Microsoft is moving to repair an update that seems to introduce a bug that could damage the life of solid state drives (SSDs).
Bug tracking site BleepingComputer reported that the Windows 10 May 2020 update, alias version 2004, caused a suite of issues, including one that messed with the ‘Defragment and Optimize Drives’ tool in the operating system. The bug means that Windows 10 version 2004 does not detect for the last time that an SSD is defragmented and optimized correctly.
This means that when the drive Defragmenter and Optimization tool is used, it indicates to users that SSD optimization is needed. If people tend to forget this manually, Windows 10 will perform such tasks automatically.
But because of the tool that does not detect the defragmentations, it can end up with a defragmentation of an SSD every time the drive is restarted, and an SSD effectively defragments 30 times more often than it actually should. This can eventually damage the longevity of an SSD, slowly killing it.
Defragmentation means effectively collecting fragments of data together and closely comparing them with other data data with which they relate. You might think of sweeping a pile of fallen leaves together in a garden – you still have the same number of leaves in one space, but they are now all together and easier to access at the same time.
There is some debate about how often you should defrag an SSD, with some arguing that there is no benefit to defragmenting an SSD as there is for a traditional rotating disk drive. But excessive defragmentation can affect the lifespan of an SSD. And that’s the risk that the bug in the Defragment and Optimize Drives tool might contain.
A solution is coming
However, the Windows 10 Build 19042,487 (20H2) update, which is currently being rolled out to members of the Windows Insider program, promises to fix the bug.
People who use the regular version of Windows 10 will have to wait for the update to pass beta testing, which should not take too long. But in the meantime, it may be worthwhile to turn off automatic defragging to prevent it from getting bugged when it pops up on your Windows 10 machine.
