Optimizing a magnetic disk by allocating files by the frequency a file is accessed/updated or by designating a file to a fixed location on a disk

Claim 1

A computer-implemented method of processing for allocating sectors to files on a computer disk to minimize the time required to access data on said computer disk, the computer-implemented method comprising the steps of: (1) continuously monitoring file usage for each of said files; (2) recording the file usage for said each of said files monitored; (3) assigning one of a plurality of priorities to said each of said files on the basis of the recorded file usage for said each of said files or the desirability of having a file of said files remaining allocated to a fixed set of sectors on said computer disk; wherein the plurality of priorities includes anchored indicating a file of said files must remain allocated to a fixed set of sectors on said computer disk, volatile indicating a file of said files has changed size, active indicating a file of said files has not changed size and has been accessed a total of one percent or more of the total accesses to all of the files, sporadic indicating a file of said files has not changed size and has been accessed less than one percent of the total accesses to all of the files, and dormant indicating a file of said files has not been accessed and has not changed size; (4) using the assigned priorities, determining an optimal set of sectors to be allocated to said each of said files by assigning anchored ones of said files to said fixed sectors on said computer disk, otherwise assigning connective sectors that are available on said computer disk to said files having the same priority; (5) reorganizing said files by copying said each of said files from its current location to the optimal set of sectors for said each of said files.