BleepingComputer.com: Best Defrag Free Defrag Program 2007

I have been using Perfect Disk (purchase) defrag program for about 5 years now; before I used Executive Diskeeper (purchase) however found that my notebooks were becoming fragmented more often.
I had 3 licences.

I read reviews and at that time there was a trial for Perfect Disk and so I tried it and find Raxco to make an excellent product.
Now I have a 5th notebook and am wondering if there is any really good Defrag free program out there?

I don't like Windows program.
All comments would be appreciated!!
Thankyou.

Diskeeper Lite

You could also try these freeware applications:

Auslogics Disk Defrag

IObit SmartDefrag

JkDefrag

dc3, on Jun 25 2007, 11:03 AM, said:

Agreed, DK lite is perhaps the best freeware defragger around. Actually the XP defragger is based on a stripped-down version of diskeeper that MS licensed from Diskeeper Corporation. If commercial defraggers are your style, then Diskeeper Pro would be my top pick. I have tried out the evaluation version of DK Pro 2007, and it is fantastic - very quick defrags compared to the default windows defragger, and many more functions (MFT defrag etc). Faster than PD or O&O in my experience.

You can try the evaluation version here( Diskeeper ), its functional for 30 days, after which you need to buy the full version or uninstall it. Check under the 'Home user' section for links to the Pro version.

I realize that the free version of Diskeeper isn't the paid version but is it still better than Windows defrag? I always dread doing a defrag because it takes so long.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Diskeeper Lite just the built-in Windows defrag with a different graphical user interface?

Is anyone familiar with this program? It seems to do a lot more than defrag. This is a new version and the only review I could find was for a previous version.





http://www.snapfiles.com/get/cleanmemxp.html

I am familiar with the basic concept behind ram fragmentation. Advice: let Windows manage the ram. I have seen other programs of this type and none have had any benefit to the machine, other than slowing it down slightly.

Memory management is a kernel level function and IMHO don't mess with it.

On the defragmentation of hard drives, Diskeeper Lite is the best freeware out there. It is not the same as the included windows utility. The original Diskeeper was created for large disks/arrays in the OpenVMS environment, before even Windows NT 3.1 was released by M$.

Memory cleaners/optimizers only help if there's a program that's hogging the RAM (usually that's because it's malfunctioning) - so the fix is to fix the malfunctioning program, not adding another program to do it's job for it.

If there's no malfunction, then the memory cleaner/optimizer just occupies extra RAM that you could be using for other purposes.

I'd suggest not using them - if you need more RAM the easiest fix is to prune your startups and running processes. It's even easier to add more RAM, but that will cost some money.

That's not what I'm thinking anyway. My experience is that trying to do certain tasks with Windows is a pain in the ass because a) Microsoft tends to make things difficult in the way they present it or it takes forever to do them. Sometimes third party utilities are more user friendly. So I'm wondering if defrag is like that too. I would do it more often if there was an easier and quicker way to do it. From what I gather, Diskeeper Lite is the same as Windows defrag with a better user interface. That's important to some users. If it does a defrag significantly faster, I'm interested in it. This other program seems a little complicated for me but it does have some interesting features. But I haven't seen any reviews for this new version so I probably won't bother with it.

Diskeeper lite is the actual diskeeper engine, with most of the features turned off (No boot time, no Set it & forget it, no scheduling, etc). install it, and then check the file info on the executable. It is totally different.

As mentioned above the XP defragger is indeed a highly 'litened' diskeeper engine. I was under the impression that the Vista defragger was licensed from DK too, but after reading a few forums, I am not really sure anymore. Apparently MS wrote the defragger themselves, but don't quote me on that.

The full paid version of diskeeper, (DK Pro 2k7) does defrag faster than windows does, and also gives you more options - boot time and $MFT defrag. But the biggest difference IMO is the auto-defrag mode of the paid version. It really is excellent- set it and just leave it alone. It works only when it has idle cycles so your programs are not affected, and assuming you dont use your PC 100% of the time it is on, it will automatically defrag in the background whenever it gets a chance.

AFAIK, there are couple of other defraggers that offer autodefrag modes (infact even Vista has one IIRC), but none are as effective as the DK one, from what I've heard.

Reg the long time for defrags-thats because your files are heavily fragmented. Once you defrag it properly, subsequent defrags should take less time, assuming file fragmentation is not too heavy in the meantime, and you defrag about once a week.

I'm not buying it but I am thinking about getting the free version.