Manage temporary files to minimize file fragmentation

Directories containing temporary files usually see a lot of file operations, and besides causing an overhead for the HDD performing the operations, then it also increases the chance of file fragmentation. Therefore it is worth to consider where to place such temporary files.

Locations to place temporary files:

  • Secondary partition, this will lower the chance of file fragmentation on the primary partition.
  • Secondary HDD, this will lower the burden and fragmentation on the primary HDD.
  • RAM-Drive, this will increase the speed of file operations and remove fragmentation (Though files will be lost a reboot).

Different types of temporary files:

Note one should consider configuring Index-Service or AntiVirus-Service not to scan directories with temporary files as it increases the CPU load.

To create a RAM drive to store such files, one can use these free tools:

There is also the RAM drives you can pay for: - www.superspeed.com for NT and 2k.

Related Configure cleanup profiles to remove unnecessary files