Controlling the size of the MFT Reserved Zone during a defrag

[Steve Coffee]

On my machine, instead of putting the Directories right after $MFT as in the Fast Optimize script, I made a 0.5% zone between $MFT and the directories

That's the first change I made to my scripts.  I think the default scripts ought to have this free space built in to allow the MFT reserved zone a chance to do it's job.

[Mr Noodle]

As I understand it right, it is not possible to move $MFT through Microsoft defragmenting api when running ntfs on Windows XP.

My situation is the following: I have a 2 TB ntfs volume which contains almost only huge files and the system is optimized for high throughput. However, the files are on the volume in a suboptimal way since the beginning of the disk is the fastest part, see the following image:



As you can see, in the beginning of the volume is the MFT, then directories and after a little free space there is the $logfile. After that the MFT reserved area occupies next 250 GB (!) (12.5 %) of the volume (dark blue) and that area is the fastest area of my volume. This seems ridiculous since the size of my MFT is about 100 MB and the $logfile is ~67 MB. And then, a whopping 250 GB of reserved space for MFT and logfile growth.

So, I am looking for a solution which makes it possible to move the MFT (and the reserved zone) to the middle (or even end) of the volume so that I can take full advantage of the fastest part of my volume. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

In the latest version of 'ccleaner', there's an option box that says 'wipe free space' when you run the cleaner. Running it takes a while, but it cleared my good chunk of 'MFT Reserved Space' when I ran the analysis on MyDefrag. It could be worth trying it and running MyDefrag afterwards. On my next reboot, I'd found Windows had restored the MFT Reserved Space, and might do the same for yours, but perhaps it'd bring it back further down the disk

[ToolmakerSteve]

On my machine, instead of putting the Directories right after $MFT as in the Fast Optimize script, I made a 0.5% zone between $MFT and the directories and then dismount the drive (or restart the computer for the C drive).  Now instead of one 12.5% reserved zone, there is one 0.5% zone after $MFT.

I have also done this. I pin the $MFT to an Absolute location, and the directories follow after a gap. I believe that as the used $MFT grows, an occasional SlowOptimize [Or Semi-Fast script see below] using that Absolute + gap combination will re-grow the MFT reserved area, by pushing directories back to maintain that gap. (Then reboot after the SlowOptimize).
This makes it practical to keep the Reserved Area quite small; I'm using 100 MB.

Since I don't like all the disk activity during a full SlowOptimize, I'm working out a script for a "Semi-Fast" Optimize. My basic scheme is a gap before $MFT for new files, which gets vacated both in my Fast and my Semi-Fast scripts. After gap - $MFT - gap - dirs, I'm thinking of a zone for recently modified files, that would be FastFill'd in Fast script, and SortByName in Semi-Fast (so that changing files in same dir are together). Then a large zone for the non-recently-modified files: this zone is initially fully sorted by SlowOptimize, but is only Defragment + FastFill in Fast & Semi-Fast. Finally the Space Hogs zone.

The idea is that Semi-Fast would concentrate on optimizing the heavily used or changing stuff, but let the bulk of the files remain untouched. Maybe run this once a week, with a 7-day window for "recently used". (And Fast script run daily; it just defragments, and vacates the new file gap.)

What I'm avoiding is the bulk of the SortByName work done in SlowOptimize. By not forcing every file to be moved, just because a few files have changed.  I think I can run for months this way, before there would be any significant gain by doing a full SlowOptimize.

[sjoerd]

Sorry for the bump,

As I understand it right, it is not possible to move $MFT through Microsoft defragmenting api when running ntfs on Windows XP.

Well MyDefrag is perfectly able to move the $mft on Windows XP(sp2), see FastOptimize.MyD for an example.

So, I am looking for a solution which makes it possible to move the MFT (and the reserved zone) to the middle (or even end) of the volume so that I can take full advantage of the fastest part of my volume. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance

If you want to move the $mft(and hopefully the reserved area) you need to use a SetBeginOfZone() before FileSelect to specify where you want it, but you have to specify any zones that you want to place before, before the $mft zone.

jonib

Well MyDefrag is perfectly able to move the $mft on Windows XP(sp2), see FastOptimize.MyD for an example.

If you want to move the $mft(and hopefully the reserved area) you need to use a SetBeginOfZone() before FileSelect to specify where you want it, but you have to specify any zones that you want to place before, before the $mft zone.

jonib

Thanks for your reply! It was my misbelief. Now I did my first MyD script (after reading some documentation) and I found that the scripting abilities of MyDefrag are great! I managed to get rid of the MFT reserved zone in the beginning of volume. Thumbs up to Jeroen for writing this marvellous piece of software.

You could not write an guide about how you dit this or can you? The (unnessesary) MFT reserved space annoyes me like hell... 

[Darlis]

Placing and resizing of the reserved area has been discussed here: MFT and Reserved Zone?

[loretta80]

Hello,
i have a pc with windows 2000 server running here. After defrag and optimize i still have a file with this values:
Fragments   Bytes             Clusters     Name
1.355    89.273.877.304     131.232  C:\$Extend\$UsnJrnl:$J:$DATA

Is this a part of MFT? Or is it possible to defrag this area? I tried to look into the folder by commandline but the access was denied.

[jeroen]

Is this a part of MFT? Or is it possible to defrag this area?

For more information see the DeleteJournal MyDefrag script command.

[loretta80]

@jeroen
Thanks a lot. Is there a way to delete the Journal via the mydefraggui? I cant use the fsutil because of Win2000Server and i'm not familiar with scripting.

Or will i only have to add "DeleteJournal()" under VolumeActions in the File \programs\MyDefragGUI.MyD ?

[jeroen]

Is there a way to delete the Journal via the mydefraggui?

You will have to ask the author of that program.

Or will i only have to add "DeleteJournal()" under VolumeActions in the File \programs\MyDefragGUI.MyD ?

Yes, like that.

[boco]

Fortunately this is a non-issue in Windows 7, where the USN Journal data can be defragmented like a normal file. I think the manual should reflect that.

[jeroen]

Fortunately this is a non-issue in Windows 7, where the USN Journal data can be defragmented like a normal file. I think the manual should reflect that.

Ah. It's the first time I hear this. Can somebody corroborate it? I do not have access to a Windows 7 machine so I cannot test it myself.

[Darlis]

I can defrag and move the Journal on Win7, too.

[jeroen]

I can defrag and move the Journal on Win7, too.

Excellent. Thanks for testing and for the feedback. I will add some text to the DeleteJournal() manual page in the next version.