does defraging wipe recoverable data?

[cosmicB]

As far as I know, Defrag just sorts files by rewriting them more compact...
I run Defrag every second day...

I think you should run, the "sort files to run better" feature, only once, then uncheck it.. because the system gets comfy with how it places engines and peripherals... In Mac computers it is advised that you don't defrag, because of that...

If you want to strip old stuff from the hard drive, get Eraser.. and checkout the utilities cleaner downloads at Majorgeeks...

Using Eraser can be dangerous, because some softwares set their secret components in what Eraser sees as junk... If you run Eraser, babysit the run, and stop it after one pass... The worst that can happen is you'll need to reinstall the operating system... I have never had any troubles after running Eraser one pass... You might need to reinstall SeaMonkey, if you have it... Be sure you have made a registry backup.. and have made floppy or CD backups of all your treasures, including bookmarks, pix, key codes, and Internet data...

Eraser can sometimes kill a virus... It's good to have Eraser in your PC, just in case one day you might need something powerful to kill a hidden bug.. but bugs today generally bite into the memory so hard, that your only option is to format C.. is why I maintain a running backup system to floppy.. Which reminds me that I best be backing up this week's work and pix right now...

[Jackie_W]

If by 'recoverable data' you mean data that has been put in the waste bin and emptied, then the answer is yes to an easy recovery. Deleting files does not remove them from the hard drive but deletes their location index. You can liken it to a large book and removing entries from the index. The pages still exist but it is not easy to find them.

Once you defrag or install other files onto the hard drive then there is a chance that the deleted file locations may get overwritten and the data recovery becomes a profesional service.

Try Handy recovery http://www.handyrecovery.com/ and see what can be recovered then defrag your hard drive and repeat.

[boingo]

Defragging does just that: It finds fragmented programs and files, then does it's best to shuffle them back together again. Some of the spaces where bits of, or total, files were will be overwritten while the PC defrags because it moves most fragments into temporary locations on the hard drive to clear out space ready to put them back in order.
It's a bit like tidying up a bookshelf covered with books that have pages torn out and put back in the wrong places. You rip most of them off the shelf and chuck them onto the table to make room. Then put them all back up in order again.


There's no need to defrag unless your harddrive becomes noticeably very slow or Windows says it needs doing. If you defrag too often, then all you're doing is shortening the life span of the hard drive by wearing it out more quickly.
Typically the smaller the hard drive, the more often it needs defragging because it's so loaded up with programs and files that are constantly being shuffled about by Windows. It's like being in a small cluttered room with no space to move about and keep organised.
This is because Windows uses what are known as swap files. It writes a new updated bit of information to swap with the old ones as a log of where it's up to at any given moment. If it doesn't have much room to move, then it'll end up chucking them anywhere it can.