each time I run the "Analyse only" option in JKD I have to go and open the log file when done.

How about a small modification to the -q parameter as follows:

-q 0 - quit as normal (default)
-q 1 - quit and open the log file (if there is one)
-q 2 - reboot when done
-q 3 - shutdown when done.

q 1 is the option I would find most useful, and would be ignored in the screen saver option, as would 2 and 3.

Thanks once again for a superior program. After testing plenty of other programs I still prefer JkDefrag

But it looks like UltraDefrag. Stolen code from UltraDefrag?
prove me wrong if it isn't.  :wink:

It doesn't seem to be. Defraggler is much closer to Defrag-A-File from PC Magazine in terms of user interface and philosophy. Also, I don't think the Piriform programmers would "borrow" code in this way, although there is nothing stopping a programmer from reading the code from either UltraDefrag or JKD in order to see how things are done.

I have tested Defraggler and an earlier version of UltraDefrag, and I think that JkDefrag is superior in approach, and far more mature in implementation.

The only usable Win98 defrag program still available is Vopt 7, which costs $40 and won't cripple your machine. It also works on WinXP so you an upgrade later without buying another program.

(I used to use Diskeeper 7 on Win98, but it's a dog and you can't buy it any more anyway.)

Another option is to create a BartPE bootable CD to defrag your PC, and then return to Win98 afterwards.

For goodness sake make sure your Win98 machine has a good AV program like NOD32 (it won't slow you down too much) and that you are protected from the Internet by a good firewall/router that doesn't run on the Win98 PC itself. Either that or disable any internet access.

Thanks for your story, it made most interesting reading.

I am pleased to announce that JkDefrag has survived the AfD process largely intact, and a bit improved. Thanks for all the contributions.

[screen saver]

I use both programs as follows:

JkDefrag screen saver plus two desktop icons, one for full defrag and another for Analyse only

PerfectDisk 8 is set up with no scheduled defrag. This is important, to prevent PD and JKD from trying to work at the same time.

If my drive gets so messed up that I need the free space sorted out, then I disable the JKD screensaver and run PD overnight and request a free space defrag. This is followed by a full JKD defrag as well. All of this is done by means of a batch file, since both programs provide command line support. I find myself running this batch file once every few months or so, but it doesn't happen as much as before because of the "space hogs" concept.

If by "freshen" you mean you want to prevent "bit rot" (i.e. loss of magnetic signal over time) then the best way to do this is to use Spinrite about once every 4 months. It costs $85 from grc.com and works on most drives.

Thanks for the kind remarks. The Defrag Shootout lasted several months and covered 15 commercial packages and 16 freeware packages, and has been mentioned on the Security Now podcast as well.

In the past 30 days over 1500 people have read the review for JkDefrag 3.8, and 502 have read the winners page in the last week, so the word is getting out there.

Thanks once again for an excellent program

[Free stand-alone disk defragmentation tool]

I see JkDefrag is getting more recommendations, this time from Mark Edwards in the Windows Secrets newsletter (paid version)

September 13, 2007, Issue 122

>>>>

            Free stand-alone disk defragmentation tool

            Defragmenting your hard drives is important, because doing so increases system speed and reduces drive wear by eliminating unnecessary disk read operations.

            File are stored on your disk in sectors. The more compact your files are, the faster your disk subsystem can find the information and read it. So, naturally, the optimal storage pattern for any file is to have all of its sectors right next to each other.

            That's where disk defragmentation tools come into play. Defrag tools rearrange your files so that they're stored contiguously. Windows comes with a built-in disk deframentation tool, but it's not the fastest one available, nor is it very flexible. In fact, you must run the tool as Administrator, which presents a problem for many users.

            John Mason wrote to us about this problem and asked if we know of any disk defragmentation tools that are self-contained, can run from a flash drive, and don't require Administrator-level access in order to run.

            John, I do know of such a tool. JkDefrag is a free, lightweight tool that that comes in three varieties. The first variety runs as a typical Windows desktop application, the second is a command-line version, and the third is a screensaver that defrags the drive when your screensaver kicks in.

            Another cool feature of JkDefrag is that it defrags floppies and USB-based media, such as flash drives. If you're interested, you can also download the complete source code for use in Microsoft Visual C++.

<<<<

TrueCrypt has a known limitation on Win2k with the way it mounts drives that prevents most defraggers from working. Sysinternal's contig works, though.

It must be a Windows 2000 problem, because I have used JKD from version 3.8 onwards on my Truecrypt volumes on Windows XP Pro SP2

Since you're using contig, try this registry change to make it easier.

[smug armchair critics]

Donn, why don't you just make that list of defraggers and put it on Wiki? They can't reject that, and it will keep a reference to JkDefrag for the future.

You already made a public statement on Wiki about your 31 reviews, which I think should become entries on that list, so it should only take you 5 minutes to make it.

Unfortunately the smug armchair critics on Wikipedia deleted my comprehensive list of defrag programs because they didn't want WWikiPedia to be a "link farm" You can see the list on my personal wikipedia page.

I'll work on a features table and then post it. Thanks for the suggestion

One of the problems the Wiki admins have with the article is a lack of "notable sources", i.e. press reviews, published papers, etc.

Can anyone provide a reference for the article? Even a press clipping is a start! Post it here, or edit the wikipedia article directly.

I see someone else has already added a few references to online reviews of other products, and i would put a link to the "Great Defrag Shootout" but that is regarded as self-promotion and anyway they don't regard blogs as "notable" sources.

Please go to the AfD Page and make your comments known

I see that the article is back. I also noticed that JkDefrag has been awared the "100% Clean" award by Softpedia

I found the following entry at jkdefrag.com, whuch seems to be a copy of the WikiPedia article.

JkDefrag is a disk defragmenting utility for Windows, and is the first open source defragmenting project of its kind. This free computer program was developed by Jeroen Kessels beginning in 2006, and is released under the GNU General Public License.

JkDefrag works on Windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista Operating Systems and uses the Windows defragmentation API.

JkDefrag classifies files into 3 zones: directories (zone 1), regular files (zone 2), and "space hogs" (zone 3). Files outside their zone are moved to their zone. Directories are perhaps the most accessed data on disk, so zone 1 is placed at the beginning of the drive. After the directories comes a free space area, then zone 2 with regular files, another free area, and then zone 3 with "space hogs", which are large files, archives, recycle bin contents, service pack files, and other infrequently accessed data.

Related Software: There are several graphical user interface utilities designed to work with JkDefrag, and translations into French, German, Spanish, Italian and Chinese. JKDefrag Option GUI by Emiel Wieldraaijer includes support for 14 languages, and has additional support for BartPE implementations: Please visit: http://www.emro.nl/freeware/

JkDefragGUI by Markus Hörl includes support for 9 languages, and there is a setup version. Please visit: http://jkdefrag.8qm.de/english.php

Article based on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jkdefrag

More info on the official website: http://www.kessels.com/JkDefrag/
Latest articles

Does anyone have a more up-to-date copy of the Wiki article?

I noticed that 3.23 crashed whenever it saw a mapped drive. This has been fixed in 3.24, but the message in the log file is a bit weird:

12:45:12 Analyzing disk 'M:\'
12:45:12 Cannot find volume name for mountpoint 'M:\': [3] The system cannot find the path specified.

This is for
"C:\Program Files\JkDefrag\JkDefrag.exe" -a 1 -q

Please could you change it at some point to check for a mapped drive, similar to the checking for removable drives? I realise it's a small point in the grand scheme of things, but still ...

Thanks for a brilliant program

[% progress]

I have downloaded 3.19 and tried really hard to get it to crash, but I can't. Thanks and well done!!

The only problem I have now is that 3.19 takes 2 minutes to load the MFT (or whatever it is doing) without any progress being shown on the display. I think most users will regard that as a case of the program having a problem or not working correctly. Only if I use -d 6 can I see any information on what is being done.

Please could you add a % progress or something from the time the program loads until the time it starts processing the file names? Version 3.16 took 50 seconds to analyse my C: drive. Now 3.19 is taking much longer I don't think the extra time is excessive, but a progress display is most important.

That was quick work! I'm getting a 404 error trying to download 3.19 32bit version. I'll try again later.