PerfectDisk 6.0

PerfectDisk 6.0 is the newest defragmenter that Raxco software has released. This software is simply amazing with it's performance enhancing features.

It is very different in its defragmentation methods from other programs. One of the key features of PerfectDisk 6.0 is the ability to take advantage of the Windows Prefetch files.

These Prefetch files are basically log files created by the windows operating system. They contain information on the files accessed during Windows boot-up and up to 1 minute after boot-up to account for other applications loading up in the background. These log files contain in which order the boot-up files /application files are loaded. By setting the configuration for the log files, you can have windows log the applications and files the user accesses while in windows as well. It does the logging intelligently, only adding the files only if windows believes those files will be accessed relatively frequently. Of course this will not happen, unless you set the configuration settings in the registry. The reason for this is because by default windows just monitors the start-up file accesses and 1 minute after boot-up.

In short, they serve the purpose of listing files that are accessed frequently (including boot-up files). PerfectDisk takes advantage of this information and calls the 'frequently accessed' files, Boot Files. PerfectDisk places these Boot Files before the rest of the files in the particular partition that it is working with. More details here

There are two defragmentation strategies with this program. One is 'SmartPlacement Defragmentation'. The other is the 'Defragment Only' defragmentation strategy.

Defragment Only Method

The 'Defragment Only' method does just what it says. It defragments all files possible (files that are not locked by windows), just as well as the the second method. The 'Defragment Only' method also defragments and consolidates free space by putting it after the data portion.

SmartPlacement Defragmentation

The 'SmartPlacement defragmentation' method not only defragments all files possible (files that are not locked by windows), but also places files intelligently onto the drive.
It optimizes the files by the 'Last Modification date'. Please refer to the picture on the right as you read. First, the Boot/prefetch files get placed first. Then, the rarely modified files (within 30 days) are transferred ahead of the Boot/prefetch files. Next the Occasionally modified files come next. Then, the frequently modified files come in next. Then the directory data. Finally, the free space comes in after the data.

The beauty of the SmartPlacement Defragmentation strategy is that it aims to decrease future defragmentation times. It does this by reducing fragmentation reoccurances, by putting frequently modified files and the directory data closest to the free space to account for file resizing. This makes perfect since because the directory data is modified very often (directories renamed/added/deleted).

In my opinion, PerfectDisk v6 is the best defragmenter on the market today. It is designed to take advantage of Boot/prefetch file lists, and offers the "SmartPlacement Defragmentation" strategy to reduce to the reoccurances of fragmented files. The only other defrag program that takes advantage of Boot/prefetch file lists is the built-in defragmenter, but not very well. The only other defrag program that has a strategy provent to reduce reoccurances of fragmented files is O&O Defrag.