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![The 2009 Defrag Shootout](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZsLIsIxH07WNWPLpEwilT3ssifyf8Zqmxu4j2SlP1l4UmoF-bOOu9xo6p4S-uYJUBcxZha1L1y9wjhiFoInR0qaZ7-1mPZbh1raEa7gYVv3WA15RvoCIQja1VrOLDke_FM0O/s200/defrag_logo.jpg)
Today I unpacked "FRAGG", my brand new
Sahara computer. I bought it from the good people at
ZAPS in
Randburg, after doing a search on
www.pricecheck.co.za. The model
DT825125-P601 cost me R 3,726 including VAT, and comes with
Windows Vista Home Basic and a load of other consumer-friendly software.
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My first task has been to disable the scheduled defrag program in
Vista, and uninstall some of the "crapware" like Google desktop search. I made a
System Restore point before downloading and installing all 41 available system updates. The second task was to do the
Windows Update, and get
Windows Defender working. I also used
SDelete to set all the free space to zero, so that the compression will work better using
Acronis True Image, since I'm doing a sector-by-sector backup.
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Once the backup is complete, I'm going to decide what "crapware" to keep, and what to get rid of. The
Samsung HD161HJ hard drive is enormous: there is 149GB disk space, so it will be possible to install a lot of applications and stuff on this machine, to really put it through its paces.
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I also want to create a
Windows XP installation image, with exactly the same software on it, so whatever defrag programs I test can be tested on both
Vista and
WinXP.
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I'm using a
Mecer Bravo external USB 450GB hard drive for storing the backup images and test files. I bought it on "special" at
Game in Cresta, where it was advertised at R799.99 but they rounded it up to R800 and then wondered why I complained. I hope it was a loss leader. They also lost out on the sale of a
Mecer desktop computer for R3800, and of course
Hewlett-Packard didn't get a look in because of their bad driver for the HP1020 laser printer. Who says customers don't forget?
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So thanks to
Sahara and ZAPS for their efficient service, and to
Game for reducing the price of the external drive. It's not every day that you order a computer on Saturday before Christmas and collect it on Tuesday; many computer companies are closed already. ZAPS is a gamer's paradise, so I guess they know about service.
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Now the fun begins: deciding what applications to install, and deciding how to really put all the defrag programs through their paces. The computer should be fast enough: a
Pentium Dual CPU E2200 running at 2.20GHz with 1GB RAM and 149GB hard drive. I actually only wanted an 80GB drive, but they weren't available. Its going to be tough filling this drive with fragmented files.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfe99YdhJuPb7YQMRhetIgKaY5Hr2ay8NsAfYQCXktTSnDMvjGPrqxHFtvD-SgNTuqB_PjvSKmMGWdSO3XZISr9YDlU3cI2ZIs8_H2EYuC_7ByTHFvBm_6lMt462O9wVckaBT/s400/Software.jpg)
Here is the list of pre-installed software. Click on the image to read the details.
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