Msoft uses Diskeeper as their defrag tool. Trying to resize partition?

[mikesw]

Here's info I stumbled across which I didn't know about. It appears that the defrag tool MSoft

supplies is a limited function version of Diskeeper software which they licensed from them.

See,

http://support.Microsoft.Com/kb/227463

some other interesting info,

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc302206.aspx

I wonder about Vista and Win 7 defraggers as to who wrote these?

Msofts pagefile defragger v2.32

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinte...s/bb897426.aspx

The reason I'm looking into this is because on my VISTA system the OS partition is 500 gigs, but it could

be reduced to 100gigs. However, I can't use the disk manager to shrink the partition down since some MFT

files and others are at the 500 Gig boundary of the partition although there is plenty of free space in the

beginning or middle of the partition. As a result, the disk manager says that I can't shrink anymore because

it's too dumb as to how to move these files to other areas of the disk. Thus freeing up the outer boundary

of the partition so that some of this space can be removed.

I thought the defraggers would move them to the beginning of the disk to optimize not only the filesystem

but the usage of the partition space instead of spreading all the files all over creation (that is the partition).

So how can I get around this so that I can shrink the partition down?

Edited March 12, 2009 by mikesw

[jaclaz]

Really?

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...8603&st=499

Links are not more valid, but we still have the Wayback machine:

http://web.archive.org/web/20071110031012/...1999110241.html

***By the way, I'd like to add one small detail omitted by CNET's review.

It's true that Windows NT 5.0 will contain a defragmentation utility, but

readers of this review should know that the defragmentation utility is a

stripped-down manual version of our very own Diskeeper.

http://web.archive.org/web/20071107064829/...1999110255.html

1. EXECUTIVE SOFTWARE PRODUCT NEWS

Diskeeper in Windows 2000: Is It All You Need?

Along with many other publications, the August issue of Windows Magazine

reports that Windows 2000 contains a defragmenter. In fact, not only

does Windows Mag report on the product, they've placed this defragmenter

(a manual and stripped-down version of Diskeeper) as one of the ten best

features of Windows 2000. We'd like to thank Windows Magazine for its

repeated recognition and reportage of Diskeeper (it has been on their

WinList of recommended software two years running).

We're very proud to have our product included in Win2000. Microsoft's

recognition that Windows NT benefits from periodic defragmentation is

well documented. System Administrators upgrading to Windows 2000 will

see, some for the first time, the impact that defragmentation technology

can have on their own system's performance.

This is however not-so-hidden:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diskeeper

The Vista defrag is said to be a a new thingie developed internally by the Vista team.

Pagefile defrag is "MS" because they bought Sysinternals, and all tolls made by Mark Russinovich.

jaclaz

[mikesw]

Really?

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...8603&st=499

jaclaz

I see it was already discussed on msfn.

I'm wondering if I can't find a defrag tool that will move my files to the beginning of the disk so that I can

shrink the partition, will imaging the partition, then reformating it, then shrinking it down followed by

writing the image back to the formated partiion work? I presume the disk imaging tool is capable

of moving the files around to fit within the smaller partition size and not complain that the partition is to

small because some files are at the outer partiton boundary.

[jaclaz]

The point is, WHY you want to use an image/cloning tool+a defragging one.

You make a new sparse file, of appropriate size (when expanded).

You mount it as a Virtual disk.

Or you make a new partition of given size.

Then you use file copying/backup utilities (driven by a script or batch) to copy the files in a given order to/from the image/other partition.

When files are written (for the first time and on a newly formatted filesystem) they are contiguous.

That's the old way we used (poor man's or poor Admin's if you prefer ) with NT4, which did not came with a Defrag utility.

On NTFS you will need something like robocopy or xxcopy or strarc:

http://www.ltr-data.se/opencode.html

capable of keeping NTFS info and metadata.

jaclaz

[fdv]

I'm wondering if I can't find a defrag tool that will move my files to the beginning of the disk

Perfect Disk, which jaclaz linked will do this. There is also a free one that will too, called jkdefrag, (GUI add-on here) which uses windows' built-in defrag engine but will actually move ALL files up front like you want (don't let the fact that it uses the MS engine throw you off). Down both of these and see if it doesn't fix your dilemma.

I don't know how much of a budget you have but building on jaclaz's response I suggest you see if you can buy a copy of Partition Magic for $70. It will eliminate about 5 or 6 steps you're thinking of with all of the imaging

[jaclaz]

did I link to perfect disk?

What I normally use is ultradefrag:

http://ultradefrag.sourceforge.net/

jaclaz