Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!uwvax!rutgers!super.upenn.edu!dsl.cis.upenn.edu!catone
From: catone@dsl.cis.upenn.edu (Tony Catone)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: WARNING! FASTBACK may corrupt your hard disk!
Message-ID: <2879@super.upenn.edu>
Date: 22 Dec 87 22:59:07 GMT
References: <703@vaxine.UUCP> <3225@bnrmtv.UUCP> <7024@sunybcs.UUCP> <2352@ihlpe.ATT.COM> <2668@masscomp.UUCP>
Sender: news@super.upenn.edu
Reply-To: catone@dsl.cis.upenn.edu.UUCP (Tony Catone)
Organization: University of Pennsylvania
Lines: 23
Keywords: hard disk, lost files, trojan horse

In article <2668@masscomp.UUCP> alang@masscomp.UUCP (Alan Groupe) writes:
>>	The October issue of Computer Shopper advices against
>>using the Norton Speed Disk haed disk unframenting utility.
>>It caused missing files and file damages in their test. So
>
>I don't understand why anyone would want to spend over two hours
>running a disk organizer (which has the potential for trashing a disk)
>when in under an hour you can get the same results by backing up and
>restoring the disk and get a backup copy "for free."

Disk organizers run unattended, whereas most back up strategies require
user intervention (switching disks, tapes, whatever).  Back ups are
important, but are not needed as frequently as disk optimization.
I find disk organizers very useful.  The one I use is Reformat (not the
best choice for a name :-), a public domain program with Turbo Pascal
sources.  It was available via anonymous FTP from the Info-IBMPC
archives on c.isi.edu before that machine went away.  I believe those
archives were consolidated with Simtel 20's, though, so the program
should still be easy to find.

					- Tony
					  catone@dsl.cis.upenn.edu
					  catone@wharton.upenn.edu