Today, with the advent of gigahertz processors, disk access speeds, which are still measured in milliseconds, are now hundreds of thousands of times slower. With ever-faster CPUs and memory, disk storage has become a major systems bottleneck. If you do any Video Editing or image editing on large images, most of the perceived wait time is due to disk access delays. While those delays cannot be eliminated, they can be minimized. And file fragmentation is the largest single cause of these access slow downs. In other words, to eliminate the most basic performance bottleneck on a system — your hard disk—eliminate the file fragmentation. That’s what DisKeeper does — it eliminates disk file fragmentation. DisKeeper comes in three versions: the Server version, the Workstation version, and the Home Edition version.

The Server version allows a system administrator to control the defragmentation of the disk volumes of all of the computers in the network from his desk. (Note: a Workstation license is needed for each additional machine in the network). The Workstation version allows the automatic disk file defragmentation of the workstation and can be controlled remotely by the network system administrator. The Home Edition version cannot be controlled across a network, but provides the same disk-defragging capabilities to a single computer.

Why would I want my disk defragmented?
The short version is to make the system run faster. The long version requires you to understand file fragmentation. For that, you need to understand a little bit about how files are stored on your disk. When your operating system (Windows) was installed, your hard disk drive was partitioned into tracks and sectors and then a group of contiguous sectors were collected into something called a cluster. The cluster is the smallest physical part of your disk drive that your operating system can access. To access a cluster it must position the disk read/write head over cluster (called seek time) and wait for it to spin under the head (called latency). The operating system maintains a table of these clusters and how to access them.

When files are first written to a disk drive, they are laid down one right after the other. But later when a file is deleted or modified, a hole is left. Then, when a new file needs to be stored, that hole is filled first. If the new file is larger than the "hole," the file is split into multiple pieces (or fragments), with the remaining fragment(s) saved into the next available free space(s).

This method of storage is required to be able to re-use the space on your disk drive. It is a task deliberately performed by the operating system whenever you “save” a file. First, the operating system (Windows) looks in the table (usually called a File Allocation Table (FAT) or Master File Table (MFT)) for the next unused disk cluster. It then positions the disk head, waits for the cluster to rotate under it and writes your file into the cluster. If the file is bigger than one cluster, the OS must “break” your file into pieces (fragments) small enough to fit into separate clusters and then link all the clusters. An application (such as a wordprocesser or spreadsheet) may open, save and later delete hundreds of work files while you are using it. You can see from this long, but still overly simplified explanation, that related file fragments will become scattered.

The more file scattering (often called “checker boarding”) that occurs, the more physical writes (and later physical reads) it takes to create/save a file. If the required fragments are located in different clusters, then additional time (seek time) may be required to re-position the read/write head before the next fragment can be accessed. Note: Adjacent file fragments in the same cluster (or consecutive clusters) can be read with no additional seek time and very little latency time. Studies often show reductions in apparent disk wait time of 70 to 80% when file fragmentation is eliminated.

How well did DisKeeper work?
If you have read any of my other articles, you know that I use Windows XP (an NT based operating system). Conventional wisdom from my time with the Air Force had indicated that NT systems didn’t suffer much from file fragmentation. However, soon after installing Windows XP, I discovered differently. The built-in defragmenter supplied by Microsoft is free, but slow and labor intensive, so I had purchased Norton’s Systems Works. I use my machines a lot, so I typically run Norton’s Speed Disk every couple of weeks on each my systems. I had just run it last weekend (it takes about 2 hours to “defrag” my boot drive), so I did not expect much improvement from applying DisKeeper. I started with my K drive (my boot drive) and first ran the analysis function. The K drive is a NTFS drive partitioned at 6 GB and about 60% full.

The first DisKeeper operation on my main machine completed much faster than Speed Disk. It took only 16 minutes, and there was some visible improvement in how my system performed. But I still wasn’t satisfied. I then tried the disk directory consolidation option against my K drive. This time it took about 20 minutes and a re-boot to correct my directory fragmentation. The improvements were immediately obvious. The system boot time was cut nearly in half. Load time for IE and Outlook were also noticeably improved (see Findings on K: at end of review).

I was so impressed that I immediately loaded up the evaluation copy on my laptop and ran the same directory defragmentation process on its boot drive. My laptop's C drive is a FAT 32 partition, also about 6GB. It’s about 80% full and it has a much slower processor. Since Norton doesn’t move FAT 32 directories, they were scattered everywhere and the system was extremely slow, in spite of regular defragging with Speed Disk. It took about an hour and 10 minutes for it to complete rearranging my drive, the first time. After completing the operation on the laptop, I ran an analysis of my C drive (see findings on C at end of article).

Based on the analysis, it appears, my next step should be to use a package like Partition Magic to re-allocate some space from the other laptop partition. In any case, the laptop now loads programs visibly faster. After 6 months of use, it continues to feel like I have doubled my CPU speed. For me it’s the next best thing to having a new machine!

The Second Edition of DisKeeper
The new Second Edition of Diskeeper that just arrived is even better. It has a faster defragmentation engine, and an expanded Boot-time defragmention capability, which makes it even easier to consolidate disk directories. There is a new, improved “Free Space” option that consolidates the free space available and further eliminates the “checker boarding” problem described above. In Addition, it now has three different defragmentation modes and a Screen Saver mode.

Tech Support, manual, etc.
I didn’t get a printed manual, but the help file proved excellent. When I was wondering about how to correct my disk directory fragmentation problem, I looked in the help file and immediately found the following: 

Recommendation
If you’re running a Microsoft Windows based system (98SE or later), check out the Executive Software Web site and give the free trial software a try. I have touched on only a few of the capabilities of this software. I think you will find it well worth your time; you will very likely want to purchase your own copy of DisKeeper. They used to provide a free Windows version on their Web site, but it won’t perform the boot-time functions. However, that appears to have been replaced with a 15-day trial download that is fully functional.

Deleted File Analysis Utility Freeware
Executive Software still has a free deleted file utility available for download. Deleted an important file? Find out what accidentally deleted files you can get back. This freeware can directly view your hard drive partition and list all deleted files that have not yet been completely overwritten. Runs on Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Availability
I found DisKeeper Workstation on CD at Tech Depot for $47.95 and the Home Edition on CD for $23.95, plus S&H. If you own an earlier version, the Workstation upgrade is $29.95. I have also seen it in Office Depot, but could not find it this time.

You can get the Home Edition direct from Executive Software for 29.95 (about 13MB download) or on CD-ROM for $ 34.95 (for use on home desktops — no network defragmentation available on this version). If you want the Professional (Workstation) version — ESD for $ 44.95. ESD (Electronic Software Distribution) file size is 12.8 MB (no CD) or on CD-ROM for $ 49.95. The ESD Upgrade from version 6 is $24.95.

DisKeeper Second Edition Update (EDS) is free to owners of DisKeeper 7.0 (Server, Workstation or Home Edition). It includes improvements to boot-time defragmentation operations and adds support for Windows Server 2003. NOTE: A Diskeeper license is required for each computer to be defragmented.

Minimum Requirements
System requirements for Diskeeper 7.0 Home Edition: Any single computer running Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, or Windows Me, Windows 98, Windows 95.

System requirements for Diskeeper 7.0 Server/Workstation Edition: Any single computer running Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, or Windows Me, Windows 98, Windows 95.

Vendor information
Executive Software International, Inc., 7590 N. Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, California 91504. Phone: (800) 829-6468, (800) 829-4357.

Analysis results:

Findings on laptop C:

As the say in their advertisement, it’s like hiring an expert to constantly monitor and maintain your system's maximum performance.

Before defragging:

Findings on Desktop K:

After defragging:

Findings on Desktop K:

Reviewer System Specifications
Desktop: AMD Athlon 1.6 GHz, 1.25 GB Ram, 6 GB HD with Windows XP Pro, 80GB Raid Drive, 64 MB ATI Radeon 7000, DirectX 9.0b, Firewire (IEEE 1394), USB 2.0, On-Lite DVD, Magic 48x16x48 CD-burner, DirectX-compatible Sound Blaster Live card, Logitech Trackball, keyboard.

Laptop: Intel 800 MHz Pentium III, 512 MB Ram, 30GB HD (2 partitions), internal video, Windows XP Home, DirectX 9.0b, Firewire (IEEE 1394), USB 1.1, DVD and CD-Burner combo, etc.