Defrag a Mac Hard Drive: Do You Need It?
March 21, 2011
If your Mac system is already running slow defragmentation is the way to speed it up. For Mac systems defragging it is not really necessary but with older Mac improving its performance can be done through defragging it. This article will give some guide regarding how to defrag Mac hard drive. You need to be aware of the possible risk of defragging and what you can do about it.
Fragmentation happens when files on the hard drive are located in different locations. When the files are put into one location this is a process known as defragmentation. If you have fragmented files in your hard drive the Mac system tend to run slow. Apple Company is not recommending defragging their Mac OS but it helps when defragmentation happens because this can retrieve hard drive space in the system.
Before you consider to defrag Mac you might evaluate your hard drive and the whole system first. Apple itself does not recommend defragging their Mac OS because most of the hard drive space have a lot of reserve space and new improve systems today have better caching features. But there are some circumstances that might require you to defrag your Mac but read on the instructions first on your computer manual before running the defragging process. You need to keep in mind that defragging might pose some risk and this can be losing your important files.
You need to be aware that defragmentation process is not an easy process because it can take a lot of hours and some important data can be lost in the process. You need to be aware of all these possible risk. Choose the most convenient time for you to defrag your computer. Conduct first a back up copy of all your important files and select the best defragging tools that will work best on your Mac and avoid using the freeware applications because they tend to be in low quality.
When you start defragging your system, run first your defragging application. Once the process is done take note if the performance of your Mac is enhanced. You will notice that your system will improve if the applications open faster and the files can be access easily.
Before you consider defragging the hard drive you need to take a lot of precaution first. Apple does not generally recommend you to defrag Mac OS X because it is already built with architecture design where defragging is not needed at all. However defragging can be quite beneficial for your Mac on the process. Defragging can speed up the performance of your Mac hard drive but you need to evaluate first the condition of your Mac system. Defragging can be risky and you should be aware of this. It usually take longer hours so choose the right time to defrag your Mac and make sure that you have a backup copy of all your important files because defragging process can lose some of your important data. Just choose the right defragging applications that work best on your Mac system.