I tried this in the CHATTER forum, but an absence of response prompts me to re-try here.

Keeping in mind:
1) Modern Windows systems are multi-tasking systems.
2) Windows itself (and its components, like IE) make significant 'quiet' use of your HD space for all manner of files, large and small.
3) Other applications (MS Word for example) can use HD space 'quietly' too.
4) Modern HDs are fast, processors are faster yet, and RAM is plentiful.
... what hard facts are there to back up the axiom (it is essentially an axiom today) that fragmentation is bad?

That fragmentation is bad is so prevalent a concept that I must be missing something obvious. What is it?

Thanks for any/all input on this issue.
Jim Nelson