Raxco PerfectDisk 7.0 Disk Defragmentation - Single User

Rating:
Summary: A definite winner ! 2 thumbs up !
Review: I have tested various defrag utilities.

For me, it was sort of a "tie"; between RAXCO's Perfect disk and
"O and O" 's defrag.

[...]

As far as Raxco goes, they offer a 30 day demo on their website.
So if you want to test drive the software, you can do so.
From everything I saw in the "demo", it contains the exact same features you'll find in the full-version.
So you get a "real deal" test drive.


Features:
-online mode
-offline mode
-scheduled mode

LEVELs of defragging:
-defragment only [basic level]
-SMARTplacement [a higher level of optimization than just defrag only]
-aggressive mode [highest mode - adds consolidation of free space]

I like having the choice of doing any of 3 modes:
1. an online mode
2. offline mode of defragging
3. or both


The PROs :
everything listed above

The Cons:
- this can run a lot longer than MS builtin defrag does,
based upon your choice[s].

Conclusion:
- if you do the most indepth defrag that Raxco's PD& is capable of, you will definitely feel the difference [when compared with the basic MS defrag or norton's speed disk].
- You can't go wrong with this product. Works great.

2 thumbs up !

Rating:
Summary: love this program
Review: i have tried out a lot of software, and this is one that is definitely worth purchasing. you can set it up to run weekly, which keeps your disks in good health.

Rating:
Summary: Simple and Simply Amazing
Review: If you are new to or nervous about computer utility programs you will feel comfortable with this one. This is especially true if you are tired of the limitations of Window's defrag program but are afraid to venture "off the farm". Pefect Disk 7 will reward you with improved perfomance, ease of use, and peace of mind.

I would consider myself an intermediate user and pretty comfortable with tinkering with computers and computer programs. Fortunately, Raxco's PerfectDisk (PD) requires none. PD6 got the Editor's Choice award from PC Magazine. So when I found out Raxco had a free full-program trial of their newest version on their website I downloaded it immediately.

I was not disappointed. The download site even lets you choose the appropiate version of PD7 to match your operating system. It operates completely independently of the Windows OS (operating system; i.e. Windows XP). Opening and Installing the program was a walk in the park (I recommend Mozilla as the browser of first choice because it make downloads very easy)and required no extra knowledge of the user.

In order to extend the life of my Pentium III 866 Mhz system, I got the RAM up to 512mb (XP's sweet spot) and then wiped my disk and did a complete reinstall. It was fantastic, but soon fragments began to show up that XP could not repair. I didn't want wipe my disk again (wipe = completely erase all data and programs from disk).

I had earlier tried O&O's defrag utility which is the only comparable defragger, but it required more tweaking than a novice, or anyone else, should have to do. Without a more thorough comparison I would be tempted to say that O&O's program is the most complete and truly industrial strength defrag program available. But again, the tweaking is not for novices.

The good news is that PD7 is very close to that level, but incredibly easier to use. Just do what it tells you.

If you are the tiniest bit adventurous you can use its menu options to tweak the program. These are options within the program and none of them require you to go outside the program to complete them. You just toggle (choose) the options you do or don't want. I did opt to have the program try to consolidate all the free space on my drive, but that was it.

For the only the second time ever, I have all my free space in one place and no frags on my harddrive. With PD7 you will have to defrag your boot files - but it tells you how to do that as well. It will then take 2 or 3 passes to fully align all your files, but the program is very quick. O&O's program is the only other program that I know that can do this and does this in one pass automatically. It is more thorough in its file reorganiztion than PD7, but also about three to four times slower.

If you have tinkered with your Virtual Ram (VR) I would suggest you reset it to 2mb (the minimum allowable), defrag, and then reset the VR to the level you wish and then defrag again. This will ensure you get continuous free space on your drive.

Bottom line. If you are going to spend your money, get quality stuff. Perfect Disk 7 is second only to O&O's Defrag in execution, and first above everyone in ease of use. So if you are a first-time utility program buyer I can guarantee you will have no worries with this one and should be quite happy with it.