auslogics ®

DISK DEFRAG
Ultimate

Help Manual

www.auslogics.com/

Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 5
Installing the Program..................................................................................................................... 7
System Requirements ....................................................................................................................... 7
Installation ......................................................................................................................................... 7

Registering the Program ................................................................................................................ 9
Uninstalling the Program ............................................................................................................. 10
Defrag Wizard................................................................................................................................... 11Interface ............................................................................................................................................. 13
Main Menu ...................................................................................................................................... 14
Action Tab ..................................................................................................................................... 14
View Tab ....................................................................................................................................... 15
Settings Tab................................................................................................................................... 16
Help Tab ........................................................................................................................................ 16

Main Pane ........................................................................................................................................ 17
Disks Tab ....................................................................................................................................... 18
Reports Tab ................................................................................................................................... 27
Scheduler Tab ............................................................................................................................... 29
Resource Tab ................................................................................................................................ 31

Status Bar ......................................................................................................................................... 32

Basic Usage ........................................................................................................................................ 33
Analyzing Disks ................................................................................................................................ 34
Checking Disks for Errors ............................................................................................................... 35
Fixing Errors ..................................................................................................................................... 36
Defragmenting ................................................................................................................................ 37
Consolidating Free Space .............................................................................................................. 37
Optimizing........................................................................................................................................ 38

CONTENTS 2

Configuring Defrag Profiles ......................................................................................................... 40
Configuring a Simple Defrag Profile ............................................................................................. 43
Prevent Fragmentation ................................................................................................................. 43
Compatible Mode ......................................................................................................................... 44
Advanced Actions ......................................................................................................................... 44

Configuring a Consolidate Free Space Profile ............................................................................. 45
Consolidation ................................................................................................................................ 45
Compatible Mode ......................................................................................................................... 45
Advanced Actions ......................................................................................................................... 46

Configuring an Optimize by Access Time/Change Time Profile ................................................ 47
Disk Zones ..................................................................................................................................... 48
Disk Zone Parameters ................................................................................................................... 48
Prevent Fragmentation ................................................................................................................. 49
Compatible Mode ......................................................................................................................... 49
Advanced Actions ......................................................................................................................... 50

Configuring Optimize by Disk Zone Profile .................................................................................. 51
Fast Zone / Slow Zone ................................................................................................................... 52
Disk Zone Parameters ................................................................................................................... 52
Prevent Fragmentation ................................................................................................................. 52
Compatible Mode ......................................................................................................................... 53
Advanced Actions ......................................................................................................................... 53

Configuring an Optimize by Prefetch Layout Profile .................................................................. 54
Prevent Fragmentation ................................................................................................................. 54
Compatible Mode ......................................................................................................................... 55
Advanced Actions ......................................................................................................................... 55

Configuring Resource Profiles........................................................................................................ 57
Configuring Processor Load .......................................................................................................... 59
Configuring Drive Load.................................................................................................................. 59
Adjusting to Battery Levels ........................................................................................................... 59
Preventing Application Conflicts ................................................................................................... 60

CONTENTS 3

Scheduling Tasks ............................................................................................................................. 61
Scheduling Defragmentation by Time ......................................................................................... 62
Scheduling Auto Defragmentation ............................................................................................... 64
Scheduling Offline Defragmentation ........................................................................................... 65
Working with the Scheduled Tasks List ....................................................................................... 66

Program Reports ............................................................................................................................. 68
Viewing Reports .............................................................................................................................. 68
Printing Reports .............................................................................................................................. 69
Saving and Storing Reports ........................................................................................................... 69

Configuring Program Settings .................................................................................................... 71
Changing Language ........................................................................................................................ 71
General Settings.............................................................................................................................. 72
Integration ....................................................................................................................................... 72
Cluster Map Appearance ............................................................................................................... 73
Tweaking Algorithms...................................................................................................................... 73
Specifying Exclusions ...................................................................................................................... 74

Troubleshooting .............................................................................................................................. 75
Glossary .............................................................................................................................................. 76

CONTENTS 4

Introduction
Auslogics Disk Defrag Ultimate is an essential tool for optimizing
and maintaining your hard disks. The program will defragment
files, consolidate free space and optimize file placement to makeyour hard disks run at peak performance.
This professional version of the program is equipped with moreadvanced features, such as extensive customization options fordefragmenting, optimizing and scheduling tasks; informative
reports and descriptions - every single feature or action is
described in detail, interactive cluster maps allow you to click on
individual blocks to view files located in them along with theirstatus and an option to defragment individually.
Disk Defrag Ultimate comes with four different types of optimization techniques (by Prefetch layout, by last fileaccess or change time, and by disk zone), as well as a capability to defragment locked system files (such as
Windows Paging, Hibernation, MFT and Registry files).

While default options allow you to perform operations with a click of
a button, you can be in control of the program’s every action through settings that can be easilyadjusted.
Here is a brief overview of the features that allow the program to optimize and improve yoursystem performance:
FeatureFile defragmentation
Free space consolidation
Smart file placement
Offline defragmentation
Fragmentation prevention

Description
Defragments files and folders by merging their pieces together
Merges scattered pieces of free space into a contiguous block, preventing
fragmentation of newly created files
Optimizes file placement on disks based on custom-defined criteria
Runs at boot time to defragment system and other files that are locked
during normal system operation
Can leave small sections of free space next to user-defined
frequently modified files to prevent their fragmentation

INTRODUCTION 5

FeatureSingle file defragmentation
Simultaneous
defragmentation

Description
Can save you time by defragmenting only files that you want to, insteadof defragmenting an entire hard drive.
Can defragment several drives at once, greatly reducing the timeneeded for defragmentation

SSD-optimized algorithm

Reduces the number of write operations during defragmentation tominimize wear of SSD drives

VSS-optimized algorithm

Minimizes growth of the VSS storage area and reduces the chance ofoverwriting previous VSS snapshots

Auto-Defragmentation

Can defragment disks automatically in the background when yoursystem goes idle

Scheduled defragmentation
Defragmentation wizard
Resource usage management
Clearing temporary files
Disk error repair

Has a flexible scheduler that allows you to set the most suitable timespan for defragmenting disks
The Wizard will recommend the best defrag options based on the way you
use your computer
You can restrict the use of system resources by the defrag process
to minimize interference with your other activities
Can clear current user and Windows temporary folders to reduce thetime needed for defragmentation
Can check disks for errors, give detailed report on errors found andfix user-selected or all errors to prevent data loss or corruption

File fragments viewer

Shows you the list of all fragmented files and their fragments locationon the disk

File/Folder exclusion

If there is encrypted data or other files that should not be moved, they
can be excluded from defragmentation

Handling large fragments

Can be configured to ignore large file fragments as theirdefragmentation doesn't increase file read speed much

Multi-terabyte
volumes support

Has a powerful engine that allows the program to defragment large disksof several terabytes

Power saving for laptops

Can be configured to limit use of system resources when laptop runs on
battery power

Comprehensive reports and disk
performance charts

Will provide detailed reports of all operations performed, clear chartsthat allow to track performance and fragmentation improvements

INTRODUCTION 6

Installing the Program
System Requirements
Before installing the program, check that your computer meets the following hardware and software
requirements:
Operating System

Minimal Hardware Configuration

Windows 10 (32-bit and 64-bit supported)

25 MB of available hard-disk space

Windows 8, 8.1 (32-bit and 64-bit supported)

256 MB RAM or more for Windows XP

Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit supported)

512 MB RAM or more for other Windows versions

Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit supported)
Windows 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit supported)
Windows XP (32-bit and 64-bit supported)

Installation
It is recommended that you close all other applications when running the Setup so that they do notinterfere with the installation.
1.

Start the Setup Wizard by
double-clicking on thedownloaded file.

2.

On the Welcome screen, click
the links to review the License
Agreement and Privacy Policy,
select the interface language
and choose whether you wantto run an Express install or
Custom install. Custom installlets you specify the destination
folder and whether a desktop
icon should be created. Hit the
Click to Install button when
done.

INSTALLING THE PROGRAM 7

3.

If your PC system has an SSD drive, on the next screen you will be able to select options forworking with SSD drives. Check the appropriate boxes and hit the Click to Install button tocontinue installation.

4.

If you have an older version of Auslogics Disk Defrag Ultimate, the installer will uninstall it
automatically.

5.

Once installation completes,
a screen will be displayed toconfirm that Auslogics Disk
Defrag Ultimate was
successfully installed. You
can check a box toautomatically launch theprogram after closing the
Setup Wizard (it is checkedby default) or uncheck it tolater launch the program
manually.

6.

To launch the program later,
click on the program icon on
your Desktop, if an icon was
installed. Alternatively, you
can go to the Start menu,
select Auslogics > Auslogics
Disk Defrag Ultimate tolaunch the program.

INSTALLING THE PROGRAM 8

Registering the Program
1. If you installed a trial version of the software, you
can use some of the features for free for as longas you want. All advanced features that are
unavailable in the free version are marked withthe red lock sign.
2. To unlock full functionality, you will need topurchase a license key and register the program.
This is very easy to do from the program interface
by clicking on the Get the most performance
effect link in the status bar at the bottom of the
program window
3. In the window that pops up, click the Register button. This will take you to a secure website
where you can complete your purchase, and also open a registration window with a blank field toenter your license key in. The license key is delivered electronically and should arrive in your email
box within a few minutes after your payment is received.
4. Once you have a license key, you will need to activate it. If you’ve closed the registration window,
you can open it again by clicking on the Get the most performance effect line in the status bar at
the bottom of the screen. Click on Register in the window that appears and enter your license key
in the registration popup. Note that a purchase page will open again, but you may simply ignore it
this time.

Note.

When a license key is received via Email, it is best to copy it from there and paste it on theregistration screen, rather than try entering it manually character by character. This will
prevent any errors and make the registration a little easier.

REGISTERING THE PROGRAM 9

Uninstalling the Program
1. To uninstall the program, open the Control Panel or the Settings app from the Windows Start
Menu.
2. In Windows 8 or 10, click on the Start button, then select Settings (the gear icon) > Apps > Apps
& features. In Windows 7 or Vista, click on the Start button > Control Panel, double-click
Programs and Features, or, if in category view, select Programs > Uninstall a Program. From thelist of installed software, select Auslogics Disk Defrag Ultimate and click Uninstall.
3. In Windows XP you will see Add/Remove Programs category instead of Programs and Features in
the Control Panel - double-click on this category, select Auslogics Disk Defrag Ultimate from thelist and click Remove or Add/Remove, depending on what view you are using.
4. This will completely remove the program from your computer, including all associated files andfolders.

UNINSTALLING THE PROGRAM 10

Defrag Wizard
When you launch the program for the first time, Defrag Wizard is the tool you will first see. It is
intended to help you start using the program right away by creating simple defragmentation andoptimization tasks that fit your computer usage style and schedule. The Defrag Wizard window has
several tabs:

11Computer Type

2

3

4

Under the Computer Type tab, you will need to specify what purpose you mostly
use your computer for - home, office, gaming or as a server. Select theappropriate option and click Next.
This information will help the program tailor recommendations to your specificneeds. If you select one of the first three options, you will then proceed to theComputer Usage tab. Choosing the last option will replace the next two tabs with
the Server Type tab, to which you will continue once you click Next.

2

Computer Usage

Under this tab, specify how often you work with various types of documents or use
the Internet. Again, this is needed for tailoring recommendations to your specificsituation. Select the appropriate options and click Next.

3

Idle Time

Under this tab, you will need to select the days of the week and time of day whenyour computer is on, but is not used. This will allow the program to scheduledefragmentation and optimization of your drives for the times with the minimum
risk of conflicts with other applications and activity. Select the appropriate options
and click Next.

Server TypeIf you selected Server as the type of computer you have, this is the tab that you
will see instead of the two previously described tabs. You will need to specify
whether yours is a file, web, mail or database server. You can also check Other orMixed, if your server performs more than one of these functions. Once you choose
the appropriate option, click Next.

DEFRAG WIZARD 11

4

SchedulingThis tab will provide a list of recommended tasks with scheduled times that the
Wizard puts together for you based on your answers to previous questions. Hold
your mouse pointer over a recommended task to see its detailed description.
You can uncheck the tasks that you do not wish to schedule, and keep only thetasks that you would like to be performed.
Once you are done, click Schedule. This will close the Wizard, and the scheduled
tasks will run at the specified times. A list of these tasks will be available for viewing
and/or editing in the Scheduler tool described further in this document.

DEFRAG WIZARD 12

Interface
The following picture shows the main program window and its components. Clicking on the links
below the picture will take you to the section of this document where the component is describedin more detail.

1

2

3

1

Main Menu

2

Main Pane2

Status Bar

INTERFACE 13

Main Menu
There is a menu bar at the top of the program window. It consists of 4 tabs that contain several
subcategories each. Some of these subcategories change dynamically in the first two menutabs, depending on which main pane tab is activated.

Action Tab
The Action tab allows you to quickly select an action to be performed. The one constant option under
this tab is Exit, which allows you to exit the program. The remaining categories are dynamic.
When the Disks tab is activated in the main pane, theoptions under the Action tab are:






Analyze
Launch defragmentation or optimization by selecting
a desired profile (all profiles marked as active will belisted here)
Launch Defrag Wizard
Advanced options where you can select to defrag
local drives, defrag a file or folder, check for errors
with or without fixing them.

When the Reports tab is activated in the main pane,
the Action tab will provide an option to generate
System Report.

When the Scheduler tab is activated in the main
pane, the Action tab shows options to scheduleDefragmentation by Time, Auto Defragmentation, orOffline Defragmentation

INTERFACE 14

When the Resource tab is activated in the main pane, theAction tab allows you to easily access two built-in
Windows tools – Windows Reliability and Performance
Monitor and Power Option Manager in the Windows
Control Panel.

View Tab
The View tab allows you to select what is viewed in the main window. In the constant section of thistab, you can choose between Disks, Reports, Scheduler or Resource usage maps, which activate therespective tabs in the main pane. Then, depending on which of these options is activated, somedynamic selections become available.

When the Disks tab is activated, the View menu
additionally allows you to check and uncheck disks in thelist, invert checkboxes, check all local drives, and showor hide speed zones on the cluster map.

When the Reports tab is activated in the main pane, theView menu tab lets you specify which columns you want
to see in the report, to set the sort order, and to size allcolumns to fit the text, if needed.

When the Scheduler tab is activated, the View menu has the same options as above (select columns
to view, sort order and fit to size), but with different subcategories that are now related to scheduled
tasks.
When the Resource tab is activated in the main pane, there are no additional options under the
View tab besides the constant ones specified earlier.

INTERFACE 15

Settings Tab
The Settings tab allows quick access to program
settings, cluster maps, defragmentation profiles,
resource usage profiles and priority settings. The
options here are constant and do not depend on whichmain pane tab is activated.

Help Tab
The Help tab is where you can access the standard help
materials, company website, technical support, as well asview details about the program version. These options areconstant for all main pane views.

INTERFACE 16

Main Pane
The main pane has its own menu that makes the program’s main functions visible at all times andlets you quickly switch between them. It contains tabs for Disks, Reports, Scheduler and Resource
usage.

1

1

Disks Tab

2

Reports Tab

3

Scheduler Tab

4

Resource Tab

2

3

4

INTERFACE 17

Disks Tab
When the Disks tab is activated, following is what the program window looks like. Clicking on thelinks below the picture will take you to the section that describes the corresponding window
component in more detail.

4

1

2

3

1

Disks List

2

Cluster Map

3

Operation Results Summary Section

4

Defrag Controls

INTERFACE 18

Disks List
In the list of disks you can see the current status of all disks installed on your PC. You can checkone or more disks to analyze, defragment or optimize:

The icons in the list give information about your disks:
Item
VSS*

Icon

What it means
Volume Shadow Copy Service is enabled for the disk.
Volume Shadow Copy Service is not enabled for the disk.

SSD**

The disk is a Solid State Drive.
The disk is not a Solid State Drive.
One or several defragmentation tasks are scheduled for the disk.

Scheduled
There are no scheduled tasks for the disk.
Offline defragmentation is scheduled for the disk.
OfflineOffline defragmentation is not scheduled for the disk.
The disk is ready for any operation (analysis, defragmentation, etc.).
An operation (analysis, defragmentation, etc.) is underway.
An operation (analysis, defragmentation, etc.) is paused.
StatusFile fragmentation level is low or there is no fragmentation at all.
File fragmentation level is high and the disk needs to be defragmented.
Signifies serious problems or errors that require user’s immediate attention.
It is also used to warn that an operation was interrupted.

*

VSS, or Volume Shadow Copy Service, is a backup & restore function in Windows that makes copies of volumes (harddisks, etc.)**
SSD, or Solid State Drive, is a data storage device that contains no moving parts and uses solid state memory fordata storage.

INTERFACE 19

Cluster Map
The Disks tab is also where you can see a cluster map that allows you to view brief information oneach cluster block when you hold your mouse pointer over it.

You can select individual blocks and view a list of files in the block along with their status (whether
they are fragmented or not, unmovable, their level of fragmentation, etc.).When an operation isunderway, the map will show its progress.
Colors of blocks in the cluster map indicate the following:
Color

What it means
There are no files in the block (free space)
The block is occupied with files (fragmentation is not defined - disk analysis is required)
The block contains non-fragmented files
The block is occupied with MFT* files
The block contains fragmented files
The block is occupied with unmovable (locked) files
The block contains files that were added to the exclusion list
The block contains files that are currently being processed by the program*

MFT, or Master File Table, is a unique system file that essentially acts as a database containing metadata about every file,
directory or metafile on an NTFS volume. It includes filenames, locations, size, and permissions.

You can customize the look of your cluster map by applying different color themes. For doing this,please see the Cluster Map Appearance chapter.

INTERFACE 20

Operation Results Summary Section
In the bottom part of the window there is the Operation Results Summary section - a dynamic panewhere you can view detailed information about the disk condition, operations that have been
performed on it, system health and statistics, along with helpful hints. This pane has its own menu at
the top, which lets you switch between different views.
General Tab

The General tab shows a brief overview of the disk’s state and last operation results, along withsystem health and system statistics. Quick links above the text allow you to skip to the part of thepage you want to review.
Here you will see the type of last operation performed, its start time and whether it was completed
successfully. This information is followed by brief advice on what type of operation is recommended
to perform on this disk, if any.
Further down, you will see detailed performance charts that visually demonstrate any improvements
achieved during the last operation. You see the before and after numbers for performance,fragmentation, free space fragmentation, the size of the largest free space block, as well as numberof files analyzed and number of fragmented files before and after the operation.

Note.

These details are only available after operations that gather such information and performthe actions needed to get these results.

INTERFACE 21

To the right, you see graphic charts for performance and fragmentation that display the status ofthese two parameters over time.
Each date is marked with a colored dot on thechart to show whether there were operations
performed on that date. Red stands for nooperations performed, blue - only analysis was
performed, green - defragmentation or
optimization tasks were performed on the date.
Holding your mouse pointer over a dot will bring up a note that will show the number of reports
available for the date, as well as minimum, maximum and average performance or fragmentation forthe date.
If there are reports available for a date, clicking on the dot will take you to the Reports tab where
you can view those reports.
The System Health section has graphs that provide info on the overall performance of all drives inthe system, as well as total fragmentation for all drives. The graphs are similar to what you see in theprevious section - with colored dots that you can click on to view available reports.
The System Statistics section provides a table of statistical data for all operations performed sinceprogram installation, which includes total numbers of defragmented and optimized files and folders,
as well as numbers broken up by different operation types. Clicking the View detailed statistics linknext to the section header (or further up in the operation results summary) will take you to theStatistics tab, where you will find more detailed information.

The last section under the General tab is Hints, which provides general tips and advice on getting
the best results from using the program.

INTERFACE 22

Files Tab

The Files tab shows a list of fragmented files on the selected disk. This is where you can select files
that you want to defragment individually. There are quick links above the files list that let you accessthe list of exclusions (in case you want to add any files to that list), as well as switch to Selected Filesand Selected Clusters views.
The file list itself has the following columns:


The Path column, which includes checkboxes that allow you to check individual files to be
defragmented; file type icons that mark fragmented, unmovable, MFT or excluded files; and thepath to the file’s location on the disk.

The File Name column lists the file name along with a descriptive icon that shows file format ormarks folders.



The Status column describes whether an item is a directory or a file, and marks unmovable andexcluded files.



The remaining columns - Size, Fragments and Relative Fragmentation - specify the item’s size,
number of fragments into which it is broken up, and the item’s relative fragmentation.

When lists are long, you can filter them to show only files with specified parameters. To do that,specify file name, size, and/or number of fragments in the search boxes below the list (or specify
block size under the Selected Clusters list view), and the program will automatically filter the lists as
you enter the search criteria. To clear the search criteria, click on the icon located to the left of thesearch boxes.

INTERFACE 23

If you click on a block in the cluster map, two additional tabs will appear - Selected Files andSelected Clusters, allowing you to view a list of files and clusters contained in the selected block.
The Selected Files list has the same columns as the files list described earlier. Right above the list you
will see a note telling you which clusters are located in the selected block (cluster numbers). You cansort the list the same way as under the Files tab.

The Selected Clusters tab lets you explore the specified block from a different perspective - thetable lists fragmented files in the order of clusters they occupy. The file list itself has the following
columns:The Status column shows whether an item is a file or a folder and marks unmovable files.



The Start column specifies the number of the first cluster in the space occupied by the item.



The Count column shows the number of clusters occupied by the itemThe Size column shows the size of the selected block.



The Path and File Name columns list the file path and name respectively.

You can filter the clusters list by the file name or block size using the tools below the list.

INTERFACE 24

Statistics Tab

The Statistics tab lets you view detailed statistics on the selected disk. To simplify access to thedesired section of disk statistics, there are quick links at the top for Disk Information, Performance,
Fragmentation, Free Space Fragmentation and Fragmented Files.
Disk Information includes disk specs, which are listed next to a disk chart showing the amount ofused and free space. Holding your mouse pointer over the green or blue area on the disk chart willtell you the exact size of the free or used space on the disk. Disk specs can be saved in a text file orcopied to buffer by clicking on the buttons below the disk info.
Below the Disk Information section, you will see detailed fragmentation and performance statistics
presented in the form of charts and graphs. Each statistics group starts with a brief overview ofwhat the statistics listed there is for, and shows last, maximum, average and minimum values forthe parameter. Furthermore, these values are marked on a graphical chart to the right using colorcoded dots. Red means no operations performed, blue means only analysis was performed in thespecified time period, and green means there was defragmentation or optimization performed.
You can follow the parameter state by hours, days or weeks by selecting the view mode in the top
right corner of the chart. You can also scroll through the chart to go forward or back in time byclicking on the arrows in the bottom left and right corners.

Clicking on a dot on one of the charts will take you to the Reports tab and let you view all reports
available for the date, if any.

INTERFACE 25

Defrag Controls
1

2

3

When the Disks tab is selected, the additional controls displayed at the top include the following
quick access buttons:
ButtonPurpose1

Launch Defrag Wizard

2

Configure Defrag Profiles

3

Configure Resource Profiles

INTERFACE 26

Reports Tab
Under the Reports tab, you can see a list of available reports, with report details displayed in thebottom part of the window, when a report is selected. Following is what the program window looks
like when the Reports tab is activated:

4

1
3

2

SectionPurpose1

Reports List

Shows you the list of reports for all operations performed by the program.

2

Reports Details

Shows you detailed information on the report selected from the list.

3

CalendarAllows you to view reports for certain dates. You can select a date on thecalendar and reports available for that date will be displayed.

4

Reports Controls

A set of buttons for managing reports (deleting, printing, saving, etc.)

INTERFACE 27

Reports Controls
1

2

3

4

5

When the Reports tab is selected, the additional controls displayed at the top include:
ButtonPurpose1

Delete report.

2

Open report for viewing.

3

Print report.

4

Save report in a format of choice.

5

Generate system report.

For more information on viewing, saving and printing program reports, see the Program Reports
chapter.

INTERFACE 28

Scheduler Tab
This is what the program window looks like when the Scheduler tab is activated:

4

1
3

2

SectionPurpose1

List of Scheduled
Tasks

Shows you all defragmentation tasks that are scheduled on your PC. Also
allows enabling/disabling these tasks by clicking on the or
icons.

2

Last Operation
Results SummaryShows the report for the last operation performed within the task
selected from the list.

3

CalendarAllows you to view tasks scheduled for certain dates. You can select a dateon the calendar and the tasks scheduled for the date will be displayed.

4

Scheduler
Controls

A set of buttons for managing scheduled tasks.

INTERFACE 29

Scheduler Controls
1

2

3

4

5

When the Scheduler tab is selected, the additional controls at the top include:
ButtonPurpose1

Launch Defrag Wizard

2

Run selected task.

3

Copy selected task.

4

Edit selected task.

5

Delete selected task.

For more information on how to schedule and manage defragmentation tasks, see the SchedulingTasks chapter.

INTERFACE 30

Resource Tab
The Resource tab lets you view current graphs of general system resource usage and the amount of
resources used by the program:

2

1

SectionPurpose1

Resource Usage
Graphics

Shows you the current load on your CPU, Disks and Memory (RAM), as wellas power source and battery state (for systems with a battery).

2

Resource
Control

Allows you to access Resource Profile settings for managing the loadon your system resources produced by the program.

For more information on how to manage the load on your PC's system resources produced by thedefragmentation process, see the Configuring Resource Profiles chapter.

INTERFACE 31

Status Bar
The program window has a status bar at the very bottom. If you are using a free trial version of thesoftware, this is where you see the "Get the most performance effect" link. You can click on thislink to purchase and/or register the program (see the Registering the Program chapter).

The bar also displays various status specs depending on which main pane tab is activated. You will
see such info as current priority settings, disk and CPU usage (when the Disks tab is selected), andnumber of reports or tasks in the list (when Reports or Scheduler tabs are selected).
When an operation is underway, you will see the operation name and its progress info here, or
see "No Actions" if there are no operations being performed.

INTERFACE 32

Basic Usage

Optimization(all types)

Free SpaceConsolidation

Defragmentation

Check & Correct
ErrorsActionDisk Analysis

Operation Type

Check for Errors

To give you a general idea of what each type of operation does to improve system performance, here
is a brief overview of each operation’s functions:

Analyzes disks for fragmentationand other specs
Checks disks for errors
Corrects errors found on disks
Defragments files and folders
Defragments free space on disks
Optimizes file placement on disks

While a wide array of customization options is available for those who require them, the program
comes with default settings that allow you to analyze, defragment and optimize your disks with just aclick of a button

BASIC USAGE 33

Analyzing Disks
Before you launch defragmentation or optimization, disk analysis is recommended. It reads disk
information and shows you a true picture of the disk’s condition, including file and free spacefragmentation, system performance, and recommended actions.
To perform disk analysis, follow these steps:
1. Select the Disks tab in the main pane menu.
2. In the list of disks, select the disk you would like to analyze by checking the box next to its nameand click the Analyze button below the disks list. This will launch disk analysis.

While the operation is underway, its current status is shown in the main pane, as well as in
the disks list next to the name of the disk being analyzed.
3.

Upon completion, analysis results will be displayed in the main pane. A brief description of
the result is also shown in the list of disks.
You can switch to the Files tab to view a list of fragmented files and, if desired, select the files
you want to defragment individually.

BASIC USAGE 34

When you select a file from the list, the location of its fragments will be highlighted on thecluster map.
Clicking on a block on the cluster map will produce two additional tabs - Selected Files andSelected Clusters - which will let you view lists of files and clusters in the block that you selectedon the map. For more details, see the Operation Results Summary chapter.
You can also view a detailed report, print it or save it in a choice of formats - see the Program
Reports chapter of this document for instructions.

Checking Disks for Errors
Before you launch defragmentation, it is a good idea to check your disks for errors. Whenever a disk
has errors, there is a risk that data may get corrupted during defragmentation. By checking for errors
and fixing any errors that are found, you ensure that no data will get lost or corrupted when you
launch defragmentation.
To check a disk for errors, follow these steps:
1. Select the Disks tab in the main pane menu.
2. In the list of disks, select the disk you would like to scan for errors by checking the box next to its
name.
3. Select the Action tab in the main menu and go to Advanced > Check for Errors. Alternatively, you
can access the same functions by clicking on the arrow in the Defrag button and selecting
Advanced > Check for Errors from the drop-down menu:

This will launch the error scan. While the operation is underway, its current status is shown inthe main pane, as well as in the disks list next to the name of the disk being scanned.

BASIC USAGE 35

4. Upon completion, error check results will be displayed in the main pane. The disks list will havebrief results specified next to the disk name, and you can view, print or save a detailed operation
report – see the Program Reports chapter for instructions.

Fixing Errors
If errors were found during the check, you should try fixing them before you proceed to defragment
the disk. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Select the Disks tab in the main pane menu.
2. In the list of disks, select the disk that has errors by checking the box next to its name.
3. Select the Action tab in the main menu and go to Advanced > Check & Correct Errors.
Alternatively, you can access the same functions by clicking on the arrow in the Defrag buttonand selecting Advanced > Check & Correct Errors from the drop-down menu.

The program will attempt to fix the errors found during the scan. While the operation isunderway, its current status is shown in the main pane, as well as in the disks list next to thename of the disk on which errors are being corrected.
4. Upon completion, error correction results will be displayed in the main pane with a brief
description shown in the list of disks. See the Program Reports chapter for instructions onviewing, printing and saving detailed operation reports.

BASIC USAGE 36

Defragmenting
When you are ready to start defragmenting, follow these steps:
1. Select the Disks tab in the main pane menu.
2. In the list of disks, select the disk you would like to defragment by checking the box next to its
name and click the Defrag button below the disks list.

3. This will launch the default Simple Defragmentation profile. While the operation is underway, its
current status is shown in the main pane, as well as in the disks list next to the name of the disk
being defragmented.
4. Upon completion, defragmentation results will be displayed in the main pane with a brief
description of the result shown in the list of disks. To view, print or save a detailed report, see
the Program Reports chapter for instructions.

Consolidating Free Space
Since fragmentation of free disk space causes file fragmentation and affects file write speed, it isimportant to consolidate free space to keep your system in a good operating condition. To perform
free space consolidation, follow these steps:
1. Select the Disks tab in the main pane menu.
2. In the list of disks, select the disk on which you would like to perform free space consolidation bychecking the box next to its name.
3. Click on the arrow on the Defrag button below the disks list. This will open a drop-down menu
showing all active defragmentation and optimization profiles.

BASIC USAGE 37

4. Select Consolidate Free Space from the drop down menu.

This will launch the default free space consolidation profile. While the operation is underway, its
current status is shown in the main pane, as well as in the disks list next to the name of the disk
being defragmented.
5. Upon completion, consolidation results will be displayed in the main pane with a brief
description of the result shown in the list of disks. See the Program Reports chapter of thisdocument for instructions on how to view, print or save a detailed operation report.

Optimizing
The default optimization option that is preset as active when the program is installed is Optimization
by Prefetch Layout. This operation optimizes file placement on disks based on data supplied by thePrefetch* system module. Its main effect is faster system loading and application launching. To
perform optimization by Prefetch layout, follow these steps:
1. Select the Disks tab in the main pane menu.
2. In the list of disks, select the disk you would like to optimize by checking the box next to its
name.
3. Click on the arrow on the Defrag button below the disks list. This will open a drop-down menu
showing all active defragmentation and optimization profiles.

____________________*The Prefetch module is used in Windows to gather and store records of all events and processes that occur withapplication and system loading, with the purpose of using this info for speeding up these processes in the future.

BASIC USAGE 38

4. Select Optimize by Prefetch Layout from the drop down menu.

This will launch optimization. While the operation is underway, its current status is shown in themain pane, as well as in the disks list next to the name of the disk being optimized.
5. Upon completion, optimization results will be displayed in the main pane with a brief description
shown in the list of disks. See the Program Reports chapter for instructions on viewing, printing
and saving detailed operation reports.

Note.

For three additional optimization types (optimization by last file access time, change time andby disk zone), see the Configuring Defragmentation Profiles chapter of this document

BASIC USAGE 39

Configuring Defrag Profiles
When you first install the program, there will be several preset defragmentation profiles withdefault pre-configured options, which allow you to start defragmenting and optimizing your disks
without changing any settings. To view/manage defragmentation profiles, go to Settings >Defragmentation Profiles from the main menu. The following window will appear:

2

3

1

SectionPurpose1

List of Profiles

Allows enabling/disabling profiles, as well as creating new profiles ordeleting existing.

2

Action Buttons

Allow managing the list of defrag profiles.

3

Settings Tabs

Allow configuring each profile from the list.

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 40

Preset defragmentation profiles include:

Simple Defrag (set as the default profile)
Consolidate Free Space
Optimize by Access Time

Optimize by Change Time
Optimize by Disk Zone
Optimize by Prefetch Layout

You can select one or several of these profiles to be used as templates for your own customized
profiles, or create your own profiles from scratch..
Profiles marked as active are displayed in the drop-down menu of the Defrag button, as well as
under the Action tab in the main menu, which allows you to quickly launch defragmentation or
optimization with the settings you pre-configure for these profiles.
To configure defragmentation profiles, follow these steps:
1. Go to Settings > Defragmentation Profiles from the main menu.
Alternatively, when the Disks tab is activated in the main pane, you can access these functions byclicking on the

Defrag Profiles button in the main pane menu.

2. In the window that appears, choose the profile you would like to customize from the list on theleft, or click the New button at the top to create a new profile.

3. In the right pane, select a meaningful name for your profile that will help you recognize it in the
future.
4. Select the type of operation to be performed under this profile from the drop-down menu.
When you select an item from the drop-down list, a brief description of what the operation
does will appear right below it.
5. Depending on what type of operation you select, a number of
additional customization menus are displayed further down.

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 41

When you are done customizing these settings, you can set the profile status by clicking thecorresponding button at the top - you can choose Default (only one profile can have thisstatus, it will be launched by default when clicking the Defrag button), or Enable/Disable to
make the profile active or inactive (active profiles are displayed in the drop-down menu of the
Defrag button).

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 42

Configuring a Simple Defrag Profile
When you select Simple Defrag as the type of operation for a profile, the additional menus will let
you configure fragmentation prevention algorithms, VSS and SSD compatibility modes, and additional
actions to be performed prior to defragmentation:

Prevent Fragmentation
To prevent fragmentation, you can leave some space after certain files, which will allow future
writing of data right next to the file and help keep file fragments together. You may want to do thisfor files that constantly get data added to them (such as logs, database files, mail client files that areused to store received messages, etc.).
To specify files after which you would like the program to leave some free space for writing data,
follow these steps:
1. Select the Prevent Fragmentation menu and list the file names separated with a comma in theFiles to be processed box.
2. Specify the amount of free space to be left after each file either as an exact number of bytes, kB
or MB, or as a percentage of the file’s size.
3. If any of the specified files get rarely modified, you can configure the program not to leave spacenext to those files to prevent wasting disk space.
4. To configure the program to skip files that haven’t been modified in a certain number of days
prior to operation, check the appropriate box and set the number of days in the scroll box.

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 43

Compatible Mode
When you have SSD* or VSS**-enabled drives, special care is required for defragmenting or
optimizing such drives. Regular defragmentation algorithms may cause the VSS storage area to growexcessively, which in turn may lead to overwriting previous VSS snapshots. With SSD drives, too much
writing to them may have a negative effect on the disk’s operating life, so reducing the number ofwrite operations during defragmentation is preferable. The program is equipped with special tools toprevent these negative effects from occurring.
To configure compatibility modes for these types of drives, follow these steps:
1. Go to the Compatible mode menu.
2. 2. If you have a VSS-enabled drive and prefer not to defragment it, check the first box to skip
VSS-enabled drives. If you’d like to defragment a VSS-enabled drive, but want the program toutilize special algorithms designed for such drives, check the Use VSS compatible mode box.
3. If you have an SSD drive and would like the program to utilize special algorithms designed forsuch drives, check the Use SSD compatible mode box.

Advanced Actions
Under the Advanced actions menu, you can configure the program to perform additional tasks prior
to defragmentation, which will make the defrag process more efficient.
If a disk has errors, it is advisable to find and fix them before proceeding with defragmentation.
Otherwise, data corruption and/or loss may occur.


To have the program check disks for errors before starting defragmentation, select Advanced
actions menu and check the box next to Scan disks for errors.

The user’s and Windows’ temporary folders usually accumulate files that are not needed and can besafely deleted. Defragmenting these files would be a waste of time and space, so it is a good idea tohave such files deleted before starting defragmentation.
To set the program to delete temporary files prior to defragmentation, check the box next toDelete temporary files before defragmenting.

____________________*SSD, or Solid State Drive, is a data storage device that contains no moving parts and uses solid state memory for data
storage.
**
VSS, or Volume Shadow Copy Service, is a backup & restore function in Windows that makes copies of volumes(hard disks, etc.)

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 44

Configuring a Consolidate Free Space Profile
When you choose Consolidate Free Space as the type of operation for a defrag profile, the additional
menu options you will see below will be Consolidation, Compatible mode and Advanced actions:

Consolidation
Under the Consolidation menu, you will be able to set the program to allow file fragmentation. This
will make free space consolidation go faster, but may increase file fragmentation.
To allow file fragmentation, click on the Consolidation menu and check the box next to Enable
file fragmentation.

Compatible Mode
When you have VSS-enabled drives (Volume Shadow Copy Service), special care is required forconsolidating free space on such drives. Regular consolidation algorithm may cause the VSS storage
area to grow excessively, which in turn may lead to overwriting previous VSS snapshots. The programis equipped with a special algorithm to prevent this negative effect from occurring.
To configure VSS -compatible mode, follow these steps:
1. Go to the Compatible mode menu.
2. If you prefer not to consolidate free space on your VSS-enabled drive, check the Skip VSS
enabled volumes box.
If you’d like to consolidate free space on your VSS-enabled drive, but want the program to utilize
special algorithm designed for such drives, check the Use VSS compatible mode box.

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 45

Advanced Actions
Under the Advanced actions menu, you can configure the program to perform additional tasks prior
to launching free space consolidation, which will make the operation more efficient.
If a disk has errors, it is advisable to find and fix them before proceeding with consolidation toprevent data corruption and/or loss.
To have the program check disks for errors before starting the operation, select Advanced
actions and check the box next to Scan disks for errors.

The user’s and Windows’ temporary folders usually accumulate files that are not needed and canbe safely deleted. Such files take up the space that could otherwise be used during free spaceconsolidation, so it is a good idea to have such files deleted before starting the operation.
To set the program to delete temporary files prior to consolidation, check the box next to Delete
temporary files before defragmenting.

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 46

Configuring an Optimize by Access Time/Change Time Profile
Hard Disk tracks are subdivided into zones according to their distance from the disk center, with thefarthest from the center providing the fastest data access speed.
For defragmentation purposes, the disk is subdivided into 3 zones – Fast Zone (beginning of the disk),
Slow Zone (back end of the disk), and Normal Zone (in-between the other two zones). Placing
frequently accessed files in the fast zone helps promote system speed and reduce disk wear. As forfiles that are frequently modified (especially when data is added), placing them in the slow zone
helps reduce disk fragmentation.
You can optimize file placement on disks by last access time (for faster access to frequently usedfiles), or last change time (to reduce fragmentation of frequently modified files). Here is a brief
overview of each method’s advantages:
Optimization by Last Access Time

Optimization by Last Change Time

Optimizes system disk operating speed andreduces fragmentation of frequently
modified files

Frequently accessed files are placed in theFast Zone



Rarely changed files are placed in the Fast
Zone (most system files)

Rarely accessed files are placed in the Slow
Zone

Frequently changed files are placed in the
Slow Zone



Works best for disks that are used for storingdata (such as photos, music, video files, etc.),
or for disks that don’t have much else onthem besides system files.

Works best when there is one hard drive inthe system that has system files and allother data on it.

Optimizes read speed for faster access tofrequently used files

To configure one of these two types of optimization, select Optimize by Access Time or Optimize
by Change Time as the type of operation for a defrag profile. The additional menu options that willappear below will be Disk Zones, Disk Zone Parameters, Prevent Fragmentation, Compatible Modeand Advanced Actions:

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 47

Disk Zones
To specify what files are placed in the fast or slow zone, follow these steps:
1. Select the Disk Zones menu.
2. Select what files are placed in the fast zone by marking how long ago the file has to have beenlast accessed or changed to be placed here.
3. Select what files are placed in the slow zone by marking how long ago the file has to have beenlast accessed or changed to be placed here.
Any file that does not fit the specified criteria will be placed in the normal access zone.

Disk Zone Parameters
Although it may increase defragmentation time, you can enable file sorting within each zone toachieve more thorough optimization. To do that, follow these steps:
1. Select the Disk zone parameters menu.
2. Check the Enable file sorting within a zone box to set ascending sort order for optimization by
last access time, or descending sort order for optimization by last change time.

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 48

Prevent Fragmentation
To prevent fragmentation, you can leave some space after certain files, which will allow future
writing of data right next to the file and help keep file fragments together. You may want to do thisfor files that constantly get data added to them (such as logs, database files, mail client files that areused to store received messages, etc.).
To specify files after which you would like the program to leave some free space for writing data,
follow these steps:
1. Select the Prevent Fragmentation menu and list the file names separated with a comma in theFiles to be processed box.
2. Specify the amount of free space to be left after each file either as an exact number of bytes, kB
or MB, or as a percentage of the file’s size.
3. If any of the specified files get rarely modified, you can configure the program not to leave spacenext to those files to prevent wasting disk space.
4. To configure the program to skip files that haven’t been modified in a certain number of days
prior to operation, check the appropriate box and set the number of days in the scroll box.

Compatible Mode
When you have VSS-enabled drives (Volume Shadow Copy Service), special care is required for
optimizing such drives. Regular optimization may cause the VSS storage area to grow excessively,
which in turn may lead to overwriting previous VSS snapshots. The program is equipped with special
algorithm to prevent this negative effect from occurring.
To configure VSS -compatible mode, follow these steps:
1. Go to the Compatible mode menu.
2. If you prefer not to optimize your VSS-enabled drive, check the Skip VSS enabled volumes box.

If you’d like to optimize your VSS-enabled drive, but want the program to utilize special algorithm
designed for such drives, check the Use VSS compatible mode box.

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 49

Advanced Actions
Under the Advanced actions menu, you can configure the program to perform additional tasks
prior to defragmentation, which will make the defrag process more efficient.
If a disk has errors, it is advisable to find and fix them before proceeding with defragmentation.
Otherwise, data corruption and/or loss may occur.


To have the program check disks for errors before starting defragmentation, select the Advanced
actions menu and check the box next to Scan disks for errors.

The user’s and Windows’ temporary folders usually accumulate files that are not needed and can besafely deleted. Defragmenting these files would be a waste of time and space, so it is a good idea tohave such files deleted before starting defragmentation.
To set the program to delete temporary files prior to defragmentation, check the box next toDelete temporary files before defragmenting.

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 50

Configuring Optimize by Disk Zone Profile
While the previous two operation types perform optimization by placing files in specific disk zones,
Optimization by Disk Zone takes into consideration more file parameters when sorting files into
different disk zones, thus allowing you to exercise more control over file placement. Here is a brief
overview of the advantages of this type of optimization:






Optimizes file placement for maximum HDD speed
Frequently changed files are placed in the Fast Zone, which makes all operations with such files
go faster
Rarely changed large files are placed in the Slow Zone (the larger the file, the less effect its
placement in the slow zone has on its read speed). Such files may include large audio files,
videos, etc. This allows to free up space in the fast zone without any speed loss.
Works for most disks

Following are your menu options when configuring Optimization by Disk Zone:

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 51

Fast Zone / Slow Zone
You can specify any or all of the frequently used files, folders, registry and system files to be placedin the fast zone, as well as define additional files for the fast zone. For the slow zone, you can specify
any or all of the audio and video files, archive and disk image files, temporary files, large and rarely
accessed files (you can set the size and the last access time for these files), as well as specify
additional files for placing in this zone. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Go to the Fast zone menu.
2. Check the boxes next to file types you want placed in the fast zone and/or specify your own files
in the blank space separating them with a comma.
3. Do the same under the Slow zone menu.

Disk Zone Parameters
Although it may increase defragmentation time, you can enable file sorting within each zone
to achieve more thorough optimization. To do that, follow these steps:
1. Select the Disk zone parameters menu.
2. Check the Enable file sorting within a zone box to set ascending sort order for optimization by
last access time, or descending sort order for optimization by last change time.

Prevent Fragmentation
To prevent fragmentation, you can leave some space after certain files, which will allow future
writing of data right next to the file and help keep file fragments together. You may want to do thisfor files that constantly get data added to them (such as logs, database files, mail client files that areused to store received messages, etc.).
To specify files after which you would like the program to leave some free space for writing data,
follow these steps:
1. Select the Prevent Fragmentation menu and list the file names separated with a comma in theFiles to be processed box.
2. Specify the amount of free space to be left after each file either as an exact number of bytes, kB
or MB, or as a percentage of the file’s size.

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 52

3. If any of the specified files get rarely modified, you can configure the program not to leave spacenext to those files to prevent wasting disk space.
4. To configure the program to skip files that haven’t been modified in a certain number of days
prior to operation, check the appropriate box and set the number of days in the scroll box.

Compatible Mode
When you have VSS-enabled drives (Volume Shadow Copy Service), special care is required for
optimizing such drives. Regular optimization may cause the VSS storage area to grow excessively,
which in turn may lead to overwriting previous VSS snapshots. The program is equipped with special
algorithm to prevent this negative effect from occurring.
To configure VSS -compatible mode, follow these steps:
1. Go to the Compatible mode menu.
2. If you prefer not to optimize your VSS-enabled drive, check the Skip VSS enabled volumes box.
If you’d like to optimize your VSS-enabled drive, but want the program to utilize special
algorithm designed for such drives, check the Use VSS compatible mode box.

Advanced Actions
Under the Advanced actions menu, you can configure the program to perform additional tasks
prior to defragmentation, which will make the defrag process more efficient.
If a disk has errors, it is advisable to find and fix them before proceeding with defragmentation.
Otherwise, data corruption and/or loss may occur.


To have the program check disks for errors before starting defragmentation, select the Advanced
actions menu and check the box next to Scan disks for errors.

The user’s and Windows’ temporary folders usually accumulate files that are not needed and can besafely deleted. Defragmenting these files would be a waste of time and space, so it is a good idea tohave such files deleted before starting defragmentation.
To set the program to delete temporary files prior to defragmentation, check the box next toDelete temporary files before defragmenting.

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 53

Configuring an Optimize by Prefetch Layout Profile
The Prefetch module used in Windows keeps track of the code and data accessed during Windows
boot process and application startup, and records a trace file of this activity. This information
helps to speed up these processes in the future by accelerating access to the needed data. Disk
Defrag Ultimate can use the Prefetch records to optimize file placement on disks for more efficient
access to these files and faster system performance. Here is an overview of this method’s
advantages:

Optimizes file placement according to records contained in the Prefetch file
Most settings are configured automatically for optimal results and do not require user input
Works for system disk and most hard disk drives that have applications installed on them

To configure this type of optimization, select Optimize by Prefetch Layout as the type of operation
under a defrag profile. The program will configure most settings for this profile automatically, except
for the settings you can specify under the Prevent Fragmentation, Compatible Mode and Advanced
Actions menus:

Prevent Fragmentation
To prevent fragmentation, you can leave some space after certain files, which will allow future
writing of data right next to the file and help keep file fragments together. You may want to do thisfor files that constantly get data added to them (such as logs, database files, mail client files that areused to store received messages, etc.).
To specify files after which you would like the program to leave some free space for writing data,
follow these steps:

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 54

1. Select the Prevent Fragmentation menu and list the file names separated with a comma in theFiles to be processed box.
2. Specify the amount of free space to be left after each file either as an exact number of bytes, kB
or MB, or as a percentage of the file’s size.
3. If any of the specified files get rarely modified, you can configure the program not to leave spacenext to those files to prevent wasting disk space.
4. To configure the program to skip files that haven’t been modified in a certain number of days
prior to operation, check the appropriate box and set the number of days in the scroll box.

Compatible Mode
When you have VSS-enabled drives (Volume Shadow Copy Service), special care is required for
optimizing such drives. Regular optimization may cause the VSS storage area to grow excessively,
which in turn may lead to overwriting previous VSS snapshots. The program is equipped with special
algorithm to prevent this negative effect from occurring.
To configure VSS -compatible mode, follow these steps:
1. Go to the Compatible mode menu.
2. If you prefer not to optimize your VSS-enabled drive, check the Skip VSS enabled volumes box.
If you’d like to optimize your VSS-enabled drive, but want the program to utilize special
algorithm designed for such drives, check the Use VSS compatible mode box.

Advanced Actions
Under the Advanced actions menu, you can configure the program to perform additional tasks
prior to defragmentation, which will make the defrag process more efficient.
If a disk has errors, it is advisable to find and fix them before proceeding with defragmentation.
Otherwise, data corruption and/or loss may occur.


To have the program check disks for errors before starting defragmentation, select Advanced
actions menu and check the box next to Scan disks for errors.

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 55

The user’s and Windows’ temporary folders usually accumulate files that are not needed and can besafely deleted. Defragmenting these files would be a waste of time and space, so it is a good idea tohave such files deleted before starting defragmentation.
To set the program to delete temporary files prior to defragmentation, check the box next toDelete temporary files before defragmenting.

CONFIGURING DEFRAG PROFILES 56

Configuring Resource Profiles
Defragmentation and optimization are resource-intensive processes. When you have otherprocesses and applications that use a lot of system resources and that may run simultaneously withdefragmentation, it makes sense to configure allocation of resources for their most efficient use andto prevent application conflicts.
The default resource usage profile that is activated when an operation is launched is Balanced
Profile. It is set to automatically detect the current CPU and disk load and to adjust operation
restrictions accordingly.
You can change the default resource profile, as well as configure additional profiles in Resource
Profile settings. To configure resource profiles, follow these steps:
1. Go to Settings > Resource Profiles.
Alternatively, when the Disks or Resource tabs are activated in the main pane, you can accessthese functions by clicking on the

Resource Profiles button in the main pane menu.

2. In the window that appears, choose the profile you would like to customize from the list on theleft, or click the New button at the top to create a new profile.

3. In the right pane, select a meaningful name for your profile that will help you recognize it in the
future.

CONFIGURING RESOURCE PROFILES 57

4. Clicking on the Processor, Drive, Battery or Applications tabs below the profile name will open
additional lists of settings that you can configure for each resource profile:

5. When you are done changing these settings, you can set the profile status by clicking thecorresponding button at the top – you can choose Default (only one profile can have this status),
or Enable/Disable to make the profile active or inactive. Profiles with the Active status will be
displayed in the drop-down list of the Resource tab and can be easily launched from theprogram’s main window.

CONFIGURING RESOURCE PROFILES 58

Configuring Processor LoadTo configure the load on the processor by defragmentation operations, click on the Processor menu.
Here you will need to select one of four options:

Checking Without restriction will allow the defragmentation process to use CPU resources
without any restrictions.



Checking Automatically detect will tell the program to impose some restrictions on CPU use thatwould give the defragmentation process enough resources while limiting its impact on otherapplications. This option is recommended, as it provides the most flexibility and adjusts better tocurrent situation.

You can also choose High load, Average load or Minimum load from the list by checking Choose
a value from the list, which will restrict processor use to no more than 90%, 50% or 10%
respectively.

Alternatively, you can set a restriction as an exact percentage of the load by selecting Load no
more than (%) and specifying a number in the scroll box.

Configuring Drive Load
Under the Drive menu, you can configure the maximum load allowed to be created by thedefragmentation process on the disk drive. Select Without restriction if you prefer not to set any
restrictions; select Automatically detect to have the program set the most suitable restriction
automatically; or set your own exact restriction as a Mb/s amount.

Adjusting to Battery Levels
For computers that use battery power (laptops, netbooks, etc.), you can configure thedefragmentation process behavior to adjust to different battery levels. The program willautomatically detect current battery level and operate in the mode you specify for the resource
profile in use. To configure program behavior according to different battery levels, select the Battery
menu. For each of the three battery levels listed (Normal – more than 66%, Average – 33% to 66%,
and Low – less than 33%), select what you want the program to do from the drop-down list. The
options here are: Without changes, Reduce activity, Pause or Stop the process.

CONFIGURING RESOURCE PROFILES 59

Preventing Application Conflicts
Some applications, when they run simultaneously, may interfere with the defragmentation process
or cause errors. Disk Defrag Ultimate allows you to specify such applications and configure what
you want the program to do when such an application is launched or is already running when thedefrag process is set to start. To configure these settings, follow these steps:
1. Go to the Applications menu.
2. Under the blank space reserved for the list of applications, click the Browse button and select theapplication you'd like to create rules for.
3. When the application path appears in the line to the left of the Browse button, click the Add
Application button. The application will appear in the list above.
4. Repeat these steps if you need to add more applications to the list.
5. When you are done adding applications to the list, you need to indicate what you want the
program to do if one of the specified applications is launched while the defragmentation process
is already underway. You can set the program to pause the operation or stop it by selecting theappropriate option below the list.
To remove an application from the list, select it in the list and click the Delete Selected button below.

CONFIGURING RESOURCE PROFILES 60

Scheduling Tasks
In order to keep disk fragmentation in check and support good system health and consistent speed, it
is important to run defragmentation and optimization regularly. Launching defragmentation
manually when you remember to does not provide the level of maintenance needed for best results.
This is why, in addition to the Defrag Wizard that lets you schedule some tasks, Disk Defrag Ultimate
comes equipped with the Scheduler tool that provides a wide array of options you can configure forscheduling several types of defragmentation and optimization. The Scheduler allows you to configure
Defragmentation by Time, Auto Defragmentation and Offline Defragmentation.

Note.

In this section, as well as within the Scheduler tool in the program, the term
“Defragmentation” is used to signify any of the following operations: simple
defragmentation, free space consolidation, any type of optimization. When scheduling a task,
you can select the defrag profile with the type of operation you’d like to use for the task.

Here is a brief overview of each of these three methods:
Defragmentation by
Time






Runs at the specified
time even when the
program is not running
Runs in the backgroundand does not interferewith other user activity
Can put an icon in
notification area toshow when theoperation is underway

Auto Defragmentation
Runs when system remains
idle for a specified periodof time, and only when the
program is running

Stops when user resumes
activity on the computerCan be set not to run too
frequently to prevent
excessive launches

Offline Defragmentation
Runs at boot time, before
the operating system loads



Is used to defragment
system files and other files
that are locked during
normal system operation

SCHEDULING TASKS 61

Scheduling Defragmentation by TimeDefragmentation by Time, also referred to in the program as Scheduled Defragmentation, is
designed to run exactly at the specified time, regardless of whether the program is running.
To configure Defragmentation by Time, follow these steps:
1. Click on the Scheduler tab in the main pane menu.
2. Click on Defragmentation by Time right above the tasks list.
Alternatively, you can click on the arrow in the Scheduler tab and select Schedule Time... fromthe drop-down list:

3. In the window that pops up, fist select the disks that you want to enable this task for by checking
the boxes next to the disks' names.
4. Then click on the Profiles menu and select the defragmentation and resource profiles you want
to use for this task from the drop-down lists.

Note.

The lists will show all defragmentation and resource profiles that are marked as active. If you
don’t see the profile you want in the list, check to make sure it is set as active in the DefragProfile or Resource Profile settings (see Configuring Defrag Profiles or Configuring Resource
Profiles). You can also check or change profile settings by clicking on the Configure link to theright of the drop-down box in the Defrag by Time scheduler window.

5. To specify the time when you want this task launched, click on the Run Conditions menu. Specify
the frequency, as well as day and exact start time for the task.

SCHEDULING TASKS 62

6. Proceed to the Extended Parameters menu to set additional conditions for the task. Here you
can temporarily disable the task by unchecking the box next to Task Enabled - this will save alltask parameters and allow you to enable the task in the future without having to go throughconfiguring it anew.
You can also set the program not to launch the operation under this task when fragmentation
hasn’t reached a certain point. This will prevent defragmentation from being launched when it is
not really necessary and from adding unnecessary load on system resources. To do this, checkthe appropriate box and set the fragmentation percentage up to which the task will not belaunched.
For your convenience, you can have an icon displayed in the Windows notification area when ascheduled task is running (this option is checked by default). If you prefer not to see an icon in
the notification area, uncheck the appropriate box under the Extended Parameters menu.
7. When you are done configuring the task, click OK at the bottom of the window. This will place
the task in the list of scheduled tasks, which you can view under the Scheduler tab

SCHEDULING TASKS 63

Scheduling Auto Defragmentation
Auto Defragmentation is launched only when the program is running. It is designed to work in the
background for constant disk maintenance. It can be configured to start when the system remains
idle for a period of time from 1 to 30 minutes, and to stop when a user resumes activity on thecomputer. To avoid having your disk defragmented too frequently, you can set the task to be started
no more than once in a period of time from 3 to 24 hours.
1. To schedule Auto Defragmentation, click on the Scheduler tab in the main pane menu.
2. Right above the tasks list, click on Auto Defragmentation.
As an alternative, you can click on the arrow in the Scheduler tab and select Schedule Auto...
from the drop-down list:

3. In the window that pops up, select the disk you would like to schedule this task for. To do that,check the box next to the disk name in the list of disks.
4. Now, click on the Profiles menu and select the defragmentation and resource profiles you would
like to use for this task. If you need to change any profile settings, click on the Configure link to
the right of the drop-down boxes.
5. Continue to the Run Conditions menu and set the time the system has to be idle for before thistask is launched, and the maximum frequency of this task in a 24-hour period.
6. Under the Extended Parameters menu, you can temporarily disable the task while saving its
settings, which will allow you to enable the task in the future. To do this, uncheck the box next to
Task Enabled.
7. Here you can also set the program not to launch the task if disk fragmentation hasn't reachedspecified percentage. To do this, check the appropriate box under the Extended Parameters
menu and specify the fragmentation percentage up to which the task will not be launched.
8. When you are done, click OK to save the task and put it in the list of scheduled tasks, which isavailable under the Scheduler tab in the main pane.

SCHEDULING TASKS 64

Scheduling Offline Defragmentation
There are system files that are locked during normal system operation and cannot be defragmented
with regular defragmentation algorithms. This usually includes MFT files, Windows Paging and
Hibernation files, as well as registry files. At the same time, these files can get heavily fragmented
and contribute a lot to the overall disk fragmentation. Offline Defragmentation is a special engine
that takes care of such files by defragmenting them at boot time, before the operating system loads.
1. To schedule Offline Defragmentation, click on the Offline Defragmentation link above thescheduled tasks list under the Scheduler tab.
Alternatively, you can click on the arrow on the Scheduler tab and select Schedule Offline Defragfrom the drop-down list:

2. In the window that pops up, select the disk for which you would like to schedule this task bychecking the box next to the disk name.
3. The program allows you to specify which system files you would like to defragment. To do that,click on the Items Being Processed menu and check the boxes next to the files you would like toinclude for defragmentation.
4. Then, decide whether you want this task to run once at next boot or on every boot by checking
the appropriate box under the Run Conditions menu.
5. The Extended Parameters menu allows you to temporarily disable the task while preserving its
settings, which can be done by unchecking the box next to Task Enabled.
6. When you are done, click OK to save the task and put it in the scheduled tasks list.

SCHEDULING TASKS 65

Working with the Scheduled Tasks List
All of the tasks scheduled while using the Defrag Wizard or through the Scheduler are available in
the list of scheduled tasks. To access the list, click on the Scheduler tab in the main pane menu.
The list of scheduled tasks is displayed in the top part of the main pane, with a summary of the lastoperation results displayed in the bottom part.

Right above the summary, there are quick links that allow you to skip to the disk details in thesummary by clicking on the disk name.
On the right, you will see a calendar that has dates with scheduled or
executed tasks circled on it. If you'd like to view tasks scheduled fora particular date, click on that date on the calendar, and the tasks
will be displayed in the list. To select the current date, click on Todayunder the calendar - this will display all tasks scheduled for thecurrent date. To return to viewing all tasks, click on the Show alltasks link under the calendar. You can view history of task execution
by scrolling through calendar months using the arrows in the top left
and right corners of the calendar.
You can sort the list by various parameters by clicking on column
headers.

To edit a task's parameters, select the task in the list and click

Edit in the main pane menu.

You can also create additional tasks with similar parameters to existing tasks. To do that, select a task
from the list and click the
Copy button in the main pane menu. This will open the task settings
window, where you can adjust the settings and save the task as described earlier in this section.

SCHEDULING TASKS 66

To delete a task from the list, select it and click

Note.

Delete in the main pane menu.

This will completely remove the task. If you only want to disable the task temporarily, but
save its settings for future use, you can do that by clicking the Edit button and unchecking
the Task Enabled box under the Extended Parameters.

You can also launch a task from the list by selecting it and clicking theRun button in the main
pane menu. This function is not available for Offline Defragmentation, since this type ofdefragmentation only runs at boot time.

SCHEDULING TASKS 67

Program Reports
The program provides detailed reports on all defragmentation and optimization operations withcapabilities to print reports and save them in one of three formats.

Viewing Reports
To view a report immediately after an operation completes, click on the View Detailed Report in
the operation results.
To view all or specific reports, click on the Reports tab. This will display a list of all available reports
with a summary of the last report shown in the bottom part of the window.

To see reports for a specific date only, select the date on the calendar on the right. All reports
available for that date will be listed in the main window. To clear the date selection and return
to viewing all available reports, click on Show all reports in the bottom part of the calendar.
To view a specific report, select it in the list of reports and its summary will be displayed in thebottom part of the window.
To see more details on the selected report, click View right above the summary, or click theView button in the main pane menu. This will open the detailed report in your default internet
browser.
There is also an option to generate a full system report that will show details of all disks in yoursystem with their specs and a list of system folders. To generate and view a system report, under the
System Report button
Reports tab, click System Report right above the reports list, or click thein the main pane menu. This will generate a system report and display it in your default internet
browser. The report will also appear in the reports list and will be available for viewing, printing andsaving.

PROGRAM REPORTS 68

Printing Reports
To print a report, follow these steps:
1. Click on the Reports tab.
2. Select a report from the list and click Print right above the report summary, or click thePrint button in the main pane menu. This will automatically send the report to your default
printer.

Saving and Storing Reports
By default, the program generates and stores reports in .xml format. In addition to that, you cansave reports in one of three available formats - .xml, .html or .txt - in a folder that is convenient foryou. To save a report, follow these steps:
1. Click on the Reports tab.
2. Select the report you would like to save - report summary will be displayed in the bottom part ofthe program window.
3. Click the Save As link right above the summary, or click thepane menu.

Save As button in the main

4. In the window that appears, select the destination folder and a file name.
5. Select the file format from three available options - .xml, .html or .txt - and hit Save.
6. The selected report will be saved in the specified folder. You can access it by navigating to thatfolder using Windows Explorer.
Reports that you save manually in a folder other than the program default folder are storedindefinitely (until you delete them). Reports automatically saved by the program in the default
folder are stored for a specified period of time to prevent the reports storage folder from growing
excessively.

PROGRAM REPORTS 69

The report storage life is, by default, set to 10 days, which means that reports are stored for 10 days
after being generated, and are deleted after this period. You can change report storage preferencesin Program Settings. To do that, follow these steps:
1. In the main menu select Settings > Program Settings.
2. In the window that appears, select the General tab.
3. Specify the desired number of days you would like your reports saved for and click OK.

PROGRAM REPORTS 70

Configuring Program Settings
The Program Settings manager allows you to change the program’s language, looks and behavior,
tweak algorithms and set exclusions. To launch the Program Settings manager, select Settings >Program Settings from the Program’s main menu. A new window will appear, with settings divided
into six categories: Language, General, Integration, Cluster Map, Algorithms and Exclusions.

Changing Language
By default, the program is installed in your operating system language, or in English, if your OS
language is not supported. To change the program language, follow these steps:
1. Select Settings > Program Settings from the main menu.
2. Click on the Language tab and select the desired language from the drop-down menu.
3. When you are done, click OK, or proceed to another tab if you need to change other program
settings.

Note.

Please keep in mind that changing program language requires you to restart the application
for the changes to take effect.

CONFIGURING PROGRAM SETTINGS 71

General Settings
The General tab is where you can specify the program’s behavior (whether you want it to start at
Windows logon or be minimized on close), and specify reports and statistics storage life. To change
any of these settings, follow these steps:
1. Select Settings > Program Settings from the main menu.
2. Click on the General tab and make the desired changes.
3. When you are done, click OK, or proceed to another tab if you need to change other program
settings.

Integration
The Integration tab allows you to choose the level of the program’s integration into the Windows
shell. You can choose to integrate the program into Windows Explorer, which will add "Defragmentwith Disk Defrag Ultimate" to its context menu. This will let you defragment files, folders or drives
by right-clicking on them in Windows Explorer and selecting the required option from the menu.
Here you can also choose to disable the standard Windows Defrag utility, which will help reduce
unnecessary load and wear on your drives.
The third Integration option is to use Auslogics Disk Defrag Ultimate as your default
defragmentation utility instead of standard Windows Defrag.
To change any of these settings, follow these steps:

1. Select Settings > Program Settings from the main menu.
2. Click on the Integration tab and make the desired changes.
3. When you are done, click OK, or proceed to another tab if you need to change other program
settings.

CONFIGURING PROGRAM SETTINGS 72

Cluster Map Appearance
Under the Cluster Map tab, you can specify the way your cluster map will look in the program
window. To change these settings, follow these steps:
1. Select Settings > Program Settings from the main menu, and click on the Cluster Map tab.
2. In the first drop-down menu, choose between bars or squares for displaying cluster blocks.
3. In the next drop-down menu, select one of 12 color schemes for the cluster map.
4. Under the cluster map preview screen, you can check the box if you want the speed zones to bemarked on the map, or uncheck the box not to show the speed map.
5. When you are done, click OK, or proceed to another tab if you need to change other program
settings.

Tweaking Algorithms
The Algorithms tab allows you to tweak defragmentation algorithms.
You can set the program to skip files or fragments larger than a certain size, since defragmenting verylarge files or fragments doesn’t serve any practical purpose.
You can also set SSD (Solid State Drives) not to be displayed in the drives list, or mark a certain driveas an SSD drive, if it was not properly detected by the program.
To change any of these settings, follow these steps:
1. Select Settings > Program Settings from the main menu and click on the Algorithms tab.
2. To have the program skip large fragments or files, check one or both of the first two boxes, then
set the minimum size for fragments or files to be skipped from the drop-down menu.
3. To have SSD drives excluded from the drives list, check the Do not show SSD drives box.
4. If you have a Solid-State Drive that was not identified as such, and you want it marked properly inthe drives list, check the box next to the drive’s name in the list.
5. When you are done, click OK, or proceed to another tab if you need to change other program
settings.

CONFIGURING PROGRAM SETTINGS 73

Specifying Exclusions
Under the Exclusions tab, you can specify files or folders that you do not want the program todefragment. To do that, follow these steps:
1. Select Settings > Program Settings from the main menu and click on the Exclusions tab.
2. Click on the Add… button and browse your computer for the needed items.
3. When you are done adding items to the list, click OK.
To remove a file or folder from the list of exclusions, select the item from the list and click Delete.

CONFIGURING PROGRAM SETTINGS 74

Troubleshooting
Some Files Skipped by the Program
When viewing operation results, you may notice that some files were skipped by the program. Thiscan happen for several reasons:When you have other applications running while defragmentation is underway, some files may
be used by those applications and locked because of that. A solution to this problem is to close
all other applications and restart defragmentation.

Some system files may be in use by the system and locked because of this. A solution to thisproblem is scheduling offline defragmentation, which will run at boot time and defragment files
that are locked during normal system operation.



The program may be unable to defragment large files and skip them due to there not being
enough contiguous free space to put the whole file. Although your disk may have plenty of freespace, it may be fragmented into sections that are not large enough for some bigger files. A
solution to this problem is to run free space consolidation and repeat defragmentation after that.

Free Space Not Found Error
When viewing operation results, you may see a Free Space Not Found error. It does not mean thatyour disk is out of free space, it usually means that the program was unable to find contiguous
sections of free space to place some defragmented files. The most common cause of such errors isfree space fragmentation. The best solution is to run free space consolidation and then repeat
defragmentation.

Disk Still Fragmented After Running Defragmentation
When you first start using the program, especially if you haven't defragmented your drives in a longtime, you may notice that your disks are still fragmented after running standard defragmentation.
This most commonly happens with the system disk, and the most common cause of this problem ispresence of a lot of fragmented system files that are locked during normal system operation. The
best solution for this problem is to schedule offline defragmentation for the next boot, which will
defragment system files and should significantly reduce disk fragmentation.

TROUBLESHOOTING 75

Glossary
AccessAs used in relation to file access, the term signifies
an instance of a file read request initiated by theuser or the system. Last Access Time is the last
instance of a file read request prior to the current
moment.
Archive
An archive file is a file that is composed of one ormore files along with metadata that can include
source volume and medium information, file
directory structure, error detection and recovery
information, file comments, and usually employssome form of lossless compression. Archive files
may also be encrypted in part or as a whole.
Archive files are used to collect multiple data files
together into a single file for easier portability andstorage.
Auto Defragmentation
The term Auto Defragmentation is used in the
program to signify any type of operation, such as
defragmentation, optimization or free spaceconsolidation, which is scheduled to start
automatically when the system remains idle for a
specified period of time, and to stop when user
activity is detected. Auto Defragmentation runs
only when the program is running.
Boot
In computing, booting (also known as "bootingup") is a bootstrapping process that starts
operating systems when the user turns on acomputer system. A boot sequence is the initial
set of operations that the computer performs
when power is switched on. The boot loader
typically loads the main operating system for thecomputer.
ChangeChange, as used in the phrase Last Change Time,signifies any type of file modification (such as
editing, adding or deleting data, renaming, etc.)
initiated by the user. Last Change Time refers to
the last instance of such file modification asregistered in the system.

Cluster
In computer file systems, a cluster is a unit of disk
space allocation for files and directories. A cluster
can consist of one or more consecutive sectors.
The number of sectors is always an exponent of 2.
A cluster could consist of 1 sector (2^0), or, more
frequently, 8 sectors (2^3). The only odd numberof sectors a cluster could consist of is 1. It could
not be 5 sectors or an even number that is not an
exponent of 2. It would not be 10 sectors, but
could be 8 or 16 sectors.
Consolidation
Consolidation is defined as the act of combining
into an integral whole.
CPU
The central processing unit (CPU) is the portion of
a computer system that carries out the
instructions of a computer program, and is theprimary element carrying out the computer'sfunctions. The central processing unit carries out
each instruction of the program in sequence, toperform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/
output operations of the system. This term has
been in use in the computer industry at least since
the early 1960s. The form, design andimplementation of CPUs have changed
dramatically since the earliest examples, but theirfundamental operation remains much the same.
Database
A database is a system intended to organize, store,
and retrieve large amounts of data easily. It
consists of an organized collection of data for one
or more uses, typically in digital form. One way ofclassifying databases involves the type of theircontents, for example: bibliographic, documenttext, statistical. Digital databases are managed
using database management systems, which store
database contents, allowing data creation andmaintenance, and search and other access.

GLOSSARY 76

Defragment
In the context of administering computer
systems, defragmentation is a process that
reduces the amount of fragmentation in filesystems. It does this by physically organizing thecontents of the disk to store the pieces of eachfile close together and contiguously. It also
attempts to create larger regions of free space
using compaction to impede the return offragmentation. Some defragmenters also try tokeep smaller files within a single directory
together, as they are often accessed in sequence.
The movement of the hard drive's read/write
heads over different areas of the disk whenaccessing fragmented files is slower, compared toaccessing a non fragmented file in sequence,
without moving the read/write heads.
Defragmentation by TimeThe term Defragmentation by Time, same as
Scheduled Defragmentation, is used in the
program to signify any type of operation, such as
defragmentation, optimization or free spaceconsolidation, which is scheduled to start at a
specified time, regardless of whether the programis running.
Defragmentation Profile
The term Defragmentation Profile is used in the
program to describe a combination of settings
configured for a defragmentation or optimization
operation and intended to be used whenscheduling tasks or starting defragmentation. It is
possible to configure multiple defragmentation
profiles, and then select one profile for each task
being scheduled or launched.

Disk Drive
Disk storage or disc storage is a general category ofstorage mechanisms, in which data are digitally
recorded by various electronic, magnetic, optical,
or mechanical methods on a surface layer
deposited of one or more planar, round androtating platters. A disk drive is a device
implementing such a storage mechanism with
fixed or removable media; with removable media
the device is usually distinguished from the media
as in compact disc drive and the compact disc.
Notable types are the hard disk drive (whichcontain a non-removable disc), the floppy disk
drive and its removable floppy disk, various opticaldisc drives and associated media.
Disk Image
A disk image is a single file or storage device
containing the complete contents and structure
representing a data storage medium or device,
such as a hard drive, tape drives, floppy disk, CD/
DVD/BD and key drive, although an image of an
optical disc may be referred to as an optical disc
image. A disk image is usually created by creating acomplete sector-by-sector copy of the source
medium and thereby perfectly replicating thestructure and contents of a storage device.
Disk Zone
Hard disk tracks are subdivided into zones basedon their distance from the disk center. Although
there may be more than 3 zones, for optimization
purposes an HDD can be subdivided into 3 zones the front zone, middle zone and back zone. The
front zone, or the beginning of the disk, provides
the fastest file access time, and therefore isrecommended for placing frequently accessed
files. The back zone has the slowest file accesstime; and the middle zone is everything inbetween.

GLOSSARY 77

File
A computer file is a block of arbitrary information,or resource for storing information, which isavailable to a computer program and is usuallybased on some kind of durable storage. A file isdurable in the sense that it remains available forprograms to use after the current program has
finished. Computer files can be considered as themodern counterpart of paper documents which
traditionally are kept in office and library files, andthis is the source of the term.
File System
A file system (often also written as filesystem) is amethod of storing and organizing computer files
and their data. Essentially, it organizes these files
into a database for the storage, organization,
manipulation, and retrieval by the computer's
operating system.
Filename
The filename is metadata about a file; a special
kind of string used to uniquely identify a file stored
on the file system of a computer. Some operating
systems also identify directories in the same way.
Different operating systems impose different
restrictions on length and allowed characters on
filenames.
Hard Disk
A hard disk drive (HDD) is a non-volatile, random
access device for digital data. It features rotating
rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within aprotective enclosure. Data is magnetically read
and written on the platter by read/write heads
that float on a film of air above the platters.

Log File
A log file is a computer file, in which a program
records events, such as user access or data
manipulation as they occur, to serve as an audit
trail, diagnostic device, or security measure.
Metadata
Metadata is loosely defined as data about data.
Metadata is traditionally found in the card
catalogs of libraries and is today commonly used
to describe three aspects of digital documents anddata: 1) definition, 2) structure and 3)
administration. By describing the contents andcontext of data files, the quality of the originaldata/files is greatly increased. For example, a
webpage may include metadata specifying what
language it's written in, what tools were used tocreate it, and where to go for more on the subject,
allowing browsers to automatically improve theexperience of users.
Metafile
Metafile is a generic term for a file format that canstore multiple types of data. This commonly
includes graphics file formats. These graphics files
can contain raster, vector, and type data. A
common use for these files is to provide support
for an operating system's computer graphics.
MFT (Master File Table)
MFT, or Master File Table, is a unique system filethat essentially acts as a database containing
metadata about every file, directory or metafile
on an NTFS volume. It includes filenames,
locations, size, and permissions.

Hard Drive
See Hard Disk above
Hibernation Mode
Hibernation is functionality allowing a computer tobe turned off completely while maintaining its
state. On switching back on the state is restored to
the way it was, with files open, unsaved dataintact, etc.

GLOSSARY 78

Notification Area
The notification area (also called the system tray)is the portion of the taskbar that displays icons for
system and program features that have no
presence on the desktop as well as the time andthe volume icon. It contains mainly icons that show
status information, though some programs use it
for minimized windows. By default, this is locatedin the bottom-right of the primary monitor (orbottom-left on languages of Windows that use
right-to-left reading order), or at the bottom of thetaskbar if docked vertically. The clock appears
here, and applications can put icons in the
notification area to indicate the status of an
operation or to notify the user about an event.
NTFS
NTFS (New Technology File System) is the standard
file system of Windows NT, including its later
versions Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows
Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows
Vista, Windows 7, 8, 10.
Offline Defragmentation
The term Offline Defragmentation is used in the
program to signify defragmentation that runs atboot time, before the operating system starts up,
and works by defragmenting system files that arelocked during normal system operation.
Paging FileIn computer operating systems, paging is one of
the memory-management schemes by which acomputer can store and retrieve data fromsecondary storage for use in main memory. On
Windows NT based systems, dedicated swap space
is known as a page file and paging/swapping areoften used interchangeably. In NT-based versionsof Windows (such as Windows XP, Windows Vista,
and Windows 7), the file used for paging is named
pagefile.sys. The default location of the page file isin the root directory of the partition where
Windows is installed.

Prefetch
The Prefetch folder is a subfolder of the Windows
system folder. Each time you turn on yourcomputer, Windows keeps track of the way yourcomputer starts and which programs you
commonly open. Windows saves this information
as a number of small files in the Prefetch folder.
The next time you turn on your computer,
Windows refers to these files to help speed thestart process.
Privilege
In computing, privilege is defined as the delegationof authority over a computer system. A privilege isa permission to perform an action. Examples ofvarious privileges include the ability to create a filein a directory, or to read or delete a file, access a
device, or have read or write permission to asocket for communicating over the Internet.
Process
In computing, a process is an instance of acomputer program that is being executed. It
contains the program code and its current activity.
Depending on the operating system (OS), a process
may be made up of multiple threads of executionthat execute instructions concurrently.
Processor
The term most commonly refers to a computer’s
Central Processing Unit (CPU). It is the portion of acomputer system that carries out the instructionsof a computer program, to perform the basicarithmetical, logical, and input/output operationsof the system.
ProfileA profile is a set of data portraying the significant
features of something. It is also defined as acontrol file for a program automatically read fromeach user's home directory and intended to beeasily modified by the user in order tocustomize the program's behavior. It is used to
avoid hard-coded choices.

GLOSSARY 79

Registry
Windows registry is a hierarchical database that
stores configuration settings and options on
Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains
settings for low-level operating systemcomponents, as well as the applications runningon the platform. The kernel, device drivers,
services, SAM, user interface and third party
applications all make use of the Registry.
Resource Profile
The term Resource Profile is used in the program
to describe a combination of settings configured todirect usage of system resources bydefragmentation or optimization operations. A
user can configure several resource profiles andassign different profiles to different
defragmentation tasks.
Scheduled Defragmentation
See Defragmentation by Time
SectorIn computer disk storage, a sector is a subdivisionof a track on a magnetic disk or optical disc. Eachsector stores a fixed amount of user data.
Traditional formatting of these storage media
provides space for 512 bytes (for magnetic disks)or 2048 bytes (for optical discs) of user-accessible
data per sector. Newer hard drives use 4096 byte
(4KB or "4K") sectors.
Sleep Mode
Sleep mode refers to a low power mode forelectronic devices such as computers, televisions,and remote controlled devices. These modes savesignificant electrical consumption compared toleaving a device fully on and idle, but allow theuser to avoid having to reset programming codes
or wait for a machine to reboot. Many devices
signify this power mode by a pulsing LED power
light. When placed in this sleep mode, aside fromthe RAM, which is required to restore themachine's state, the computer attempts to cut
power to all unneeded parts of the machine.

SnapshotIn computer systems, a snapshot is the state of asystem at a particular point in time. The term wascoined as an analogy to that in photography. It canrefer to an actual copy of the state of a system or
to a capability provided by certain systems.
Solid State
Solid-state electronics are those circuits or devices
built entirely from solid materials and in which theelectrons, or other charge carriers, are confinedentirely within the solid material. The term isoften used to contrast with the earlier
technologies of vacuum and gas-discharge tube
devices and it is also conventional to exclude
electro-mechanical devices (relays, switches, hard
drives and other devices with moving parts) fromthe term solid state.
Solid State Drive (SSD)
A solid-state drive (SSD) is a data storage device
that uses solid state memory to store persistentdata. SSD’s contain no moving parts, but use
microchips that retain data in non-volatile memory
chips.
System Resources
In a computer system, system resources are thecomponents that provide its inherent capabilities
and contribute to its overall performance. Systemmemory, cache memory, hard disk space, IRQs
and DMA channels are examples.
Unmovable File
As used in the program, this term refers to files
that could not be defragmented or optimized due
to access being denied to them by the system.
Examples of such files are NTFS service metafiles,
Windows paging file, hibernation file, and othersystem files that are locked or in use by the system
or by certain applications.

GLOSSARY 80

VolumeIn the context of computer operating systems,
volume is the term used to describe a single
accessible storage area with a single file system,
typically (though not necessarily) resident on asingle partition of a hard disk. Similarly, it refers to
the logical interface used by an operating system
to access data stored on some media using asingle instance of a filesystem. "Volume" can beused in place of the term "drive" where it isdesirable to indicate that the entity in question is
not a physical disk drive, but rather the corporate
data stored using a filesystem there. "Logicaldrive" and "volume" should be consideredsynonymous; however, "volume" and "partition"
are not synonymous.

VSS
VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service, Volume
Snapshot Service) is a backup & restore function in
Windows that makes copies of volumes (harddisks, etc.). VSS works stand alone within the OS;for example, starting with Windows Server 2003, it
is used to create incremental backups of a volume.
In Windows Server 2008, a disk shadow utility wasadded to allow VSS operations to be scripted. Also
available in Windows client versions starting with
Windows XP, VSS can be activated by third-party
backup software.

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