If you’ve noticed your computer getting slower over time you might need to defragment the files and folders on your hard drive. From Windows XP forward a basic defragmenter was included, but it was very poor. Microsoft did include a Windows defragmentation API that could be hooked into to provide better defragmentation.

The reason you might want to defragment your hard drive using something other than the included software would be to defrag files 64 MB and smaller, which are ordinarily ignored, but can still impact overall performance.

One program that hooks into the defrag API is called Power Defragmenter. The Microsoft Sysinternals Contig core, or defrag API, is called simply Contig. Power Degragmenter is a GUI for Contig, with which you can select files and folders to degragment. The software is not yet automated.

The author warns not to use Power Defragmenter on USB flash drives, or SSD (solid state) drive, because they consist of a type of memory where fragmentation does not occur, and trying to defragment those drives can ruin them.

Click here to download Power Defragmenter, and here to view the home page.

The core program from Microsoft that Power Defragmenter uses is called Contig. You can run Contig from the command line without installing Power Defragmenter. Be sure to run Contig from the command line as "Run as administrator," or it will fail to run.

Click here to download Contig.

Here’s some information on Contig from the program’s page:

Introduction

There are a number of NT disk defraggers on the market, including Winternals Defrag Manager. These tools are useful for performing a general defragmentation of disks, but while most files are defragmented on drives processed by these utilities, some files may not be. In addition, it is difficult to ensure that particular files that are frequently used are defragmented – they may remain fragmented for reasons that are specific to the defragmentation algorithms used by the defragging product that has been applied. Finally, even if all files have been defragmented, subsequent changes to critical files could cause them to become fragmented. Only by running an entire defrag operation can one hope that they might be defragmented again.

Contig is a single-file defragmenter that attempts to make files contiguous on disk. Its perfect for quickly optimizing files that are continuously becoming fragmented, or that you want to ensure are in as few fragments as possible.

Using Contig

Contig can be used to defrag an existing file, or to create a new file of a specified size and name, optimizing its placement on disk. Contig uses standard Windows defragmentation APIs so it won’t cause disk corruption, even if you terminate it while its running.

To make an existing file contiguous use Contig as follows:

Usage: contig [-v] [-a] [-q] [-s] [filename]

-v Use the -v switch to have Contig print out information about the file defrag operations that are performed.
-a If you want to simply see how fragmented a file or files have become, use the -a switch to have Contig analyze fragmentation.
-q The -q switch, which over-rides the -v switch, makes Contig run in "quiet" mode, where the only thing it prints during a defrag run is summary information.
-s Use the -s switch to perform a recursive processing of subdirectories when you specify a filename with wildcards.

For instance, to defragment all DLLs under c:’winnt you could enter "contig -s c:’winnt’*.dll".

To make a new file that is defragmented upon creation, use Contig like this:

Usage: contig [-v] [-n filename length]

How it Works

Contig uses the native Windows NT defragmentation support that was introduced with NT 4.0 (see my documentation of the defrag APIs for more information). It first scans the disk collecting the locations and sizes of free areas. Then it determines where the file in question is located. Next, Contig decides whether the file can be optimized, based on free areas and the number of fragments the file currently consists of. If the file can be optimized, it is moved into the free spaces of the disk.

© Copyright NerdGrind 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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This article will help computer users who have found their computer getting slower and slower over the years. It’s when a person’s computer starts to slow down that they notice ads, like the example below, asking if their computer has slowed down, and then tries to sell them software to remove worms, viruses, spyware, malware, and to optimize your computer, whatever that means, but most often the problem is just a bloated Windows index database.

As the years go by, and you add more and more files and programs to your computer, it slows down incrementally until one day you start considering purchasing a newer faster computer, or start to become concerned that the computer has become infected.

Before buying a new computer, adding RAM, buying a faster hard drive, or purchasing software to clean infections that can waste time and slow your computer down even further, turn off the indexing service first and see if that fixes the problem, and restores your computer back to its old fast self.

The indexing service is supposed to speed up a search for files on the hard drive, which is rarely done by most people, so it’s not like there’s much to lose by turning indexing off.

This tutorial will walk you through turning off the indexing service in Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Window XP.

Windows Vista and Windows 7

Click the Windows Start button -> Control Panel -> then click Programs and Features.

Now click the link on the left for Turn Windows features on or off.

In the Windows Features window make sure the Indexing Service is unchecked. It probably is, because this is a remnant from Windows XP. If you need to uncheck it, click OK when done.

Now click the Windows Start button -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services. Locate the Windows Search service, and double click on it.

On the General tab locate Startup type: and select Disabled from the pull-down menu. Click Apply, then the Stop button, and finally the OK button.

Next click the Windows Start button -> Computer -> then right click the C: drive -> then click Propterties

Un-check the box next to Index this drive for faster searching.

Choose Apply changes to drive C:’ only, and click OK. Repeat this for any external, or additional internal hard drives, you have installed. Windows indexing all drives by default, so you’ll need turn indexing off for each one.

Reboot your computer. After the computer finishes restarting click the Windows Start button -> Control Panel -> Indexing Options.

If the Windows Indexing Service is not longer running you’ll see the message Indexing is not runnig.

Now click the Windows Start button -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services. Locate the Windows Search service, and make sure it says Disabled.

Windows XP

• Open “Control Panel”, select “Administrator Tools”, and open Services applet. Alternatively, type services.msc in the Rn text box from Start menu, and then hit Enter.
• Scroll down and locate Indexing Service service, and then double click on it.
• Click on Stop button to immediately stop the indexing service if the service status shows “Running.
• Under the “Startup Type”, select Disabled to permanently disable the indexing service so that it won’t run again.
• Click OK.

If the indexing service was slowing down your computer you should now notice a speed improvement.

© Copyright NerdGrind 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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Someone with a free weekend took the time to make a music video with music composed only from sounds found on Windows XP and Windows 98. Most people will recognize many of these sounds, which proves how integrated the Microsoft operating systems have been in our lives over the years.

© Copyright NerdGrind 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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It’s official, Asus unveiled the Asus Eee Top, a 15.6 inch all-in-one touchscreen PC for your desktop. It was officially announced and unveiled hours ago in Taipei. Reports of hands-on use describe the desktop as having the same basic feel as an Eee PC. The desktop comes running XP, but also has an "Easy Mode" UI that runs aloft XP for use with the touchscreen.

The ET1602, which was announced today, will cost around $580 but the more powerful version ET1603, with better graphics and battery, will probably cost more when it ges released in the coming weeks.

© Copyright NerdGrind 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Related posts:

• Power Defragmenter for Windows 7 and Windows Vista and Windows XP based on Contig
• Steve Ballmer Does Not Understand the iPhone
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• AMP UP Before You Score iPhone App