File system fragmentation: Difference between revisions

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[[File:FragmentationDefragmentation.gif|thumb|Visualization of fragmentation and then of defragmentation]]In [[computing]], '''file system fragmentation''', sometimes called '''file system aging''', is the tendency of a [[file system]] to lay out the contents of [[Computer file|files]] non-continuously to allow in-place modification of their contents. It is a special case of [[fragmentation (computer)#Data fragmentation|data fragmentation]]. File system fragmentation negatively impacts [[seek time]] in spinning storage media, which is known to hinder [[throughput (disk drive)|throughput]]. Fragmentation can be remedied by re-organizing files and free space back into contiguous areas, a process called [[defragmentation]].

[[Solid-state drive]]s do not physically seek, so their non-sequential data access is hundreds of times faster than moving drives, making fragmentation aless of an non-issue. It is recommended to not manually defragment solid-state storage, because this can prematurely wear drives via unnecessary write–erase operations.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fisher |first=Ryan |date=2022-02-11 |title=Should I defrag my SSD? |language=en |work=PC Gamer |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/should-i-defrag-my-ssd/ |url-status=live |access-date=2022-04-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218151612/https://www.pcgamer.com/should-i-defrag-my-ssd/ |archive-date=2022-02-18}}</ref>

==Causes==