Best Free Disk De-fragmenter

I remember I tried Puran Defrag which is not free at all which aggravated me since it is such a great program.
Most sites harp about Smart Defrag as the greatest Defrag program ever and it surprised me that no one here mentioned it.

I use Jkdefrag so Mydefrag appeals to me but I am torn between trying Auslogics defrag first.

If only the Windows 7 defragger were able to deal with the boot sector and registry then the game would be over, other than for people wanting to waste their lives searching for piddling little differences.

I've made a test with 10 freeware defrag programs, you can find it here:

[link removed]

(it's in italian)

Here, it is a nice article I found on thewindowsclub.com on Aug. 26.

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/how-to-defrag-mft-page-file-registry-system-files-in-windows-7

Maybe someone can explain Auslogics settings.How best to set up.By checking move system files to begining,seems that should have been checked by default and should the VSS really be checked.Also aboght defrag priority its set on normal should the other two ever be ran. And is it ever good to run it in safe mode [like my defrag]and what setting.
the site doesn't explain any of that.

New Disk Defrag tool from people of Glary Utilities worth a try-

http://www.glarysoft.com/products/utilities/disk-speedup/

Just tried ,speedy and also does auto.

Just tried the built in W disk defrag. 4% in about 10 min. A little different in W7 than previous. Could not find the charts just gave a % readout. Seemed fast and efficient though, no slowdown.

Was reading the reviews on my defrag from Cnet one poster said it could destroy system restore points in opt. mode?

...Cons: If you use System Restore, depending on your OS, you may lose its functionality as many or all restore points may vanish if you select a performance level that includes Optimization. No support other than a small users forum. ...

Scared me off.

Win 7 32-bit, here!

I tried Auslogics but went back to MyDefrag.
Auslogics is a Toy...

MyDefrag is a solid-rock application that
offers real Defragmentation!

I will also try Puran Free, as I am intrigued by
its Boot-Defrag Mode.

Be in Touch...

The Microsoft defragmenter is the best free defragmenter I have come across. They bought the technology from a company which was at the time the only company defragmenting nt file systems. I have tried the free deframeters mentioned here but they do not do as thorough a job as the free Microsoft defragmenter that comes with the operating system.

Microsofts defrag program that comes with Windows 7 is excellent "defragged" stubborn files other programs could not , no fancy interface just does the job 0% fragment .

I tried Auslogics and concluded that it is fast in defrag mode only and if fragmentation percent is not too large. But defrag mode only leaves a lot of files spread apart. When combined with optimize option, files are somewhat reogranized but program runs slower. However, this became a problem when defragging many files in a big disk as the program ends but with as much as 30% still fragmented even when reran several times. Auslogics also couldn't handle properly if your disk free space is less than 10%. I also tried Defraggler and it seems to be similar although slower than Auslogics. It too has a limited function if your disk free space is less than 10%.

What advantage is there to using a free 3rd-party Defragmenter, as opposed to just using the built-in Windows Disk Defragmenter? Is there anything "wrong" with the basic one that comes with your computer? I defrag my computer often so I'm curious if I should start using a freeware version.

Why no IOBIT Smart Defrag? I have read that it's one of the best, I use it and it works great. Just wandering.
Thanx

Hi Guys,

Here's my test. I'll defrag a drive and then watch its disk drive light during normal use. How active is it? How does that activity change over time? I'll monitor the drive for a week or more.

I've tried all the defraggers listed here and a couple of commercial ones as well. But I always end up returning to MyDefrag. My actual drive activity is greatly reduced compared to the rest. And, with MyDefrag it stays that way much longer.

Regards - BWrangler

Puran Defrag 7.1 has been released...

Now lets test ultra defrag.

Just a quick update.

I've tried out Puran, and maybe it's all the fanboy comments and spam clouding my review of it, but I just don't like the software.

For one, the download is confusing in my opinion.

The website has two different softwares, a regular, and a free. The regular being a trial. However the website states "Now get a professional defragmenter for your computer at no price at all. This is Puran Defrag Free Edition which is exactly the same as its commercial version except you do not need to pay for it.

Does this mean that the free version is the same as the trial? What is the point of the trial listed? I reviewed the free version, but by reviewing it am I also reviewing the "regular" version?

Quite simply, the different versions are misleading. Furthermore, for so much trouble, there are 3 listed programs above that are just as good (if not better in my opinion) than Puran.

Not to mention the site is littered with grammatical mistakes, making me trust them even less. I know this is not relevant, but I thought I should add this.

To The Editor

I love this site, and have the utmost respect for you and your writers, even when we disagree. But I don't understand this statement :

Puran:
The editor has already posted this in the comments below.
"Puran is being reviewed, please give me ample time to do a thorough review."
Please respect how long it takes to adequately evaluate these products and add them to the review. Until this happens, any further repetition about Puran will be regarded as spam and deleted.

I don't think there are any statements on this page, that is putting a lot of pressure on the editor of this page, to hurry up and review Puran. I think we all understand that these things take time, and that he/she is doing this as a free service (On their own free time.) to those that visit this site. I think you have set a bad president, on this issue. I even have some statements on this site about Puran, and the need for a review. It is just a discussion, and not in anyway meant to cause your editor distress. I am just asking for a free and open discussion. I could understand if someone had said something that was derogatory towards the editor of this page. Delete those comments, not the whole discussion. Thank you for your time, and the free service you provide, it is invaluable to the common computer user, like me!!

All the best to you and your editors, that give of there time and resources to do these reviews for free. They are true GREATNESS!!

Thank You,
Craig

If you're using full-disk encryption, choose your disk defragmenter carefully. If the encryption software relies on the absolute location (address) of any files on the encrypted drive, pick a defragmenter that will leave these files alone. At my last job, installation of McAfee Endpoint was mandatory. UltraDefrag was recommended as a compatible defragmenter. (Auslogic's defragmenter was known to break Endpoint.)

It's funny that Auslogics' "optimize" function works fine on my XP desktop but it scattered all the files on my Vista laptop. another Vista shortcoming maybe?

I have been doing my own none expert testing with different disk defrags over the years uncludding the ones listed on this site.first i left my defrag on my computer for disk analyzing sence you can't tell whats going on with othor defrags that show little sqare boxes.After running the defrags then analyzing on mydefrag they allways left thing looking like a mess the more you use them.
Im done testing for now and using mydefrag.the file placement looks a lot better.Again i am not an expert on this and was not testing for performance.Yet things seem to be running better now that i am permanently using mydefrag our at lest Intel i Noe something different.

keith

I suggest the editor do a review of DiskTune.

The most striking feature is defragmentation of the MFT in online mode, ie. without boot time procedure.

DiskTune also does disk optimization based on "file placement for booting and general usage".

Seems like a worthy contender that needs a review.

Also, hope to see the review for Puran Defrag soon. I currently use it, as does Donn Edwards, and it really seems to be a thorough product.

There are 64 bit versions of MyDefrag and Defraggler but, as yet, no 64 bit version of Auslogics that I can find.

Rik - Category Editor, Best Free Windows 7 / Vista 64 bit Software

if you use w7, you'll find that an extra defrag tool is v rarely needed! everytime disk is checked, it comes up as 0% fragmented!

Here is my contribution.

I tested the following defragmenters on a really full hard-drive (95% full and the disk is 150 Gb) and I'm using Vista 32. I use a laptop.

Raxco Perfect Disk 11: was unable to defragment a virtual machine, which was a file of 4GB. All the other defragmenters failed too. Running contig displayed a weird error message. Finally, I ran a tool to erase unused sectors, then compact the image, and the defragmenters were able to defrag it.
Frankly, it was my preferred defragmenter, but I hate the tons of installed services that are running. I don't see the point of scheduling defragmentation with their interface, when Windows does the scheduling.

Contig: useful to defragment a single file, but I much prefer Defraggler. This was the only defragmenter that showed a message explaining why it was unable to defrag the 4Gb+ file.

Defraggler: useful to optimize files. I use it to analyze the files, and optimize only the smaller ones.
My second preferred defragmenter.

MyDefrag: I was using it until recently, but now, I completely abandoned it. I still don't understand why it moves ALL the files when you do a full optimization.
It's easy to reproduce: run the monthly defrag, stop the process at 5%, then rerun a monthly defrag. It moves all the files again and again, WTF ?

Ultradefrag: I ran it once, and it seemed very fast, but the interface is terrible, and it does only file defragmentation. But there is an interesting boot defrag, that I did not test.

Auslogics Disk Defrag: after uninstalling Raxco, I tested this one and found it excellent !
It optimizes the disk by:
- defragmenting the files
- then moving the fragmented files at the end of the disk
- then defragmenting again the files
- then move the files to fill the gaps
Now, I'm using it regularly, and it's my preferred defragmenter.

BTW, I'd like to add an important information:
defragmenting is not good for the disks !
On SSD, it also reduces their life !
Defragmenting IDE or SATA disks tend to deteriorate the physical mechanisms.
I really don't recommend realtime defrag, and I think a defragmentation should only occur once in a while.
Also, the defragmenters tend to leave the empty space at the end of the disk, where the access is slower.

Puran Defrag: I ran it for tests, and I liked the boot defrag, but frankly, it was unable to defragment large files. The algorithm is very buggy when moving large files with small empty space.

Finally, it would be great if a defragmenter was able to order the files for improving boot time. I remember the BootVis tool, which benchmarked the boot, but why didn't anybody optimize the files with this kind of data ?
I'd love to see my disk boot faster because the boot files are contiguous (and I mean physically: the first loaded file is in the first position, the second loaded file at the second position, etc...), leaving no heads seeks to get the files.

Perhaps you may be reading my review incorrectly. Let me clarify the order and structure of how the programs are rated. Just because MyDefrag and Defraggler are behind Auslogics, this does not in any way go to say that they are NOT good programs. In that sense, I beg to differ. I find both MyDefrag and Defraggler excellent defragmentation choices! Which is why I included them in the list, and is why I praised them highly in both of my reviews.

Once again, I must stress, unless I the editor clearly state that I do not recommend a program, then I in fact do recommend it. Moreover, I simply recommend Auslogics the highest.

I will state what I have said in the past. I believe Auslogics is the best piece of defragmentation software for the average user who stumbles across this site. As an editor, I have to make sure my recommendation appeal to this type of user.

However, I do encourage you the reader to try out all the software on this list. I believe it is all good software and it all deserves a chance.

Thankyou for your time
keep the posts coming

Drew

Puran is being reviewed, please give me ample time to do a thorough review.

I used my Windows 7 built-in Disk Defragmenter.

Then, I installed and used Auslogics.
It found only 1% Fragmentation.
I used Auslogics to defrag my System
until it signaled that No further Defragmentation is required.

Then, I used MyDefrag.
It took about half an hour to Defrag my System
although Auslogics claimed it had been perfectly Defragmented!

I Restored a System Image.
I used my Windows 7 built-in Disk Defragmenter.

Then, I installed and used Auslogics.
It again found only 1% Fragmentation.
I used Auslogics to defrag my System
until it signaled that No further Defragmentation is required.

Then, I used Defraggler.
It took about twenty (20') minutes to Defrag my System
although Auslogics claimed it had been perfectly Defragmented!

I would really like to know on what Criteria you Rated
Auslogics as your No.1 Freeware Defragmentation Tool.