Award Winning JkDefrag 3.34 Freeware Bundle

I have five defrag programs installed on my laptop at present: Diskeeper 2008 Pro Premier ($100) for testing, PerfectDisk 8 ($40) for emergencies and metadata defragmentation, JkDefrag 3.34 for daily tidying up, PageDefrag for quick boot-time defragmentation of critical system files, and Contig, for a quick defrag of Access data files that I'm working on. The last 3 programs are free: two from SysInternals (now part of Microsoft) and one from Jeroen Kessels.
Whenever I fix up a home PC for someone who can't afford PerfectDisk, or if it is already installed, I also install the last 3, along with NTREGOPT for getting rid of excess registry space. So I keep a setup file with all these utilities included, made with Inno Setup. The latest one is listed below. It's freeware and virus-free. And it works better than any version of Diskeeper, from their cheapie Home version ($30) to their eye-watering Server version ($300).
The large yellow blob in the middle of the screen shown above is a 4.88GB SQL Server critical data file that DK2008 doesn't want to defrag. The light green files are ones that JKD would want to put in Zone 2, and the dark green ones in the "spacehogs" zone 3. Notice how the free space is divided into chunks by DK2008's "NEW! COMPLETE FILE AND FREE SPACE DEFRAGMENTATION" feature. I guess I shouldn't mock them because they're new to free space defragging, while PerfectDisk has been getting it right for years.

Download JkDefrag 3.34 + NTREGOPT + PageDefrag + Contig, all in a simple setup program (759,489 bytes). The install program is unsigned but works fine.

Update 18 Feb 2008: The setup program now includes JkDefrag 3.34, and leaves out the JkDefrag GUI included before. If you want a GUI instead, get it here (3,726,575 bytes)

Update 28 January 2010: If you are using your computer for private or non-commercial purposes, then check out Puran Defrag Free Edition, which is awesome.

The Great Defrag Shootout: The Winners

Ultimately, it is the reader who is the winner, and I hope that all my reviews (15 commercial, 16 freeware products reviewed) will help others. There are the two winners, in no particular order:

Best Commercial Defrag Program:
Raxco PerfectDisk 8

The category is hotly contested, with stiff competition from O&O Software and Golden Bow but the Raxco product won for the following reasons:

• PerfectDisk is easy to install and use, both for the novice and the power user;
• The features are well integrated, and relevant;
• The default method of organising files is well thought out and extremely effective;
• The boot time defrag solves problems that many other defrag programs ignore; and
• The overall performance improvement is well worth the cost of the software.

Any commercial environment not using this product is wasting money. I use it whenever my hard drive gets really messy.

Speaking of money, the folks at Raxco sent me a discount coupon to publish on this blog. If you buy any PerfectDisk product from their download store, use the following coupon code:

BLOG-SHOOTOUT

It's good for a 20% discount before 31 October 2007 on combo packs, power packs or individual copies of PerfectDisk 8. If you're planning on buying the server product, visit the PerfectDisk Blog first, because there is an incredible promo offer available there. Read the blog entries and you'll save yourself a fortune and make yourself popular with your accounts department.
Update 8 Feb 2008: I have tested and reviewed PerfectDisk 2008, and feel that it is a worthy successor and retains the "winner" status for the best commercial defrag program.

Best Freeware Defrag Program:
JkDefrag 3.25

I'm glad I found this utility. I thought that Contig was the best freeware defrag program, and I still use it heavily, but JkDefrag is a masterpiece, and for a cash-strapped small business I have no problem installing it on all the workstations.

• It is simplicity itself to use;
• It is fast and effective;
• The file placement alogorithm is excellent; and
• The screen saver option is logical and helpful.

The latest stable version can be found on my Defragmentation Utilities Page, in a simple setup program. Version 3.16 is stable, and version 3.26 works fine on my current system, although there are some remaining bugs in this release. My guess is that these will be ironed out shortly. My original review was version 3.8, and I have used it regularly since then, especially the screen saver component, which is awesome.
Download JkDefrag 3.26 + NTREGOPT + PageDefrag + JkDefrag GUI + Contig, all in a simple setup program.

The Great Defrag Shootout: Part I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | XVI | XVII | XVIII | XIX | XX | XXI | XXII | XXIII | XXIV | XXV | XXVI | XXVII | XXVIII | XXIX| winner | all | why

The Great Defrag Shootout XXVIII: Winternals Defrag Manager 4.0

Winternals Defrag Manager 4.0 is no longer sold, as Winternals was bought by Microsoft because they needed the founders to work on Vista, or something. I took my laptop round to a friend's office, where they are still using the program, in order to try it out. It was written by the guys who wrote Contig, so I was expecting some pretty nifty software.
This program is clearly designed to address the problem of keeping all the PCs and servers on a network defragmented and organised. It has a minimalist approach to the task, so if you're looking for a program that shows you what it is doing while you watch, you're out of luck.
You set up a defrag schedule and identify all of the computers on the network that should run the schedule. The results can be seen in the "history" section. See image above. There is an option to consolidate disk space, run chkdsk, and perform a standard defrag. Fortunately it uses the same kind of library as Contig uses, rather than WDD, so it won't fall over when disk space gets limited. There is also a boot-time defrag option.
There is also an "advanced mode" option, where you can create a Windows boot CD (similar to Paragon Total Defrag) and then run a defrag in "offline" mode. I found that this option got stuck at 49% on my C: drive, and then did nothing, as shown in the photograph of the screen shown here.
I guess I'm a bit disappointed that the defragmentation strategy isn't as advanced as PerfectDisk or O&O Defrag, considering this was a commercial package from a well-respected source. I have not had enough time to put this program through all the usual tests, but it is a bit disappointing. Perhaps Microsoft could get these programmers to rewrite it for another version of Vista, and get rid of the Diskeeper derivative they are using at present, which isn't great.

The Great Defrag Shootout: Part I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | XVI | XVII | XVIII | XIX | XX | XXI | XXII | XXIII | XXIV | XXV | XXVI | XXVII | XXVIII | XXIX| winner | all | why

The Great Defrag Shootout XXVI: Multiple Applicator 6.8

Multiple Applicator 6.8 from Vasilios Freeware is a GUI interface for several command-line utilities, including Contig, the extremely useful defrag utility from SysInternals. Another utility that does this is Power Defragmenter GUI, reviewed in Part XII.
Multiple Applicator contains some curious utilities, but I will focus purely on the Defrag part. You have to select a directory to be defragmented by clicking on the "Select a Folder" button. If you select a directory/folder that contains subdirectories, such as "C:\", then all the subdirectories will be processed as well. Once the processing is completed a sound effect tells you it is done.
There is no record or previous folders selected, and you can't type in a folder either. This is a shortcoming of the program. You can't pass the application any parameters, so you can't use it for scheduled defrags either. Another shortcoming is that it relies completely on the capabilities of Contig itself, which cannot defrag the MFT or other system files.
This utility may be of use if the other functions are of interest, but the 2.8MB download is a bit much just to operate a 55KB utiltity. It may be simpler to follow the instructions in "Make Contig Easier to Use" instead. I plan to uninstall this utility because I prefer using Contig as described in the other article, but you may wish to try it anyway.

The Great Defrag Shootout: Part I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | XVI | XVII | XVIII | XIX | XX | XXI | XXII | XXIII | XXIV | XXV | XXVI | XXVII | XXVIII | XXIX| winner | all | why

Make Contig Easier to Use

Contig is a fast command-line defrag utility, and provides a quick way to defragment a single file or folder. With a simple addition to the registry you can use it to defragment an entire folder, by right-clicking on the folder name and selecting "Contig Defrag Folder". This will open a command prompt and execute the contig command, as shown here.
In order for this to work, you need to download and install Contig, copying it into the c:\windows\system32 folder. Next, use notepad and paste the following text into a blank notepad file:

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\contig]
@="Contig Defrag Folder"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\contig\command]
@="cmd.exe /k contig.exe \"%L\\*.*\" -v -s"

Save this as "contig.reg" and then double-click on the file to add the commands to the windows registry. Select a folder, right-click on it and test the "Contig Defrag Folder" menu entry.

The Great Defrag Shootout: Part I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | XVI | XVII | XVIII | XIX | XX | XXI | XXII | XXIII | XXIV | XXV | XXVI | XXVII | XXVIII | XXIX| winner | all | why

The Great Defrag Shootout, and all the defragmentation utilities I can find

The new defrag web site is under construction, and all this information will eventually land up there. It takes time to get these results, because testing is done on Windows XP, Windows Vista 32-bit and Vista 64-bit environments, and numerous tests are carried out. Windows 7 testing will be added only once the final product actually ships.

• Windows Disk Defragmenter: Version 5.1.2600.5512 supplied in Windows XP.

Check below for information on other packages, and the 2007 winners of the previous "Great Defrag Shootout".

I have listed all the utilities below, as they fleetingly appeared on the Wikipedia defragmentation article before they were removed by the Wiki trolls.

Boot time defrag programs (explained):

• PerfectDisk 2008 [link] $39.99
• UltimateDefrag 2008 [link] $39.95
• Puran Defrag 7 [link] $19.95
• PageDefrag [link]
• UltraDefrag 2.0 [link]

Commercial defrag utilities for Windows:

• Abexo Defragmenter Pro Plus [review: thumbs down] $34.95
• Advanced Defrag [link] $34.95
  
• Ashampoo Magical Defrag [review: thumbs down] [link] $14.99
  
• Buzzsaw (on the fly defragmenter) and DIRMS (removes tiny spaces) [article] [link] $10 for 5 licenses.
• Defrag-A-File 2.0 [review 1.1: thumbs down] [link] $7.97
• Defrag Express from Disktrix. [link] $14.95
  
• DefragMentor Outlook Accelerator 2.0 [review: thumbs down] [link] $19.95
  
• DefragMentor Premium [link] $24.90
• Defrag Timer 1.1 [link] $19
  
• Diskeeper Pro Premier 2007 [review: thumbs down] $49.95/$99.95 [benchmark] no longer sold.
  
• Diskeeper Pro Premier 2008 [review] [link] $49.95/$99.95. First Impressions of DK 2008 and preliminary results. [benchmark]
• DiskMagik [review] [link] $29.95
  
• hsDefragSaver [link] free/$29.95
  
• Mindsoft Defrag [link] $34.95
  
• mst Defrag [review: thumbs down] [link] $15.90/$29.90
• Norton Speed Disk - part of Norton SystemWorks [review and benchmark] $49.99 (basic)/$69.99/$99.99 (premier) [link]
  
• Nova Development - Disk Accelerator Pro [link] $39.95
  
• O&O Defrag 10 [review:thumbs up] [review: version 8.6] [link] $44.95 [benchmark]
  
• Paragon Total Defrag 2007 [review: thumbs up] [link] $29.95
• PC Mesh Defrag for Windows 4.0 [link] $19.95
• Power Defrag [link] $29.95
  
  
• PerfectDisk 2008 [review: thumbs up] [review version 8] [link] [PerfectDisk blog] $39.99
  Best Commercial Defrag Program winner. [benchmark PD8]
  
  
• PerfectDisk Rx Suite [review] [link] $29.99 [benchmark]
  
• Puran Defrag 7.0 [preview 5.0] [review 3.0: thumbs up] [link] $19.95. [benchmark]
• Rapid File Defragmentor [link] $14.95
• TuneUp Utilities 2009 - TuneUp Drive Defrag [link] $49.95/£29.99
  
• UltimateDefrag 2008 [review: 1.72 thumbs up] [link] $39.95 [benchmark]
  
• Vopt [review: thumbs up] [link] $40 [benchmark]
  
• Winternals Defrag Manager 4.0 [review] no longer sold
  

Freeware defrag utilities for Windows:

• Auslogics Disk Defrag [review] [link] [benchmark]
  
• Contig* [article] [link]
• Defraggler [first test] [another look] [link] still in beta, review pending.
  
• DefragMentor Lite CL [link]
• DiskTune from DIY Data Recovery [blog] [link]
  
• fragdown 2.4 [review] [link]
• HDiskDefrag 3.0 [link]
  
• IOBit SmartDefrag 3.1 beta [review: thumbs down] [link]
  
  
• JkDefrag* [review version 3.8: thumbs up] [links] (GPL)
  Best Freeware Defrag Program winner. [benchmark]
  
  
• Microsoft's Windows Disk Defragmenter [review] [2009 Defrag Shootout: WinXP]
• Multiple Applicator 6.8 [review] [link]
  
• PageDefrag* [see JkDefrag review] [link]
• Partition Logic [short review] [link]
  
• Power Defragmenter GUI [review: thumbs up] [link]
• Puran Defrag Free Edition 7.0 [link] free for non-commercial or home use. [preview: thumbs up]
  
• Quicksys DiskDefrag [link]
• Rapid File Defragmentor Lite [link]
• Puran Defrag 1.1 [review] no longer available: see 3.0 above.
  
• SpeeDefrag [review] [link]
• SpeedItUp FREE [review] [link]
• Ultimate Defrag 1.72 [review] [link]
  
• UltraDefrag 1.0.5 [review:thumbs down] [link]
• UnityPro Disk Idle Optimiser [review] [link] [benchmark]
  
• WinContig 0.75 [review: thumbs down] [link]
• Windows PowerTools 1.3 [review: thumbs down] [link]
  

* Combined setup for these excellent utilities available for download on my new defrag page.

Update: Having tested all the freeware packages listed, and the majority of the commercial ones, I have concluded the shootout and announced the "winners". Also check out the Disk Defragmentation Utilities page.

Disclaimer: None of the products reviewed were supplied as "freebies" by their respective companies, and they were not aware of the fact that I was reviewing the product until the review was posted. I have not solicited any financial favours from anyone during this process either. I write this because of the comment posted on the Paragon review, and because Raxco has provided a discount coupon code for blog readers. I have not reviewed defrag products where you have to buy them first in order to see if they actually work. All the commercial products listed have a free trial period.

The Great Defrag Shootout: Part I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | XVI | XVII | XVIII | XIX | XX | XXI | XXII | XXIII | XXIV | XXV | XXVI | XXVII | XXVIII | XXIX | XXX | XXXI | winner | all | why | digg this article

The Great Defrag Shootout XII: Power Defragmenter GUI 2.0.125

Power Defragmenter GUI is a freeware utility that works with SysInternals Contig, a freeware utility, and defrag.exe, the command line part of Windows Disk Defragmenter. If you don't like or don't use batch files, this utility is for you.
It works like a wizard, giving you choices of what to defrag and how you'd like it done.
File selection is a bit clunky, but not unfriendly. Unfortunately it doesn't remember what you selected last time. Finally, when you click "Defragment", the program opens a command window and executes your requests.
It's ironic that there is no setup utility for this program, since it is actually a setup utility itself. It was written using Setup Factory 6.0. To install it you download the ZIP file and extract it to a folder. Then you add the Contig software, or click "Yes" to download it. Make a shortcut to the .exe file, and you're in business.
I have used Contig extensively, since it is simply the fastest way of defragmenting a single file or directory. This utility provides a GUI front-end to the program, which is nice. The other feature I liked is the "PowerMode Disk Defragmentation" which first uses contig to defragment all the files, and then defrag.exe to tidy up the drive. It's a nice idea, but not as powerful as JkDefrag.

The Great Defrag Shootout: Part I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | XVI | XVII | XVIII | XIX | XX | XXI | XXII | XXIII | XXIV | XXV | XXVI | XXVII | XXVIII | XXIX| winner | all | why

Updated Freebie Software Page

Visitors to the Black and White Inc site have probably looked that the "freebies" page to see what is available for download.
I have just spent a productive Sunday morning updating the list of software that I have installed and use regularly on my PC. Here is the list:

• 7Zip: (freeware) is largely better than WinZip in the variety of formats it can handle.
  
• Access Opener: (myware)
  
• Access Runtime Tester: (myware) The simplest way to repair and compact or decompile an .mdb file.
  
• Ad-Aware SE Personal: (freeware) is largely obsolete because NOD32 does such a good job.
  
• Adobe Acrobat Reader: (freeware) displays all the PDF files I use
  
• allSnap: (freeware) keeps the screen from getting cluttered.
  
• CCleaner: (freeware) keeps the hard drive from getting cluttered.
  
• CmdHere Powertoy: (freeware) Useful for getting a command line where you need it.
  
• Cool MP3 Splitter: (shareware) Useful for managing large MP3 files.
  
• Contig: (freeware) from Sysinternals allows me to defragment an individual file from a batch file. Doesn't replace PerfectDisk, but helps keep the drive tidy.
  
• DS Clock: (freeware) Those chimes are just so cool and you get to decide how the time displays on your desktop.
  
• eMule: (freeware) with the XtremeMod extras. It's the best way of doing file sharing without all the spam and bogus files.
  
• Goldwave: (shareware) is possibly the most useful audio editor available.
  
• Google Desktop: (freeware) finds stuff fast, particularly in Outlook
  
• Google Earth: (freeware) a great way to look at the world
  
• Google Pack Screensaver: (freeware) allows me to view some of my photos when the PC isn't busy.
  
• Google Toolbar: (freeware) indispensable for both IE7 and Firefox
  
• Hamachi: (freeware) the simplest way to set up a secure VPN
  
• Hunter-Killer: (myware) keeps the clutter to a dull roar.
  
• Inno Setup: (freeware) incredibly useful setup program
  
• ISTool: (freeware) the toolkit that makes Inno Setup so easy to use.
  
• iTunes: (freeware) a necessary evil when using an iPod Shuffle.
  
• Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8: (commercial) programmable and easy to use most of the time.
  
• JGsoft Editpad Pro: (commercial) totally indispensable text editor.
  
• LogMeIn: (freeware) great for connecting to remote machines.
  
• Microsoft Access97: (commercial) my favourite database application, bugs and all.
  
• Microsoft Developer Edition Tools: (commercial) used to make the runtime stuff. Inno Setup does a better job, but this licenses you to deploy Access runtime apps.
  
• Microsoft Office XP Developer: (commercial) what a waste of a lot of money. I use Word and Excel, and have yet to write any AccessXP apps.
  
• Microsoft SQL Server 2000: (commercial) comes with Office XP and allows me to test the SQL apps I write with Access97.
  
• Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Professional: (commercial) I don't use it much, but it is still a great programming tool.
  
• miFiles - My Internet Files: (freeware) a simple, effective FTP program. I love it.
  
• Mozilla Firefox 1.5: (freeware) my browser of choice, especially with the following add-ins and extensions:
  
  • NoScript
    
  • Google Toolbar
    
  • Adblock
    
  • FasterFox
  • IETab
  • DownThemAll
  • ForecastFox
  • FoxClocks
  • PDF Download
  • Print Preview
  • Googlepedia
    


• Mustang: (betaware) Mustang 4.x is the basis for the Miami applications I develop every day. No longer available.
  
• MyMail: (myware)
  
• NOD32 Antivirus: (commercial) keeps my PC virus-free and safe.
  
• PerfectDisk: (commercial) keeps my hard drive in order
• PerfOpt XP: (freeware) allows me to tweak some Windows settings
  
• PKZip Command Line: (shareware) used with Zippy to make backups
  
• Plaxo Toolbar for Outlook: (freeware) helps keep my contacts up to date
• PsShutDown: (freeware) from Sysinternals allows me to shut down or Reboot from a batch file
  
• Putty: (freeware) the Telnet client I use when I need to talk to my Ubuntu Linux server.
  
• PrimoPDF: (freeware) is the best way to create PDF files.
  
• Radmin Viewer 3.0: (commercial) indispensable for keeping client PCs organised and operational.
  
• RealPlayer: (freeware) for playing Audible books
  
• SafeXP: (freeware) tweaks Windows XP to make it a bit more bearable.
  
• Search and Replace 2.87: (shareware) I bought this ages ago and its still a quick way to find and replace things across multiple files.
  
• Skype: (freeware) great for long distance conversations
  
• Snadboy's Revelation: (freeware) useful to test security and find lost passwords
• SyncToy: (freeware) great for making backups
  
• Total Recorder 6.0: (commercial) Standard Edition used to convert Audible books into MP3s and for recording Skype calls.
  
• TrueCrypt: (freeware) keeps confidential data safe and secure, especially on laptops.
  
• TweakUI: (freeware) helps control Windows.
  
• UniBlue Registry Boster: (trialware) Compacts the registry, and supposedly finds registry errors. CCleaner works better. Not worth the money. Uninstalled and replaced with Auslogics Registry Defrag.
  
• UniBlue SpeedUpMyPC: (trialware) removes miscellaneous files and allows me to monitor hard drive activity. The Memory Boost option is completely bogus. Not worth the money.
  
• United Devices Agent: (freeware) Uses spare processor cycles for scientific work at grid.org
  
• WavePad: (freeware/commercial) has a great Automatic Gain Control and is useful for converting audio books to my personal MP3 standard format: 32kbps, 22050Khz.
• WinAmp: (freeware) plays most of the media files on my PC
  
• WinZip 9: (shareware) the best ZIP file program, but I won't be spending more money for version 11. See 7Zip.
  
• Zippy: (myware) makes backups of my work. Has saved me days of lost work over the years.

Digg it if you like it

Contig Saves the Day

Getting fed up with Diskeeper was the best thing that has happened to my hard drive in ages. I uninstalled it in disgust, because it simply wasn't working properly any more.
A quick search on Google helped me find Sysinternals Contig, one of the most useful command-line utilities you could ever use. Unfortunately, Microsoft also found it, and bought the company. So there is no telling how long it will be around. As a safety precaution it is now included "as is" in the full install of Zippy because it is so useful to include in the zip.bat file used by Zippy.
I have been testing DIRMS, which stands for "Do It Right Microsoft", a cheeky enough name, except that the software, already in version 2, is very rough around the edges, and I'm not even sure if it is doing its job properly. So the jury is out on that one.
I have also tried Raxco PerfectDisk 7.0, and its the closest thing to the good old Norton Speed Disk that I have found. It costs US$ 39.99, which is halfway between the Diskeeper Home Edition $29.99 and the Professional edition $49.95. The difference is that PerfectDisk gives far better results than Diskeeper, so unless DIRMS can actully come up with the goods and start working properly, PerfectDisk is going to get another customer.

The Great Defrag Shootout: Part I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | all