don't do it because then my reference is gone.

Defragmented files on Windows 7 is not a big problem at all and I want to see if SD somehow improves because then everyone's better off so I try to keep this discussion going and probably some good insights will show up here or may be the devs do find a solution on their own. We'll see...

So I reallly appreciate it that you're thinking about this matter too. Thanks, Toppack and solbjerg!

[Toppack]

Okay, I understand more now.

 

But I don't think it being a Multicore computer is causing the problem.

(multi-core versus single-core is a hardware difference, not a software difference)

 

You don't mean 64-bit versus 32-bit versions of W-7, do you?

If so, my multicore computer also has the 64-bit version of Windows-7.

 

It seems that If you have everything setup the same, in SD, on both computers, then they should operate the same?

Something Else must be different?