Windows 7 small defrag command bug?

[Ph0b0s]

Sorry if it been reported before, but I noticed something that I think is either a bug or a step backwards in the Windows 7 defrag program. Below is the output of the 'defrag' command run under XP / Vista and then under Windows 7 for the same drive.

XP / Vista
C:\>defrag c: -a -v
Windows Disk Defragmenter
Copyright (c) 2001 Microsoft Corp. and Executive Software International, Inc.

Analysis Report

Volume size = 1,397 GB
Cluster size = 4 KB
Used space = 585 GB
Free space = 812 GB
Percent free space = 58 %

Volume fragmentation
Total fragmentation = 0 %
File fragmentation = 0 %
Free space fragmentation = 0 %

File fragmentation
Total files = 349,966
Average file size = 2 MB
Total fragmented files = 266
Total excess fragments = 1,353
Average fragments per file = 1.00

Pagefile fragmentation
Pagefile size = 0 bytes
Total fragments = 0

Folder fragmentation
Total folders = 14,379
Fragmented folders = 11
Excess folder fragments = 100

Master File Table (MFT) fragmentation
Total MFT size = 944 MB
MFT record count = 364,943
Percent MFT in use = 37 <------------------------
Total MFT fragments = 2

You do not need to defragment this volume.


Windows 7 Home Premium x64

C:\>defrag d: /a /v
Microsoft Disk Defragmenter
Copyright (c) 2007 Microsoft Corp.

Invoking analysis on XP (D...


The operation completed successfully.

Post Defragmentation Report:

Volume Information:
Volume size = 1.36 TB
Cluster size = 4 KB
Used space = 586.95 GB
Free space = 810.30 GB

Fragmentation:
Total fragmented space = 0%
Average fragments per file = 1.00

Movable files and folders = 368156
Unmovable files and folders = 49

Files:
Fragmented files = 745
Total file fragments = 3389

Folders:
Total folders = 14389
Fragmented folders = 26
Total folder fragments = 144

Free space:
Free space count = 5266
Average free space size = 157.52 MB
Largest free space size = 694.94 GB

Master File Table (MFT):
MFT size = 944.00 MB
MFT record count = 966655
MFT usage = 100% <------------------------
Total MFT fragments = 1

Note: File fragments larger than 64MB are not included in the fragmentat
ion statistics.

You do not need to defragment this volume.

The thing that is different is that Windows 7 no longer tells you how much of the your MFT on a drive is in use. It always says that it is at 100%. Where as XP and Vista tell me only 37% is in use. So the MFT is not close to extending itself and therefore is not likely to become fragmented.

OK not the biggest thing in the world but annoying if you like to keep your MFT defragmented without the use of expensive defragmentation programs. Now I don't want to get into a discussion about whether keeping your MFT defragment increases performance that much and whether it is worth while padding it out like I do before it reaches 100% (normally just after the disk has been formatted). I just wanted to point this out. Though I don't know if it is a bug or by design.

Anyway any thoughts about this. Do other people get this? Have noticed it on 2 Hdd's so far. What do we think, bug?

 

[Ph0b0s]

Also forgot to ask, does anyone know of any free defrag apps that would give details about the percentage of MFT in use?

 

[bmaytum]

Ph0b0s:

I noticed very high MFT usage (95% or more) initially when I installed Windows 7 Pro 64bit (did a "custom" upgrade from WinXP Pro 32bit). I then installed Diskeeper Pro 2010, set it to automatically defrag my NTFS C-drive (where Win7 is installed). Within a day or so MFT usage was down to aprox 50%; now a month later MFT usage hovers around 45% (my C-drive partition is 40GB, with aprox 39% freespace (when no VSS is present) down to 34% (when VSS is present), with 2 MFT fragments. I don't know if MFT usage % would have declined had I not been using Diskeeper.

I dunno of a free defrag app. I really *do* recommend Diskeeper however! You can download a free, full-featured 30-day trial and see if you like it. For me Diskeeper Pro is well worth the $50 cost (they offer discount if you buy several licenses). I also have Diskeeper's Software Maintenance license (aprox $15/yr) that has gotten me every new version 2006-> 2007-> 2008-> 2009-> 2010. Again, use the 30-day trial and I'll wager you'll buy it.

 

[Ph0b0s]

Thanks for the reply bmaytum. When you say you noticed your MFT usage was high (95%), did you get this result running the win 7 'defrag' command at the command prompt (as I did above) or using another method?

My problem is that the windows 7 native defrag command always says the MFT usage is at 100% even when it is not. As demonstrated above by the result from the defrag command run under XP on the same drive at the same time. Hence I wanted to find if others were having the same issue with the windows 7 defrag command.

And if there is a freeware program that tells you how much of your MFT is in use on a drive. I am not desperate to get a profesional defrag program as my system drive is now an SSD so now the only drive I need to defrag once in a blue moon is my data drive. Windows defrag is good engough for this.