COMPLETE/Modified Method
The COMPLETE/Modified method defragments your files and also reorganizes your file structure. Although this method is slower than the STEALTH and SPACE methods, it guarantees maximum system performance when your files are being read.
The COMPLETE method is particularly suitable for databases and file servers. It is important to bear in mind that this method requires quite a lot of main memory due to file reorganization. If this is likely to be a serious problem for your system, we recommend you use the STEALTH or SPACE methods.
Algorithm
Files are sorted according to the date on which they were last changed. The files which have not been changed recently are placed at the beginning of the partition and those recently changed are placed at the end. This option is a good one for file or database servers containing files that have never been changed (e.g. system files), but where others, on account of their size or content, are frequently modified. (e.g., database files)
This strategy means that future defragmentation will require the least amount of time, as only a few files need to be checked and defragmented.
Recommended Application
If you want to use the COMPLETE/Modified method for your regular defragmentation runs, you should bear in mind that you only use this method on your drive. Combining various methods (COMPLETE, STEALTH, and SPACE) can result in defragmentation taking much longer, as the file system would need to be reorganized each time.
- Maximizes the performance for write access on servers
- For regularly defragmenting your volumes
- On computers that have sufficient resources available when the defragmentation takes place – CPU usage is likely to increase significantly (it is strongly recommended that you use the O&O ActivityMonitor). A larger amount of free disk space is necessary with this method.