14 DAY TRIAL // Being the only computer component with moving parts, the hard disk is also the slowest hardware piece of your PC. That is one reason why you should take better care of it in order to squeeze maximum performance. And this can be done by constantly defragmenting stored files in order to obtain faster read/write times.
Defragmentation used to be a tricky back in the days of FAT file system as if a power shortage occurred during the process you could have fried your disk. With NTFS, this theory no longer stands and defragmentation is 100% safe and recommended by many.
Fragmentation of the files occurs when deleted files leave empty spaces in between stored data on the disk. When another file needs to be written, the disk will place it in the fastest detected gap it finds. However, you should know that if the entire file does not fit the gap it'll fill that empty sector and move to the next free space it finds to place the rest of the data.
The results of this operation are nothing but harmful to the overall performance of the hard disk and at the same time the computer as the system will need more time to find the required files on the disk. In short, your disk will be populated with bits of files scattered all over the platter in a non-contiguous manner.
Defragmentation tools are all over the place and most of them are a dime a dozen. Of course that the quality of their job is precarious and not much good will come out of it. That is why your choice should not be price oriented, but performance and quality driven.
UltimateDefrag has already been reviewed by Softpedia and came out with an excellent award, and for a good reason. It has reached version 1.64 and it was time for a new peek at the latest release. Option-wise, there isn't much changed, but there are some modifications. Among the first noticed is the interface and icon which have been brought somehow to a standard. All the blue hindering the view of the options in the previously analyzed version is no longer present, but the same pie showing all the sectors on the selected partition is available.
The side panel contains the defrag options which have multiplied reaching a total of six compared to only four in the last reviewed release. The new additions are Volatility and Automatic defragmentation. The options for Volatility defrag choice are exactly the same as in Consolidate and Folder/File name alternatives. However, this method will cut up folders and files based on the frequency of their change. The result will consist in faster future defragmentation as infrequently changed files and folders will not be moved on the disk.
Auto Defrag option is designed for the average user that does not want to deal with complicated settings. It is an intelligent defragmentation method as it uses DiskTrix proprietary optiSeek technology which automatically tunes the performance of your hard drive. The options available for this method allow you to place directories close to MFT, respect "Layout.ini" Windows file (located in Prefetch folder, this file contains an optimal file layout for your drive) and set the percentage of most frequently and less frequently used data to inner or outer tracks of the disk.
UltimateDefrag will automatically detect all the drives available on your computer and display them in the upper part of the left hand side panel. Right clicking on one of them lets you view Volume Information details which comprise data on file system of the volume, number of clusters, fragmented files and their location, locked files and location. Statistics tab provides a general overview of the partition supplying information such as total number of files available, fragmented files and number of fragments.
The pie representing the files on the disc is not just a simple visual representation and it can be used to defragment individual files and folders. After analyzing the drive, it is enough to locate the file in the pie and click on it. The next instance all the files located on that particular block will be displayed in the lower left side of the application window. Left clicking on the desired file unlocks options for defragmenting the file or the entire folder.
In order to find the files faster and not beat the entire file pie in the interface looking for a deeply buried file or folder, UltimateDefrag makes available file highlighting option under Tools menu. According to the selected drive Highlight File window will open all the contents of the partition. From here on all you need to do is browse to the desired location, select the file/folder and click Highlight button. The file will blink on the visual representation signaling its position.
Options menu under Tools lets the user customize the defragmentation for each of the available drives. Thus you can set an elevated level of high performance for one drive, include a number of extensions (the list is customizable), define the way archives should be treated and include the compression extensions you want to be taken into consideration during the process as well as the excluded files.
As UltimateDefrag can also defragment files offline in the lower part of the screen there is an option that enables boot time defragmentation. This way, the data that could not be properly dealt with during the process will be handled during boot.
UltimateDefrag can deal with drives with only 1 to 3% free space. However, there is one little detail: it'll not do a great job. Yes, it will defragment the files, but only a modest amount. Giving it more space will definitely provide a better optimization of the drive.
The Good
The application preserved its quality defragmentation and added more functional defrag methods. It can deal with entire drives as well as with individual files with the same rate of success.
Scheduling options offer great variety and cover every option a user could possibly need. Plus each drive can be scheduled to be defragmented at different times and using different methods and settings.
UltimateDefrag can defragment more than one drive at a time with no problem (RAM usage will increase).
The Bad
For drives with little free space, the defragmentation process is extremely crippled and the results will not be extraordinary and will take quite some time.
The Truth
Although past reviewed versions looked better, now the interface is much more functional. It is extremely easy to use and it can greatly improve the performance of the disk by placing more frequently used files to the outer tracks, thus providing reduced access times.
The $39.95 price may seem a bit too steep but you can try it for seven days, witness the improvement and only then decide upon buying it. Trial version comes with absolutely no other restriction but limited time use.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
