Guide 7 - Defrag, the gameDefragging: the most satisfying wait of the 90s
By the Focus98 team · Updated
Defragmenting put the pieces of files on a hard disk back together, so the computer could read them faster. In Focus98, Defrag is back, and it only runs while you stay focused.
What defragging was
Old hard disks stored files on spinning platters, read by a head on a moving arm. As files were saved, changed and deleted, they got split into pieces scattered across the disk, which is called fragmentation. Loading a fragmented file meant the head had to jump from place to place, and the computer felt slow.
A defragmenter moved the pieces back together, block by block, so each file sat in one run. On a 90s PC that could take an hour or more, and you watched every minute of it: a grid of coloured squares slowly lining up, "Time remaining" counting down. Plenty of us found it oddly calming.
Do phones and SSDs need defragging?
No. Phones and most modern computers use flash storage (SSDs), which can read any spot equally fast, so there's nothing to gain from moving pieces together, and needless rewriting adds wear. The system looks after its own storage. Defragging still helps old spinning hard disks, and modern systems usually do it for them on a schedule.
Defrag in Focus98
Your Focus98 PC slows down over time and when you get distracted. Defrag and Disk Check bring it back up to speed, and they only run while you stay with them, so the upkeep is focus time too.
- The grid, the blocks moving into place, and "Time remaining", as you remember them.
- Disk Check finds and fixes errors; Defrag restores the PC's optimization.
- Both block the apps you choose while they run, with their own rules.
Tip A long Defrag is a good excuse for a long focus block: start it, put the phone down, and do the thing you've been putting off.
Questions and answers
What does defragging do?
On an old spinning hard disk, it put the scattered pieces of files back together so they loaded faster.
Should I defrag an SSD or a phone?
No. Flash storage doesn't benefit, and the system handles its own upkeep.
Is there a defrag game?
Focus98 has Disk Check and Defrag as part of keeping your retro PC fast, and both count as focus time.
Sources
More guides
- Pomodoro timer
- App blocker for Android
- A Forest alternative
- Body doubling with friends
- Study timer
- Digital minimalism
- A 90s desktop on your phone
See also: all features
Guide 7 Defrag, the gameFocus98 User's Guide