How to move "huge" data WITHIN a partition to one part of it, or on "personal priority" order?

ledgeri · Dec 11, 2014

Hi!

I want to put exact data to my HDD's "front side" (the faster one), but i can not find the answer: please help!

My problem is the next: I have a 1TB HDD with 2 partition. On its "front" a 750GB one, and the less in an other...(and an SSD to OS. so that is out of the area..)

I use ArmA III, with a community and with a lot of addons (variety with small and big files collected in folders, and updates of unpredictable times).
So we insalling an addon using it, simultaneously i use the free space of the disc(as well), and an other addon comes in, but the previous updated (smaller or bigger size) etc-etc: so if on avarage level/meaning my addon-files not fragmented (using O&O defrag), my addon folder is very fragmanted, and all over that 650GB (currently in use) place where the reading speed is various so my stuff loading is unpredictable, and defenetly slower than could be...

Years ago i found a program what was capable to put all tha stuff to the slow end of the partition, but i forgot the name of it...
Maybe one of you can show a program what can do at least that or able to select files, or folders to put on the fast side of the disc, or do a "normal" defrag with "human defined priority" for some or all folders. and under the defrag it place them in the right order...

(If i had access to an other HDD that would be easy, but that is a bypass, not a solution....)

Thanks for help again!

P.S. ( i am lookin for free programs, but if worth it maybe i will pay... i am interested in all solutions, but mostly in the cheapest...)

P.S.2: I want put exact data on "exact place" on my HDD

BrandonYoung · Dec 11, 2014

Interesting. You need to put it on the SSD!
I have not heard of a program that is able to do what you are asking.
If you have at least enough free space on the drive to make a copy of the game, try this:
1) Full defrag.
2) Make a copy of the game on the drive, or copy files over in the order you want them in this free space.
If your defrag software isn't totally useless, it should create a "gap" suited to fit the new copy, clustered together on the HDD.

Good luck!

ledgeri · Dec 11, 2014

BrandonYoung :

My SSD is 120GB total, i am using from it 95.5 as partitioned (to overal lifetime increasing), (the main game already on this with 14GB) now with 7-8 GB free space) in partition, but i have 45 GB stuff to store as addon to that game. Out of chanche
Also the partition (the 750GB) is now totally defragmented, so if i cut it out, i can not put all of it back to the front, because the "filler" data what is causing the fragmentation is still there, even if i do a defrag after it i need to put it tha back all of my stuff what will be slower... With an other drive i would be able to cut all off my stuff out, the put back the importand data first, then the other, but after a week, month, year the problem is still there... and now i can not buy and other one just for todo it, and getting an un-used (i mean free) 1tb drive is hard...

If just the "put these back" option would be avaiable i just redowloaded the stuff but that is still hidden to me yet...

BrandonYoung · Dec 11, 2014

Well... There is a program (I'm unaware if this is free or not, or if it still is in existence) called "Partition Magic" or "PQ Magic". It would allow you to choose which area of the HD you wished to create the partition in.

If you had free space on the drive, you could make a new partition in the front, or back, or where ever you think would perform the best, then simply copy your game files into the newly created partition.

A simple search for Partition Magic style apps should be useful in your search.

Good luck!

ledgeri · Dec 12, 2014

You dont understood me, as i see... I have enough partition, i want to prioritize data within that partition...

BrandonYoung · Dec 13, 2014

I understand this perfectly. If you made a partition in whichever area of your harddrive for highest performance for arma3, it wouldn't be effected by other files you may add or remove (fragment) later. And this would keep your arma3 files in the high performance area. Whatever that is.

Good luck.

fzabkar · Dec 13, 2014

I believe some defrag utilities allow you to select which files/folders receive priority.

ledgeri · Dec 13, 2014

fzabkar :

Thanks, but i need a name ... :ange:

fzabkar · Dec 13, 2014

I did some Googling ...

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/optimize-your-disk-performance-with-auslogics-disk-defrag-pro-giveaway/

"Different areas of your disk have different access times. By default, Windows places files on the disk without any thought to which files belong in which areas of the disk, but Auslogics Disk Defrag Pro can optimize the placement by a variety of parameters. For example, the Optimize by Prefetch Layout profile uses the Windows prefetch data to place your frequently used program files in the faster areas of the disk. You can also optimized by file access or change time – or even manually specify which files belong in which areas of the disk. The Optimize by Disk Zone profile contains default settings that place media files in slower locations, while placing program files and other system files in faster locations."

ledgeri · Dec 13, 2014

fzabkar :

I did some Googling ...

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/optimize-your-disk-performance-with-auslogics-disk-defrag-pro-giveaway/

"Different areas of your disk have different access times. By default, Windows places files on the disk without any thought to which files belong in which areas of the disk, but Auslogics Disk Defrag Pro can optimize the placement by a variety of parameters. For example, the Optimize by Prefetch Layout profile uses the Windows prefetch data to place your frequently used program files in the faster areas of the disk. You can also optimized by file access or change time – or even manually specify which files belong in which areas of the disk. The Optimize by Disk Zone profile contains default settings that place media files in slower locations, while placing program files and other system files in faster locations."

Checking it! :ouch:

fzabkar · Dec 14, 2014

Instead of a paid solution, there may be a way to trick Windows into optimising your files according to your preferred layout. I haven't tried the following, but you might like to experiment with it.

Firstly, remove scheduled defragmentation operations for your HDD, but do not disable the disk defragmenter service. The following tutorial explains how to do this in Windows 7:

http://windows7themes.net/en-us/disable-disk-defragmentation-windows-7-ssd

The next step is to modify the Layout.Ini file in your C:\Windows\Prefetch folder. The following articles explain how the Prefetch function works and how the Layout.Ini file is used by Windows Disk Defragmenter to reorder the most frequently used files at the beginning of the drive.

http://billpstudios.blogspot.com.au/2009/10/faster-startup-with-windows-prefetch.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefetcher
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Disk_Defragmenter

I would suggest that you begin by saving the existing copy of Layout.Ini. Then use a text editor, eg Notepad, to add your own file selections to the end of the file. I suspect that files with spaces in their names may need to be enclosed in quotes or replaced with their short file names, eg ...

"C:\Program Files\AACircuit\AAcircuit1_28_6.exe"

... or ...

C

ROGRA~1\AACIRC~1\AACIRC~1.EXE

You could then run Windows Disk Defragmenter, as follows:

defrag.exe C: -b

According to Wikipedia, the above command line triggers file re-ordering without running a full defragmentation.

ledgeri · Dec 18, 2014

fzabkar :

Sorry for this pause....

I tried this right now, but i do not have Layout.ini in that folder so in this way i am stuck (the other program-trial is installed right now..)

BUT I forgot about my SSD setup where i deleted the active Prefetch so that is wha that is missing. ok
In the trial version i can not try that optimalizing option what is the key... bu i saw that method can be based on the Prefetch data, so if i create a Prefetch/layout.ini file (officially by window of course) i will be able to edit it..
But certainly not a coincidence: almost every win use shifted from that defrag toll but maybe because they can not how to youse it (as you represented) right...

I will test it out!

ledgeri · Dec 18, 2014

Offtopic, but interesting: defrag benchmarks

ledgeri · Dec 18, 2014

ledgeri :

Based on previous link links maybe the "winner" there will be the winner at me too ,but still need testing it Mydefrag

fzabkar · Dec 19, 2014

I haven't tried it, but "Mydefrag" looks good.

ledgeri · Jan 7, 2015

fzabkar :

It will be what i want! This has so much potential in it. And it is FREE! (i am really thinking about the donation....)

It can do a normal defrag, and able to put all of my data to the end of the discs, or it can read the defraging order from a .txt fle as from the Layout.ini. And it can do exactly what i want: Specified folder to the begining of the disc, then gap, then an other forlder, then gap again, then EE. Or even more.

Awsome, and without the Layout.ini reader + the other posted defrag option i would not have found it.. or just in a very long time. But true: i am not tried it yet, and i am still checking the forum of it,but i see this is my solution. Script based with its own language, but easy to understand, and to use (as i see it from the user guide of it.)

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