PerfectDisk

PerfectDisk
Developer(s) Raxco Software
Stable release 14 (July 22, 2015 (2015-07-22)) [±]
Operating system Microsoft Windows
Type Defragmentation utilities
License Proprietary
Website Raxco Official Website

PerfectDisk is the name of separate but related defragmentation utilities for Windows and HP OpenVMS published by Raxco Software. It has won several awards from computer magazines,[1] and is certified by Microsoft for all its current NTFS-based operating systems.[2] The current version is PerfectDisk 14.0.

PerfectDisk has editions designed for most user categories, from home PCs to large servers and virtualization-aware editions for virtual environments. In addition to defragmenting files, it also optimizes disk drives with an optimization strategy called SMARTPlacement[3] and it prevents fragmentation with the OptiWrite feature. PerfectDisk defragments data and system files and places a high priority on free space consolidation. SSD Optimize is an optimization method for solid state drives that focuses on free space consolidation without defragmentation of files.

The OpenVMS version of PerfectDisk, still in production, predated the Windows version by several years and contributed much of the approach adopted by the Windows versions. It was developed by William Davy and operates on the Files-11 file system used by OpenVMS. It features a single-pass, four-phase algorithm, intelligent placement (moving infrequently-accessed data to the periphery of the disk to reduce average seek distance,) locating directory files near indexf.sys (the Files-11 counterpart to the FAT or MFT) and clustering of "volatile" files, which attempts to make a file deletion more likely to occur adjacent to existing free space. It was the first defragmenter capable of defragmenting an open file that was actively being written, by combining the defragmenter with specialized functionality of Raxco's Data Caching product, PerfectCache, forming a product called UltraDisk.

In the mid-1990s, Raxco assigned several developers to create a Windows version of the defragmenter. Since the original product was written in VAX Macro (assembly language), starting from the existing source code was not a viable solution. Instead, the defragmentation strategy, which was largely applicable to Windows file systems despite coming from a different operating system, was refined and applied to a new code base.

Raxco released PD Free, PerfectDisk Free Defrag, in late March 2012 as an exclusive download at CNET Download.com. PD Free is a fully functional free defrag utility using PerfectDisk's patented features including SMARTPlacement, SSD Optimize, Boot Time Defrag and Quick Defrag as well as scheduling options. As of April 2, 2012, PD Free is available as a free software download on most major download websites.

Features

The OptiWrite fragmentation prevention feature detects when Windows is going to fragment files and intelligently redirects I/O to stop the fragmentation from occurring.

PerfectDisk defragmentation/optimization methods:

PerfectDisk attempts to defragment drives in a single pass of a drive, as opposed to a common approach of running continuously and gradually defragmenting the file system.[4]

PerfectDisk has the capability of a scheduled defrag managed by an internal task scheduler.[5] It also offers the option to defrag during screen saver activity, or when the PC is idle.

In 2007 it was the first utility to support defragmentation of terabyte-sized drives. Enterprise features include integration with Active Directory, enterprise-wide defrag management and reporting. More recently the product has added support for defragmentation of virtual environment files and images.[6]

The Boot-time defrag facility is capable of defragmenting Windows meta data,[7] Master File Table, hibernation file and page file. It was the first utility to offer Free Space defragmentation, and the SMARTPlacement algorithm places older (program) files near start of the drive, and newer (data) files near the end of the drive, closer to free space in order to minimize refragmentation.[8] This optimization strategy aims to organize files by usage, resulting in a slower rate of refragmentation and also fewer resources being consumed.

Editions

The PerfectDisk product range is segmented into the following editions:

For Home

For Business

See also

References

  1. ↑ PerfectDisk wins PC Magazine Editors' Choice, Windows IT Pro Readers' Choice, Redmond Magazine Readers' Choice, Download.com's, About.com's and CHIPS Magazine's (Germany) 5-star awards, and Vector Users' Choice (Japan's largest download site) Award; see also Editor's Choice, PC Magazine May 24, 2005, 2004 and 2002; and Windows IT Pro Magazine, Cover Story: Readers' Choice Awards, Sept 2006
  2. ↑ "Where Is All The Vista Software?" PC Magazine Feb 2007
  3. ↑ US Patent number 5,398,142. Filing date: May 31, 1989. Issue date: Mar 14, 1995
  4. ↑ Microsoft Windows Defrag and Diskeeper use several disk passes
  5. ↑ The Backup Book: Disaster Recovery from Desktop to Data Center by Dorian J. Cougias, E. L. Heiberger, Karsten Koop - Schaser-Vartan Books 2003 (ISBN 0-972903-909)
  6. ↑ "Whats-new-PD11-defrag". Perfectdisk.com. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  7. ↑ Metadata defrag introduced in 1999
  8. ↑ "SMARTPlacement" Patent number 5,398,142
  9. ↑ "Storage". Windowsitpro.com. August 29, 2006. Retrieved November 9, 2010.

External links

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