are there any advantages to using a 3rd party defragmentor instead of windows?
Well some can have a boot-time defrag, which I think Disk Keeper has in the commercial version - note Windows uses a scaled down version of Disk Keeper.
VoptXP another commercial defragger has some extra features like wipe empty disk space, optimize page file, etc.
I personally see no reason to even mess with 3rd party defraggers.
The free version is no longer available, but the pay versions can be tried for free for fifteen days.
http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/utilities/diskeeper/1009606/
A Defragger That's Better Than Windows' Built-In One
Yep...I personally see no reason to even mess with 3rd party defraggers.
One thing I did forget, for large companies on a network a commercial defragger may be useful to defrag all computers via an admin system, but for us end-users that offers not much of an advantage.
Just because its 3rd party doesn't mean its commercial. Personally I just use the windows built in one but I have had sysinternals free defrag utility for a while.
Contig
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Contig.html
powerdefragmenter GUI
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Hard-D...ragmenter.shtml
Just make a new folder and put both things in it. Then click the power defragmenter one. I don't know if its better then the windows one or not. I've run it 2 or 3 times but I'm not the type that defrags their hard drive every month.(more like every 6 if I feel like it. )
I also like regcompact.net but thats a different type of program all together.
http://www.experimentalscene.com/download.php?view.1
It does make back ups but I have never had to use them. I would advise that its probably a good idea to make one with erunt just in case.
Forgot to mention that contig supposedly uses the built in windows defrag but optimizes it.. It didn't cause any problems the few times I've run it but I'm not sure if it did a better job or not.
Contig is alright and all but I've completely abandoned it after it was last updated because it kept showing some license agreement which I had agreed to many times, it became too annoying to keep using.
When I became IT administrator from the PC's at work I had to use diskeeper lite (free) on a 2000 server because the windows defragmentation didn't do the job.
for the rest I use the windows defragmenter.
Contig is alright and all but I've completely abandoned it after it was last updated because it kept showing some license agreement which I had agreed to many times, it became too annoying to keep using.
you sure it was Contig and not Process Explorer? because Contig is just a console application while Process Explorer is another story.
Windows uses a scaled down version of Disk Keeper.
As Andavari notes XP has a scaled down version of Diskeeper. But I think that during the almost 5 years that XP was released Diskeeper must have made some improvements.
To get your own copy of Diskeeper lite 9.0.528.0 (free) you need to:
Go here: http://www.intel.com/design/motherbd/software/idu/
Download: "Full Version - Intel Desktop Utilities v2.1.9.66 [EXE 88.9 MB]"
Unzip the File.
Navigate your way here: IDU_2.1.9.66\3rdparty\Diskeeper
Double click on "setup.exe"
Here is the md5 of the file you will be running:
3a13bf2233a55a84fe0bf0dd04ad34ee setup.exe
Full Version - Intel Desktop Utilities v2.1.9.66 EXE 88.9 MB
Emphasis by me
Downloading it now to check it out
Update: It won't work on my ASUSTeK Computer INC. P4S8X-MX motherboard
I have Diskeeper 10 and I am very happy with it. I will never go back to Windows Defrag.
I use PerfectDisk. Found it works better than Diskeeper.
cost $29.95USDiskeeper 10
That's $33.32CAD which is equal to a gourmet dinner for one or 24 deluxe beer or one 750ml very fine wine.
I'd much rather spend this with my significant other preferably in a cozy chateau by a nice warm fire
I'm interested in this topic for a one main reason. I was using disk keeper lite for a few months. Then one day I ran the compatibility wizard off of my installation CD, and it said that disk keeper wasn't compatible so I uninstalled it.
I am currently using PerfectDisk7.0, although I'm not sure that it makes more of a diff than Windows defrag. I'm not convinced that a 3rd party defrag app is needed for my little pc. kwim?
you sure it was Contig and not Process Explorer? because Contig is just a console application while Process Explorer is another story.
It was Contig! Also Englishmen asked about the license agreement, although I don't know to what extent it was asking for the agreement on his system. On mine it was asking me to agree everytime I used Contig.
Well I don't know how good Windows Defrag is or isn't, I just like it because I run it from inside batch files that can:
* defrag then shutdown
* defrag then restart
* defrag then log off
Also the Windows Defrag is smart enough to refuse to run when a CHKDSK has been scheduled on a volume.
hmmm. i think that you might wanna try out the latest version. i'm currently using it and i haven't had to agree to any license agreement(except for Process Explorer).
also, if it still appears, then you can write a registry entry which says that you've accepted the EULA(if any is present). the reisgtry entry is located at "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sysinternals\C\EulaAccepted". the EulaAccepted key is a DWORD which is set to 1.
edit: just deleted the registry entry and it asked me for a license agreement. it rewrote the registry entry and now i can use it just fine.
I use PerfectDisk. Found it works better than Diskeeper.
Ditto.
Not only does it seem to do a good job of defragging, but it will also run an offline defrag when needed.
(Maybe Diskeeper does as well, I don't know).
Emphasis by me
Downloading it now to check it out
Update: It won't work on my ASUSTeK Computer INC. P4S8X-MX motherboard
I think that you are doing something wrong. It works for me (DFI motherboard). You are downloading the large 88.9 MB file? NOT the file labeled "Intel Desktop Utilities v2.1.9.66 [EXE 14.6 MB]".
Can you post the MD5 of the setup.exe file you are launching? It should be: 3a13bf2233a55a84fe0bf0dd04ad34ee
Please double check you are downloading the correct file.