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15 Free Defrag Software Tools


Monroe

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I was looking around for some defragging information and I found this article that was just updated yesterday - 27 June 2017.

Maybe it might be of some interest to a few people.

https://www.lifewire.com/free-defrag-software-tools-2619172

15 Free Defrag Software Tools

Reviews of the Best Free Disk Defragmenter Programs for Windows

by Tim Fisher

Updated June 27, 2017

Defrag software programs are tools that arrange the bits of data that make up the files on your computer so they're stored closer together. This allows your hard drive to access files more quickly.

Defragmenation, in other words, can help improve your computer's performance by making the reading of files more efficient, thanks to the fact that all the tiny pieces that make up a single file are right next to each other.

Still confused? See my What is Fragmentation & Defragmentation? for more help understanding what fragmentation is and why defrag software is helpful.

Tip: All versions of Windows include a built-in defrag program, which I've ranked in this list. However, in most cases, a dedicated program, like any of the other free defrag software programs I list here, will do a better job.

Note: I've only included freeware defrag software in this list. In other words, only completely free defragmentation programs - no shareware, trialware, etc. If one of these free defrag programs has started charging, please let me know.

https://www.lifewire.com/free-defrag-software-tools-2619172

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I don't know. :dubbio:

On one side this kind of lists are a handy way yo know about existing applications, on the other a "full review" that omits benchmarks (when we are talking of tools that are - or should be - intended to speed up things) and focuses on lists of (often theoretical only) features (present or missing) is pretty much useless.

Besides the 15 defraggers list (that very likely almost entirely use the same plain MS defragging API), there is another list with 42 (fortytwo) "Free Data Destruction Software Programs":

https://www.lifewire.com/free-data-destruction-software-programs-2626174

with *any*, really *any* kind of tool mixed up together, good, extremely good, bad and pure crap, without any sensible evaluation of WHAT they actually do and how much time it takes to do the ONLY kind of wipe that is needed is appalling to me.

There are only 3 tools among the 42 listed that do "the right thing" of using Secure Erase, and the Author perfectly knows about the differences:

https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-secure-erase-2626004

still he puts all together in the same basket.

I fear that by putting out too many options it will only confuse the reader. :unsure:

On the other hand (you may be less lucky than me ;)) I appreciated the image on the ad for "Hot Russian Ladies".

jaclaz
 

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Well I'm not sure what "Russian Hot Ladies" you are referring to ... I'm not seeing any of that. Wouldn't be the first time I've missed out on "the hot ladies" ... but if they are there somewhere, so be it. I must be filtering the image out in some way with my browser.

I was really searching for the latest version of Defraggler v2.21.993 (Portable) which I found at MajorGeeks just before I came across this article.

Defraggler 2.21.993 ... portable version is the second link down under: Download Locations

http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/defraggler.html

I was searching for information on Defragging the MFT (Master File Tree). I found this information on the subject ... don't ask me where I found it ... didn't save the link ... it may be from two separate sites.

Defragging the MFT (Master File Tree)

In Windows XP and in Windows Server 2003, the Windows defrag utility defrags the MFT.

A defrag operation on the MFT combines an MFT file into 1 and prevents it from being stored in multiple places that are not sequential on disk. In this class of operation, the MFT file is more sequential. However, it is exactly the size that the MFT file was before the defrag operation.

An MFT can be too big if a volume used to have lots of files that were deleted. The files that were deleted cause internal holes in the MFT. These holes are significant regions that are unused by files. It is impossible to reclaim this space. This is at least true on a live NTFS volume.

I also incline towards the possibility of a fragmented MFT to explain this. The feature listing for Auslogics defrag says it moves files out of the MFT reserved area, to help prevent the MFT from fragmenting further if it needs to be enlarged. That could mean that when the MFT is in more than one piece, Auslogics clears files out of the space between MFT fragments even if they aren't specifically in the reserved area. Checking the exact state of the MFT as suggested above will show if this is so.

Note that under the Windows API, the MFT is considered defragmented if it is in no more than two fragments, since under the API the starting position of the MFT cannot be moved.

So if the effect appears to be caused by the MFT being in two fragments, you'd need to use a third-party defrag utility that can fully defrag the MFT (and hence does not use the Windows API).

Other work-arounds could be to just use another defrag utility, or set Auslogics to defrag files only, not the entire drive layout. This is a workable option in any case, especially for a storage drive where the files being contiguous is more significant than their actual location on the drive. File-only defrag is even quicker too.
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This information from above:

"An MFT can be too big if a volume used to have lots of files that were deleted. The files that were deleted cause internal holes in the MFT. These holes are significant regions that are unused by files. It is impossible to reclaim this space. This is at least true on a live NTFS volume."

I'm wondering if I have gaps or space that can not be reclaimed on my hard drive. Do I read this right ... this space is gone forever or will a good defrag program correct this situation?

The first line says: In Windows XP and in Windows Server 2003, the Windows defrag utility defrags the MFT ... but I read some good things about Defraggler in another article dealing with the MFT so I went hunting for the portable version. I have an older Auslogics defrag version installed, maybe it can defrag the MFT, I'm not sure.

Any help or further explanation of this MFT thing would be appreciated. I have deleted many files and programs over the years ... so do I maybe have big gaps of empty unclaimed space on my hard drive?

Thanks for the other links for reading.

adding ... just found this program that might be a solution.

Contig v1.8

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897428.aspx

I think I need to defrag before Windows starts up completely.

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Edited by monroe
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Easier is to use contig to make the $MFT file contiguous (and of course UltraDefrag is an exceptionally good tool IMHO):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contig_(defragmentation_utility)

but the issue you are worried about is not about defragmentation of the $MFT, it is about unused entries in it, and about its size.

You want to "compact" the $MFT or "shrink" its size.

I am not so sure that a free tool exists with this exact feature, surely there are a couple (Commercial) tolls from Paragon that can do that, and also Ultradefrag has a "MFT Optimization" that does more or less the same:

https://sourceforge.net/p/ultradefrag/discussion/709672/thread/a7a67d93/

jaclaz


 

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Probably as you were replying with your last post, I had come upon Contig v1.8 and that it might be a solution ... but you are correct, it would make sense as you say: 'You want to "compact" the $MFT or "shrink" its size.'

I remember that program from some time back now that you made mention of it today. I probably have it saved somewhere on an old CD.

UltraDefrag ... I will get the latest version now.

This is interesting from 2011: Defraggler may NOT be good at defragging the MFT ... may make things worse.

Defragging the MFT

Feb 04 2011 09:49 AM

https://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=31443

I was recently most intrigued to see that Mark Russinovich has updated his "contig.exe" command line defragging tool
to be able to defrag a number of metadata files, including the MFT.

Anyway, I downloaded it and tried it out, it did indeed defrag the MFT of one of my drives. I must admit, I always thought that this was infeasible [except possibly at boot time].

Anyway, I also recently tried out another well-known freeware defragger on a drive and noticed that it fragmented the MFT
(as shown using Defraggler). So, then I tried to fix that using contig, and it worked. And then I refragmented it again using the other defragger, and upon a whim tried Defraggler on that drive to see if it could also defrag the MFT...and it did !

Incidentally, I've tried Auslogics' DiskDefrag on the same drive when the MFT is fragmented, and it's not managed to fix it.
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So I don't know ... Windows XP defrag seems to be able to defrag the MFT and then there are Contig v1.8 and UltraDefrag.

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Edited by monroe
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