Hacking Do not defrag your flash dirves!

[neogba]

I have read that the internal, differing and variable management systems in flash drive is not made to use regular "defrag" tools.

Do not use the Windows defrag tools on your flash drive. I don't know if it's every time but I tested on my USB drive and MicroSD drive and I think it set up a time bomb effect where I had to reformat the drives. They work fine now (Never forget your backups).

I don't even think flash drives benefit from a defrag process, like a spinning hard drive does (a little).

I wasn't sure where to post this but I hope fellow DSTT owners do not defrag and then think they have obtained or developed bad flash drives.

What does your experience indicate?

I noticed that the "dsorganize" folder (looking from that file browser; on the DS) CHANGED when it started giving error messages; about non patched files (which were DLDI patched and working). It then displayed as "DSORG~1" (or similar, first few letters; now all capitals with the ending ~1, as Windows does in DOS.) It was and is now back to lower case (working) now after reformating.

I am reasonable sure that defrag (else simple copy and paste type maintenance) caused a change that developed the problem. If not, my flash just give up own it's own. I don't think that is as probable.

What do you say?

The net suggests, NEVER defrag flash drives. Had you heard that? Is this the cause of so many flash problems? FYI.

I wonder if checking (scandisk. Don't do it.) a flash disk (from Win XP fully updated) is safe (when alterations are made)? I mainly use Kubuntu with no DS or flash problems.

It seems that using Microsoft tools (via XP Pro - current); for Microsoft FAT files systems (on flash drives) was a bad idea. Silly me.

 

[stormwolf18]

why would you defrag your flashcard anyway ?

 

[pasc]

Normally you defrag to make file access quicker...

 

[Feels Good Man]

Maybe this is why my old card died on me >__>

 

[stormwolf18]

im sure your games wont load faster

 

[Taras]

It would never have occurred to me to defrag a flash drive. Speaking of which, I just bought an 8GB at Microcenter for thirty bones. Sweet!

 

[neogba]

Cause it was there.

I wanted to experiment. Don't defrag flash. This is my message.

Hey this was FYI. Many users would do that and not know what happened. I'm not that big on defrag but some people are. People want all the speed they can get. Defrag is there for something, right?

I note with Kubuntu(ext3 filesystem default), one need not defrag like FAT can need. As usual, the problem is the Windows so called "standard" (Flash + FAT) which isn't so great. Window has become the anti-standard (but don't get me started).

If this is all accurate and Flash drives will be always be trashed by XP's current Defrag, then why doesn't it get "updated" by now?

We should note, upgrades are always needed and Kubuntu (and similar Debian based systems) offers the best overall method for it.

 

[Rayder]

I've told people that using a standard Hard Drive defragger was bad for flash cards a long time ago.

The BEST way to defrag a flash cart is to copy the entire contents of the flashcard to your PC, format the flashcard, then copy everything back to it.

 

[stormwolf18]

defrag is useful when u have a hd with shitload of files that need to be access quicker ex: when windows is loading.

it was not made to defrag ur 2gig flashcard filled with ds games.it wont change anything, you wont even see a difference.
and please, dont use scandisk on ur flashcard too

 

[ndsdave]

I'm with Rayder. Copy the files, format and re copy the files back onto the card. A defrag was designed to optimize HDD's. Let the format do the hard work.

 

[neogba]

It's also a lot faster to backup, format and restore. Kubuntu formated (yes FAT) That small MicroSD card that comes with the Game-N-Music cart almost instantaneously It's working great!