Identifying a piece of software

[#1]

@jab1 

500GB - see post #26

@penneck 

It is possible to clone one hard drive to another, and then expand to fill the available space on the newer drive.

It will involve you booting the PC into a Linux distro from a DVD.

If that is something that you are comfortable with, I can tell you how to do it - I have done it a few times myself!

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[#2]

@Mr_Paul Thanks. If the full capacity is used for 'must have instant access'  files, one has to ask what the OP is doing.

However, I still think the drive is getting tired.

[#3]

I'm a bit puzzled by the defrag process. I used the Windows Disk defragmention, and before I defragged I noticed there is a schedule set up to defrag my drive every Wednesday at 01:00. I'm usually asleep then so the pc is shut down. The latest 'Last Run' date for the E: partition was 11/07/24. If I remember correctly the date for the C: partition wasn't that but wasn't too different.

 Does this mean that in spite of being shut down, the hard drive is still being defragged just about weekly (though the 11/07/24 date is a Thursday)?

Graham

[#4]

@penneck I'm even more puzzled - if the machine is not powered up, it cannot run the defrag, or any other program. I've not used an MS system for close on four years, so don't know if it might run in the background when you switch on after the 'scheduled' time but still report it as performing the action 'to schedule'.

[#5]

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@penneck wrote:

[...]

 Does this mean that in spite of being shut down, the hard drive is still being defragged just about weekly (though the 11/07/24 date is a Thursday)?

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Does this answer your question?

[#6]

When I shut down my pc, is it a hard, 'power off like a light switch' shut down, or does it just go into sleep mode? If it is in sleep mode, how do we know its not able to defrag without me? It is a scheduled process, after all. Is Big Brother watching us? Oooer!!!

Graham

[#7]

@penneck 

When you switch off your PC, do you also switch it off at the mains socket?

If you do, and can work out how your PC is still able to do a defrag without power, then patent it - with the fortune you will make from discovering how to generate energy from nothing, you will make a fortune.

You would be able to treat yourself to a brand new PC, with the biggest hard drive available, (about 24TB I think?), and not have to worry about any of this.....   😀

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Full quote of preceding post removed as per Forum rules.

[#8]

How old is your machine? I suspect, if you use the correct method of shutting down -via the 'Power off' icon on the taskbar then that should totally shut the machine down - like a light switch, unless you configured it to do otherwise.

[#9]

To ensure total shutdown turn it off at the mains.

[#10]

@Champnet , @jab1 , @Mr_Paul , etc

The hardware is a Dell Optiplex 755, and the OS is Win 7 Professional. I only turn it off by using the little icon in the bottom lefthand corner of the desktop set to Shut down. I do not turn it off at the mains. After shutdown, is it in sleep mode, or turned off like a light bulb?

[#11]

@penneck  It’s not in sleep mode but it could be woken by a request through the network card if the PC is set to wake up on Lan…….

[#12]

If you do it that way, @penneck , it is shutdown, period. Just to confirm, does the power light go blank?

[#13]

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@Champnet wrote:

@penneck  It’s not in sleep mode but it could be woken by a request through the network card if the PC is set to wake up on Lan…….

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Highly unlikely though, I would have thought, @Champnet .

[#14]

@jab1  Agreed but it’s an old OS. Settings could have changed either deliberately, accidentally or just unknown.

.@penneck  useful to know what could happen  but best  to ignore my posts as I may  just be confusing things….

[#15]

@penneck 

"The hardware is a Dell Optiplex 755, and the OS is Win 7 Professional. I only turn it off by using the little icon in the bottom lefthand corner of the desktop set to Shut down. I do not turn it off at the mains. After shutdown, is it in sleep mode, or turned off like a light bulb?"

You might want to consider switching it off at the mains regardless of the answer to that question:

I have got a plug-in power meter. A handy device that plugs in to a 13 amp socket, and has its own built in 13A socket to plug the equipment under test in to. It then displays, (amongst other things), the amount of power being consumed by the test device, and if you enter the electricity unit price, the cost of running that piece of equipment.

A few years ago, my main desktop PC was a HP8200 CMT. One day I decided to test it with my power meter: I wasn't too surprised or bothered to see that when running intensively, the meter showed a consumption of about 160 watts. However, what did concern me was that when the PC was apparently "switched off" - but still on at the wall socket, it was still consuming around 15 watts of power. (I don't have my notes of the exact figures to hand).

My present desktop, an HP400 G6 is a little better, but still reads around 13 watts when "switched off". These results were the same, regardless of the PC having been shut down from either Linux or Windows.

What this means is that every 67 hours - less than 3 days - that my PC was not being used, it was still consuming a unit of electricity for no good reason. Hence I always make a point of switching off at the socket when not in use.

***I am aware that some devices, eg internet routers, televisions and TV recorders are recommended to be left on 24/7 to get updates etc  - but that doesn't apply to a PC.

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