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Best Free Windows 64-bit Software
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Best Free Windows 64-bit Software - Page Index
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 5. Disk and File |
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Best Free Windows 64-bit Disk Defragmenter
The applications recommended in this category use the Windows API (Application Programming Interface) for defragmentation. This means that even if the program crashes Windows should be able to repair or recover from any problems.
If you utilize Windows built-in ReadyBoost and install a third-party defragmenter then don't be tempted to disable the disk defragmenter built into Windows Vista and 7. If you do, you will greatly reduce the effectiveness of ReadyBoost, the mechanism that monitors files accessed during the last 5 boots and creates a boot plan to reduce startup time. This boot plan is passed to the Windows disk defragmenter to allow the placement of files used during the boot process to be optimized.
Piriform's Defraggler, like all Piriform products, has a nice clean interface with easy-to-understand features. It "performs a very fast “quick defragmentation” with decent file reorganization but if you perform a complete defrag process, which takes longer, you obtain results that are worthwhile" although not highly optimized like MyDefrag (see below). "Defraggler also supports scheduling, low priority and boot defrag" but does not have a flexible scripting language. (Best Free Disk De-fragmenter)
MyDefrag is the advanced power option and is the top pick in Best Free Disk De-fragmenter. It is novel in two ways: it uses a defragmentation and file placement engine, JKDefrag; and all activities are carried out by scripts. MyDefrag is effectively the graphical user interface through which you run the scripts.
MyDefrag comes with standard scripts so select the option (including "fast defrag" and "optimize daily") that best suits you. The output from the scripts themselves is unimpressive as it is largely unchanged from JKDefrag. Compared with other products, it uses a more advanced algorithm to optimize the placement of files on the disk. It also has a simple scheduler and scripts can also be run from Windows or other programs,
Note that MyDefrag requires administrator privilege and, if running from the Task Scheduler under Windows Vista or 7 then it is recommended that the SYSTEM account is used.
Best Free Windows 64-bit File Manager
I've listed these in order of ease of use if you are moving from Windows Explorer.
Q-Dir is simple and easy to use because it follows Windows Explorer conventions but with up to four panes, each of which can have multiple tabs and tree views. Full drag-and-drop is implemented making it more productive than Explorer. It supports a wide variety of functions and customisations although you really need to refer to the on-line FAQs to get the most out of it. It has a small footprint, and is not resource intensive but "lacks some of the more advanced features available in other offerings in this category. The configuration is mostly limited to window arrangement. The toolbars are appropriately compact, but cannot be customized." (Best Free File Manager)
MultiCommander by Mathias Svensson is a powerful dual-pane file manager with tree views but without tabs. MultiCommander has many features and supports plug-ins to provide even more. But it also tries to simplify the transition from Windows Explorer by providing "Quick Look'N'Feel Setup" where you can choose to retain Explorer's shortcuts and mousekeys. Just be aware that it doesn't work 100% so one of my favoured techniques didn't work.
Double Commander is a long-standing beta project based on the shareware Total Commander which means it also supports Total Commander plug-ins to provide a bewildering array of additional functionality. Out of the box it is a powerful dual-pane file manager with tabs and many other built-in functions and options. The interface was is not very attractive but it is, of course, customizable. I had no significant problem with it even though it is called a beta version.
Best Free Windows 64-bit Folder Synchronizer
FreeFileSync has a "very clear and informative interface. The preview is very easy to understand, and file collisions and deletions are more readily recognizable than many other sync programs If you require a sync program that can copy files that are in use or locked, FreeFileSync has you covered there too! Unfortunately it only has very basic filters, no auto sync feature, and no direct support for FTP. My final complaint would be that its help file is a little sparse. Those few flaws aside, I found it to be well designed and easy to use." (Best Free Folder Synchronization Utility.)
Microsoft SyncToy is a versatile utility that will satisfy all but the most demanding of users. It also runs very quickly despite being based on the .NET framework. The only major things it lacks are the ability to select files from a folder via a standard tree view, direct support for ftp, and a portable version.
Operations are carried out on local and/or remote pre-defined folder pairs. Remote folders can be specified by drive letter or UNC name. You define and name these pairs, files can be included or excluded based on wildcards and/or file attributes, and then when you want to perform a task, you recall one of these pairs and carry out the operation. Syncing can be in either direction and covers all options from complete sync to updating newer files only. SyncToy can also keep track of files you rename and rename those in the sync destination. Overwritten files in the destination can be saved in the recycle bin, in case you need the older version. SyncToy also allows you to preview a sync, that is, view what would happen if the sync operation was executed. This ensures the operation will do exactly what you want before you use it. In addition to the easy to use GUI, SyncToy can also be run from the command line to sync a chosen folder pair or, all folder pairs.
Best Free Windows 64-bit Disk Cleaner
CCleaner is "a product that started off as pretty basic but has continued to improve to the point where it is now very close to the best in its class regardless of price. It's very effective in freeing up disk space by removing unused and temporary files, cookies, Recycle bin entries, Windows hot-fix files, history and cache files in many applications such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari and hundreds of others." (Best Free File Cleaner Utility)
CCleaner is the main tool I recommend to Windows users. Cleaning your disk or system can be scary if you don't know what you're doing. CCleaner helps because it is simple to use, has many options, is relatively conservative in its cleaning, is updated many times each year, and allows you to do much more than cleaning unnecessary files. It also cleans registry entries, wipe disks, manages startup applications, and uninstalls software.
Best Free Windows 64-bit Program Uninstaller
This is one of the categories where a 32-bit application that is 64-bit compatible is unlikely to be satisfactory. Unless you change your registry settings, a 32-bit application cannot see the 64-bit registry. For this reason I'm only reviewing 64-bit applications. Unfortunately, although the paid version of Best Free Program Uninstaller Revo Uninstaller is a native 64-bit application the 64-bit features are not available in the free version.
Comodo Programs Manager (CPM) is a simple to use uninstaller which is largely a replacement for Windows Uninstaller. You can uninstall either programs, drivers and services, Windows features, or Windows updates. Even incomplete installs or uninstalls can be removed as CPM accesses a database of products to determine the settings for programs that need to be uninstalled.
If you choose to opt into their Application Contribute Programme then CPM will send Comodo information about programs you install. If you don't opt into the programme then you will not be provided with access to Comodo's database information and you won't see the files and registry keys installed. If you work with the programme then you might be annoyed by the background process to update CPM's database Comodo - it runs far too often in the background and cannot be scheduled.
Best Free Windows 64-bit Data Recovery and File Undelete
Piriform Recuva is very easy to use, has a simple user interface, and works quickly. "However, it only works great on straight forward recovery. I found that after formatting the disk deep scan could only locate and recover 19 files out of 106." (Free Data Recovery and File Un-delete Utility)
Best Free Windows 64-bit Secure File Eraser
"Eraser allows you to easily add tasks to securely erase selected files and folders, unused disk space (aka free space), cluster tips (aka slack space), and the recycling bin. Eraser can overwrite the data area with your choice of a variety of random data patterns (14 default patterns and a custom pattern creator). It comes with a very detailed built-in help file. And the forum seems quite responsive to questions and problems. It works with any drive (including IDE, SCSI, and RAID), and with FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS partitions. … In the negative, it was fairly heavy in memory use." (Best Free Secure Erase Utility)
"CCleaner is a unique and useful file shredder because it cleans a number of places where data can secretly lurk. It will help you scrub data left behind by web browsers and other applications (windows explorer, system temporary files, and excess files created by applications/utilities/windows). These are difficult to find and erase on your own, so CCleaner has advantages over other file shredders." I suggest that you read further in Best Free Secure Erase Utility if you want to know how to get CCleaner to wipe various objects.
Best Free Windows 64-bit File ZIP and Archive
"7-Zip supports 7z, ZIP, CAB, RAR, ARJ, GZIP, BZIP2, Z, TAR, CPIO, RPM, and DEB. Even though it handles fewer archive types than some other programs, it is a fantastic program that will fulfill 99% of all your file archiving needs." (Best Free File Archiver/Zip Utility))
PeaZip is an open-source product "which is easy to use and very versatile. It is capable of extracting from archive types including ACE, ARJ, CAB, DMG, ISO, LHA, RAR, and UDF." (Best Free File Archiver/Zip Utility)
ADVISORY: the 64-bit version of PeaZip installs with OpenCandy, a controversial advertising program.
Best Free Windows 64-bit System Information
Personally, I prefer PC Wizard for hardware configuration and SIW for software configuration..
Gabriel Topala's SIW is portable software that "displays detailed specs for motherboard, BIOS, CPU, devices, memory, video, disk drives, ports, printers, operating system, installed programs, processes, services, serial numbers (CD keys), users, open files, system uptime, network, network shares, as well as real-time monitors for CPU, memory, page file usage and network traffic. It also displays currently active network connections, passwords hidden behind asterisks, installed codecs, and more." (Best Free System Information Utility)
ADVISORY: SIW installs with OpenCandy, a controversial advertising program.
CPUID's PC WIzard "is a system information utility that is strong in workstation description and benchmarking. It's a well implemented program with a nice multi-panel display with different analysis functions easily selectable using sidebar buttons. Overall it provides a little less system information that SIW but the benchmarking feature makes up for it. Benchmarks can be run on individual parameters such as processor performance, memory and cache speed, video performance and hard drive speed or can be run be for all functions with the single press of a button. In the latter case an overall numeric system performance index is also calculated. Overall PC Wizard is an impressive system utility well suited to those who want to get a better understanding of their PC's configuration and performance." (Best Free System Information Utility)
Best Free Windows 64-bit Registry Tools
The Best-Free Registry Cleaner category is to be updated soon so I expect more products to be recommended.
The previous editor explains why you need to be careful with Registry Tools:
"It's absolutely essential that you backup your registry before using a registry cleaner. For most users the easiest way to do this is to create a system checkpoint. An even better way is to use a drive-imaging program to create a snapshot of Windows, which you can use for system recovery if needed. As an added layer of protection, that may actually be more effective than System Restore, consider using the excellent ERUNT utility.
This ever-present risk of problems is why the "best" registry cleaner is the one that causes the fewest problems, rather than the one that finds the greatest number of registry errors.
Thus it is evident, a registry cleaner is - if at all - a tool reserved for the experienced user. The inexperienced may be assured that since the introduction of Windows XP, registry cleaning is no longer a crucial issue for the stability, security and performance of your system. Don't mess around with it!"
I add the following:
You are almost always better off using a disk cleaner to improve the performance of your system.
Another reason why registry cleaning is best reserved for proficient users, the documentation for these programs does not provide enough information about the specific issues they find or the impacts of 'fixing' them.
I will not recommend a registry cleaner that doesn't backup and restore either the entire registry or the changed entries.
32-bit applications are unlikely to be completely satisfactory for 64-bit Windows because they do not have access to the 64-bit portions of the registry.
REGISTRY CLEANER
CCleaner provides a quick and simple registry cleaner that is very conservative but accesses the 64-bit sections of the registry.
Wises Registry Cleaner is very comprehensive but, as expected, did not find the 64-bit application issues that CCleaner did. It is easy to scan and remove issues. Firstly, it allows you to backup the Registry before you start and there is also a restore option. Secondly, by default, it doesn't check Class Security Identifiers (CLSIDs) or other areas where most Registry tricks are played, although these can be included if required. Finally it divides redundant/invalid entries into two groups: 1) a green tick for those you can remove safely; and 2) an orange exclamation mark for the rest which require closer examination before removing.
REGISTRY DEFRAGMENTER
Adding and removing entries from the Registry means that the registry files can become fragmented and the databases they contain become less efficient to use. You can run a registry defragmenter to remove these problems.
The previous editor recommended this product but it does not include a registry backup option so exercise caution and before using it either use another registry tool to backup or create a system restore point. "Free Registry Defrag is a fast, reliable and free tool which is capable of compacting and defragmenting the registry and from version 2.4 onwards includes both 32 and 64-bit versions."
REGISTRY EDITOR
Windows has a registry editor called Regedit but you will be much better off with a product from this category. Again, I advise that you need to know what you are doing which includes creating a Restore Point before you start.
Registrar Registry Manager Lite
"To start with, it works reliably - a great feature for any registry editor. The user interface is simple, the functionality is excellent, and it has a really fast search." (Best Free Registry Editor)
"If you ever need to use a registry editor this is definitely the tool to use." "It includes a host of advanced features such as registry backup, multi-level undo, a lightning fast search, plus lots of information about what particular registry entries actually mean." (previous editor)
Best Free Windows 64-bit PC Tune-up
There are several types of products that you can use to tune-up and tweak your Windows 64-bit PC. Many tools in this category are covered in Best Free Vista Tweaks which includes details of compatibility with Vista 64. With the exception of Vista Logon Studio all the applications that work under Vista 64 will also work under Windows 7. An alternative to Vista Logon Studio for Windows 7 users is given below.
SysInternals is now part of Microsoft and the tools remain free and are regularly updated. Most work correctly under Windows 7 and Vista 64. In particular, the three most widely used tools extract and run 64-bit code: Process Explorer, Process Monitor and Autoruns.
At present, Autologon doesn't work, but a suitable alternative can be found here.
Some sixteen different utilities are included, covering virtually every aspect of PC maintenance. Although none of the individual utilities can compare to standalone competition, you do have the advantage of having everything in one place.
As this is a 32-bit program, you will notice that one or two of the modules are not fully working, the Uninstall Manager, for example, doesn't recognise 64-bit applications, and therefore cannot uninstall them.
Best Free Windows 64-bit Built-in System Tools
Resource Monitor
Resource Monitor provides access to a host of information about what is using your precious system resources. Resource usage information is available for the CPU(s), memory, disk and network. The level of detail that can be viewed means Resource Monitor is more closely related to the Process Explorer/Process Monitor tools from SysInternals than it is Task Manager. Unlike Process Explorer/Process Monitor, you don't have to be overwhelmed by detail, since you can view information in a way that suits you.
To try out Resource Monitor, click on Start, type resource monitor into the search box, and then click on the Resource Monitor entry that appears under Programs.
For an in depth look at Resource Monitor refer to our article Windows 7 Resource Monitor: New & Improved
Problem Steps Recorder
Problem Steps Recorder (PSR) allows the steps needed to reproduce a problem, or to implement a fix, to be recorded and saved to a file. If you've ever tried to help a friend or family member over the phone, or via email, with a PC problem I'm sure you know how difficult and frustrating it can be. PSR helps a lot.
To start PSR, click on Start, type psr.exe into the search box, and then either click on the psr.exe entry that appears under Programs, or right click and choose Run as a administrator. Note you need to choose Run as administrator if any of the screens you wish to capture are running with administrator privilege.
Once loaded you simply click on the red circular Start Record button to start capturing user activity. Comments can be added during the capture and to finish the session you simply click on the Stop Record button. Once recording has stopped you will be prompted to enter a filename and the whole session will be saved to a ZIP file. The maximum number of screen shots that can be recorded by default is 25. To change this, click on the downward arrow at the right hand end of the PSR dialog box and choose Settings.
The ZIP contains a MHT, mime encoded HTML, format document that includes the screen shots, any comments that were added, and a text based description of the actions that were carried out. This can be opened and edited in any version of Word from 2002 upwards. Alternatively, the file can be viewed using the free Word Viewer, Internet Explorer version 5 or higher, Firefox with the UnMHT extension installed and Opera version 9.0 or higher.
PSR is not a ground breaking application, but it will help me to assist others much more quickly and efficiently.
PowerShell
PowerShell is Microsoft's solution for automating system tasks. Version 1 was released with Windows Vista and version 2 with WIndows 7. It has two main parts, a command-line shell and a scripting language. PowerShell is the equivalent of the DOS commands and batch files used in early PCs. Naturally it is much more powerful because we now have GUI interfaces and other new features. It is fully integrated with the .NET framework so all PowerShell objects are .NET objects. This provides a powerful ability to interact with your system through: 'cmdlets', .NET programs compiled into a dynamic-link library and loaded by a PowerShell script; PowerShell scripts (.ps1), PowerShell functions; and executable programs.
To try out PowerShell, click on Start, All Programs, Accessories, Windows PowerShell, and select Windows PowerShell which will bring up the PowerShell command line interface. If you want to create scripts then see How to open Windows 7 PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE).
If you want to see how useful it is then run the script from Auditing 32-Bit and 64-Bit Applications with PowerShell which lists all installed applications and whether they are 32- or 64-bit.
Be aware that, by default, Powershell restricts exectution of unsigned scripts. You can check if this is "restricted" with the command:
get-executionpolicy
and you can change it with the command:
set-executionpolicy remotesigned
Total Commander plug-ins are available here.
Some utilities are not 64-bit compatible
Further Resources:
FAQs for customization tips.
Requires .NET framework version 2.0 or higher.
Be aware that CPM creates backups which will take up considerable space - mine are currently over 1 GB and growing.
Portable and slim (no unwanted toolbar) versions can be downloaded from CCleaner builds.
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All downloads here;
http://sourceforge.net/projects/doublecmd/files/
All deb, rpm, etc. I can't see any Windows installation files.
Rik Mayell - Category Editor
PS. I have it running on several systems, Linux ( several distros), XP, and 7. Works great, no problems at all as yet. I am of course hoping that because it is in very active development that it gets even better, and am going to contribute if I can.
Would be a good idea for anybody else who wants a really good explorer alternative on 7 to contribute as well if they can.
I have no other connection with the project, I just think it's very good.
I still have no download for a 64 bit Windows binary.
Rik Mayell - Category Editor
That is very odd indeed. I know you don't normally allow direct download links, but I can't think of anything else in this case, remove TEST to use the link.
TESThttp://sourceforge.net/projects/doublecmd/files/DC%20for%20Windows%2064%20bit/Double%20Commander%200.4.5%20beta/doublecmd-0.4.5.x86_64-win64.exe/download
I have had no trouble with any of these downloads.
You can also reach the download page at Sourceforge by clicking on the "Download" link in the header of the first link page I posted.
Sourceforge can be rather difficult to navigate in some cases, but I don't understand what is happening here.
The only other thing I can think of is to search "Double Commander" on Google etc. this will also bring up various links. like this one: http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/File-Management/Double-Commander.shtml ( I have not tried this download myself ).
Most sites carrying it and linking to it are in German.
Okay, thanks to all of those that have pointed me in the right direction, I got the download in the end.
I haven't had chance to try "Double Commander" out fully but one immediate 'no, no', is that the folder names appear in bold when it is launched. No doubt someone will post a tip telling me how to change this. That though rather misses the point. When first started the application should use the system defaults, Sergio UI for Vista and later. If I decide to use a different font, make it bold, purple, or whatever then that is my choice. Well respected guidelines for User Interface elements in Windows have been around for years. Why are people still not following them?
When these fundamental issues have been addressed and a final stable release produced I will take another look.
Rik Mayell - Category Editor
I'd really appreciate your recommendation for a 64-bit win7 disk defragger. I imagine you're too busy to test, but you could give us your preliminary best guess with the usual caveats.
I feel forced to turn to commercial sware, but I only want to run it once a month.
Just a point here which may be of interest to you, it doesn't make any difference to the results whether you use a 32 BIT or a 64 BIT, or indeed any other processor in conjuncton with a defragger. The file fragmentation is removed by physically moving files on the disc, and it is irrelevant which processor happens to be involved in this process. The same applies to various optimisation techniques.
Of course, a fast 64 BIT processor may allow you to accomplish such operations a little faster, simply because it is intrinsicaly faster, but the main limitations here are dependent on the disc itself and its mechanical components.
If you want to avoid this, then you need to go for an SSD ( Solid State Disc), it has no moving conponents, and does not require defragmentation.
I imagine it wont be long before SSD's take over more or less completely anyway, as they also provide other massive performance advantages, and are being produced in larger capacities and ever cheaper., This will make defragging and optimisation software as it is presently known obsolete.
The API used is common to both 32 and 64 bit applications although 32 bit calls carry the translation overhead. In real terms a 64 bit application will always run faster. Without testing I couldn't say by how much.
The problem with SSD is that the drive will eventually die, something that isn't a problem with standard disk drives. The limited life expectancy and high cost do little to sell this to me. Further, if you were to model the impact of SSD on an end user PC I doubt you would see much benefit as you are the slave of the somewhat jaded Windows virtual memory model and some 'well intentioned' Vista and later 'performance enhancements.'
Rik Mayell - Category Editor
All true, but the actual enhancements are still quite massive. Boot time as low as 7 seconds, load times massively reduced. Other problems either removed or severely reduced. No defragging, no NOISE!!! etc.
May be of interest; http://ssd-reviews.com/
Also, the first disc drives had lousy MTBF values. In the meantime PC's and various components can be fairly considered consumable throwaways, and the average "life" ( not the expectancy, the average actual life in operation) is often much less than three years. If an SSD is guaranteed for three years, many wont care if it dies after that.
I am very happy indeed with an SSD as a system "disc" in one of my machines, and will certainly go for it again when I buy any new machines. Indeed, I may upgrade a couple of the others in the meantime.
The MTBF may have improved but it doesn't change the fact that the drive will die. I can live with a two minute boot time safe in the knowledge that the machine will boot. If I really want a fast boot I go into Ubuntu :)
Rik Mayell - Category Editor
At some point in the discussion, Gizmo used to finally say something like "I personally use product X".
What does Rik use on 64-bit Win7?
Or isn't it worth doing anymore?
Or just use the MS-provided one?
Well I can't speak for Gizmo but personally I don't bother. Most if not all desktop applications are CPU bound or, if you're into design and stuff, bound by the graphics card. If on the other hand you're into Exchange / SQL Server then you'd know the answer anyway :)
Rik Mayell - Category Editor
So we have turned full circle (once again).
You seem to be saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Well I wouldn't quite say full circle :)
Defragmenting the hard drive(s) will have an impact on performance, especially after a hefty dose of maintenance, such as installing a Service Pack. Improving file layout can also make a big difference, this requires knowledge of the files you use most and where best to move them to. This isn't rocket science you just have to put in a bit of hard work ;)
Although not highly regarded, the Microsoft disk defragmentation tool deals with the Boot Plan generated by ReadyBoot (sic.) MyDefrag is the only freeware tool that does that. So, if you don't use MyDefrag, don't disable the Windows tool.
Rik Mayell - Category Editor
Thanx.
My personal decision is to use the MS one about once a month except in the circumstances you note.
In the article I recommend MyDefrag as top pick.
The mathematics of disk file placement are beyond the scope of this article but remember that 'big iron' systems, MVS, VMS as was, commercial Unix, don't seem to need to defragment disks. Obviously they know something that we don't.
Rik Mayell - Category Editor
That's not true! :)
If you want some precise and conprehensive info on it;
http://www.diskeeper.com/fragbook/contents.htm
Fragmentation occurs on every system which uses disc storage. Obviously the VAX and other analsysis and remedial programs will not run on Windows PC's but there are analogs to these programs. for PC's. The majority of PC defragmentation programs are sufficient for most users to maintain reasonable performance. Network and server management teams often require much more specific strategies of file placement and defragmentation techniques. For some specific PC applications more specific strategies are also required.
They are not generally of much use to an average user, but system managers need this knowledge.
Most users on "Big Iron" will never come into contact with anything like this, and don't need to know anything about it. PC users who maintain and service their own machines should learn at least a little about it, as it is one of the major causes of system performance degragadation.
On MVS, I think I'd be looking at CICS and DB2 before I started reaching for my PL80 manual :)
If trying to improve the performance of a Windows PC, disk fragmentation would be at the end of a very long list.
Rik Mayell - Category Editor
I only posted that fragbook because it explains various problems with discs and fragmentation very well in terms that more or less anybody can understand. Specific manuals tend to use too much specific terminology that hardly anybody not involved with them understands! :)
Since I started using SSD's, file and disc fragmentation on those machines have dropped off my list altogether, although they were once a fairly high priority for me at least. I just try to do the best I can with what I have, just a hobby now, I don't even need most of it anyway! :)
Thanks for the interesting input!
Also worth pointing out here that optimisation is not the same thing as defragmenting, although these are "lumped together" a lot on PC's.
This chapter explains the differences, explains much the same "Red Herrings" as are often used to refer to PC's and gives some background on the matter Although not always precisely analog it is of considerable use in explaining some things clearly;
http://www.diskeeper.com/fragbook/chapter6.htm#ch6f
Disk defragmentation and perhaps more important, optimal file placement, is a subject we could discuss for hours. I've given this some thought and I'm not entirely sure whether this could be considered an np hard / np complete problem? I doubt it matters really as long as you're happy using whatever you happen to use.
Further discussion on this matter should be carried out in the forum.
Rik Mayell - Category Editor
Hmm...I don't think the application of computational complexity theory as such is really all that relevant to actually solving the problems involved. The usual approach is strictly practical, in that one finds a bottleneck and attempts to remove it. Whatever, I agree that it probably doesn't matter a great deal as long as whatever you use works.
I haven't yet found a defrag program that didn't work, but some are very slow and cumbersome. With further regard to optimal data placement, it is well nigh impossible to even define the problem, much less find a pure mathematical solution involving polynomial time calculations, hard or otherwise, or indeed anything else either, because nobody agrees on the various theories with regard to the actual optimal placement, so most simply fly by the seat of their pants.
As you obviously don't want any further discussion on the matter here, I will refrain from any further references.
Obviously 'one size fits all' cannot be applied to PC use. To an extent this is more complex than the 'Travelling Salesmen' problem as it is intangible. NP Hard / NP Complete problems at least have boundaries that we can state. Not computable in non-polynomial time being the most obvious. As computer scientists we work to address these issues and take our thinking forward. It isn't helped by people coming into the field that don't even know the fastest way to perform a sort, sigh...
Offers on the best way...Ordinary quick sort doesn't get you any points.
Rik Mayell - Category Editor
Well, I'm not a computer scientist as such, just a fairly experienced engineer, and the last sorting algorithm I had anything much to do with was library sort ( it's an insertion sort, fairly new, and invented in 2005 I believe). New ways to sort are still being invented. I really don't know enough about the alternatives or applications thereof to make any sensible comment, I am most certainly not on the cutting edge of forward thinking here, and I don't know the fastest way to sort per se either, so it looks like I am not going to get any points this time! :)
We don't really give points here, but if we did you would get quite a few. You've been kind enough to stop by and read and further you've taken time to join in by posting. Finally what you don't say in your post says more than what you do. A rare gift in life indeed...
Thanks for your post.
Finally, if anyone does want the low down on the fastest sorting algorithm, contact me and I'll send it to you :)
Rik Mayell - Category Editor
Useful;
http://beingpc.com/2010/02/fix-all-your-important-file-association-with-...
Useful if you want to just restore the main file associations. There are other utilities that allow you to be more flexible.
Useful find. Thank you.
Rik Mayell - Category Editor
Hi Rik,
Do you or any visitors here know of a good free 64 bit CD/DVD burning package? InfraRecorder is, frankly, a bug-ridden horror story on my system. ImgBurn is rock steady and reliable, but it is 32 bit and doesn't handle music compilations.
Alternatively, does the lack of this category here indicate that everyone is happy with the built-in Windows facility? I suppose this might have moved on since XP, where I last used it.
Regards,
Alan