WinXP Defragger

Zoron · May 21, 2003

Hey Toey... I know this has been asked a few times, but I can't find it anywhere. What defrag program do you prefer for Windows XP? I've gone from Diskeeper to VoptXP (both very good programs); but I noticed you recommended something different last time this question came up. I wish I could remember.

 If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it.

Toejam31 · May 21, 2003

I like <A HREF="http://www.raxco.com/products/" target="_new">PerfectDisk</A>. I still use Diskeeper, but the only reason is for moving the directories to the top of the partition during a boot-time optimization run, which is something that PerfectDisk doesn't do altogether that well, as it tends to move the directories underneath the data. But once Diskeeper has moved the directories, PerfectDisk does an excellent job of making the files contiguous, and it's far faster than Diskeeper.

PerfectDisk has got some the features I used to enjoy when still using Norton Speed Disk with Win9x, such as the ability to take some control over the layout.ini file (in WinXP), and the utility can update itself, too. You can also run it over a network, and that feature comes in handy.

See ya!

Toey

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songoku · May 21, 2003

I personally like O&O Defrag. Its fast easy to use and lots of customization. What do you thing of if?

Supporting AMD with your breakable stuff.

Toejam31 · May 22, 2003

I think the two programs are similar in many respects, but I've run across a few situations where users have complained of errors with O&O Defrag while running WinXP. How's it been treating you?

PerfectDisk does have a couple of advantages; it supports ActiveDirectory. Network Administrators might find this feature very useful. The newest version of the utility also supports hard drives from 100GB to over a terabyte in size.

Toey

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4Ryan6 · May 22, 2003

I'm a VoptXP fan myself, used it with Win98SE, Win2k, and WinXP Pro, one of the best software purchases, I've invested money into yet, its done everything I've needed it to do, on the three OP/SYSs I listed, with no problems.

Details, Details, Its all in the Details, If you need help, Don't leave out the Details.

Guest · May 24, 2003

> using Norton Speed Disk with Win9x, such as the ability to take some control over the layout.ini file (in WinXP)

This program from Symantec now useless, because I got "last access time stamp" switched off in NTFS courtesy of the latest Tweak-XP.

Does the latest Norton speed Disk have a switch to ignore time stamps and not sort via last access date? Thanks!

Tweak XP Pro is available from <A HREF="http://www.totalidea.com/frameset-products.htm." target="_new">http://www.totalidea.com/frameset-products.htm.</A> I got free earlier edition from magazine CDROM.Edited by wired_geek on 05/25/03 09:32 AM.

Toejam31 · May 24, 2003

I wish I could tell you, but I haven't used a Symantec product in a couple of years. Perhaps someone else with a current version could supply the info.

Couldn't you switch off the setting with TweakXP, say, just long enough for Speed Disk to defrag the disk based on your preferences?

Toey

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Guest · May 25, 2003

Good thanks that would work, it was very unfriendly of Norton to remove it from the options page, now I need a Norton Utilities tweak.

Tweak-XP (1.27) can give NTFS processes more speed by not doing this write on non OS areas of a Partition. If I did switch this back on for a period then the files could be sorted by Norton. Its nice to hear about other Norton users but I think the speed disk product is looking a little less attractive for some.

I miss the earlier features of Norton which made the product alot more powerful, but also very user unfriendly. I'm going to keep using Norton for the Disk Doctor because it's still got what it takes.

Toejam31 · May 25, 2003

I think utilities like Disk Doctor are somewhat redundant, considering what <A HREF="http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/proddocs/chkdsk.asp" target="_new">Chkdsk</A> and <A HREF="http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/proddocs/chkntfs.asp" target="_new">Chkntfs</A> can accomplish, right from the command line, without the need for a third-party utility. Between the two of them, you can repair all the volumes, and have complete control over the scheduling.

Of course, if everyone took advantage of these built-in tools, companies like Symantec would have a fit, since most of the features included in their products would prove to actually be unnecessary, or be shown to be less powerful than as marketed and widely advertised. Even applications like the Registry Checker can be eclipsed by freeware apps for WinXP such as <A HREF="http://www.lexunfreeware.com/RegScrubXP/RegScrubXP.htm" target="_new">RegScrubXP</A>. <A HREF="http://www.lexunfreeware.com/LexunFreeware.htm" target="_new">Lexun</A> has some very nice freeware apps.

You might enjoy giving this <A HREF="http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/proddocs/ntcmds.asp" target="_new">command line reference</A> a quick look (this is also accessible from within Windows Help and Support). Nothing beats having access to all the tools, especially when not all of them are accessible from the GUI. The command line is far from dead.

Pretty cool, huh?

By the way, the newest version of PerfectDisk is the fastest defragmentation program I have ever seen ... and that includes (by comparison) earlier versions of Speed Disk running on Win9x with FAT32. I liked version 5, build 37, but the brand new 6.0 version is flat out smokin'. I defrag my C: partition about every three days (I'm a big fan of keeping the files contiguous!), and it usually takes about 4 minutes on average, despite the fact that I choose to rearrange the files by the access date. Try out the <A HREF="http://www.raxco.com/products/downloadit/" target="_new">demo</A>, compare for yourself, and then come back tell me which one you like the most. Since you've already got Norton installed on your system, and have a lot of familiarity with the product, I'd be interested in hearing your opinion on the subject.

Toey

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