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Defrag Utility for Windows NT Server

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by fanchant

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I need to *sigh* defrag by boot drive. I'm looking at Speed Disk 5.1 for NT Server by Symantec, but have heard some bad things about this product's Server edition. Does anyone have any reviews on this product or suggestions for other software I should checkout?

8 replies

by marshallkeithusa

I have used speed disk for years on NT with no problems at all. I am presently using the speed disk that came with norton systemworks 2000 I have used it for a year with out a burp. . . if that is any help.

by greg hayes/raxco software

The issue that alot of people have with SpeedDisk 5.x is that SpeedDisk is the ONLY defragger that doesn't use the defrag APIs provided by Microsoft as part of the operating system. The defrag APIs are tightly integrated with the file system, memory manager and caching system and take are of all of the low level I/O synchronization required to allow even files that are open and being accessed by other users/processes to be safely defragmented online. SpeedDisk is "doing their own thing" - which means that they can be service pack and/or hotfix dependent (using the defrag APIs means sp/hotfix independent). Granted, by not using the MS defrag APIs, SpeedDisk can bypass some of the limitations of those defrag APIs, however, alot of customers feel safer by using the mechanism that is provided by and supported by Microsoft.

Greg/Raxco Software

Disclaimer: I work for Raxco Software, the maker of PerfectDisk - a competitor to SpeedDisk, as a systems engineer in the support department.

by fanchant

But Microsoft doesn't provide a defrag utility with Windows NT Server. Are you saying they have one for sale or download somewhere, or are you just talking about the 9x defrag?

by greg hayes/raxco software

Microsoft provides the APIs that can be used by defragmenters to safely defragment files. However, Microsoft does NOT provide a built-in defragger for NT 4. To get a defragger for Windows NT 4, you'll have to download a 3rd party defragger - my previous post has a list of the ones available for NT 4 as well as brief descriptions of what each product can do.

- Greg/Raxco Software

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