SQL Server Performance Forum – Threads Archive

Defragmenting Disks

Hi !!! NewbieÂ´s and your doubts!!! I have detected which my server logical disk are very fragmented and I need to defragment but as a newbie I have a question. Need I stop SQL Server Services in order to defragment the disks??? What tools you recommend to defrag ??? Simply the MS-DEFRAG ??? Thank you for any information.
HÃ©berson Sette de Almeida

If you use the Microsoft defrag utility, you will have to stop the SQL Server services to defrag the database and log files. If you use a third-party took, like Diskeeper, it can defrag open SQL Server files (in most cases). —————————–
Brad M. McGehee, MVP
Webmaster
SQL-Server-Performance.Com

When it comes to Disk defragmentation,I feel its good and it is pre requisite to stop all the services before running disk defragmentation by any tool u use. But MS-Defragment is the best.

Seehttp://www.sql-server-performance.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7105 for similar comments. Depending on tool you do not need to stop SQL Services. Defragmenting tools that work via Windows APIs do not have to do their work during boot time in order to avoid conflicts. Many defragementing software must defrag SQL databases this way becasue SQL Server allocates the databases file to itself and other software cannot get exclusive access. Software designed to work with Windows APIs though can defrag SQL Server databases while SQL is up and running and applications are accessing the database.

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