DiskTune is a freeware

Freeware

Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...

 defragmentation

Defragmentation

In the maintenance of file systems, defragmentation is a process that reduces the amount of fragmentation. It does this by physically organizing the contents of the mass storage device used to store files into the smallest number of contiguous regions . It also attempts to create larger regions of...

 program for Windows XP

Windows XP

Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...

, Server 2003

Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft, introduced on 24 April 2003. An updated version, Windows Server 2003 R2, was released to manufacturing on 6 December 2005...

, Vista

Windows Vista

Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...

, Server 2008, and 7 (both 32-bit

32-bit

The range of integer values that can be stored in 32 bits is 0 through 4,294,967,295. Hence, a processor with 32-bit memory addresses can directly access 4 GB of byte-addressable memory....

 and 64-bit

64-bit

64-bit is a word size that defines certain classes of computer architecture, buses, memory and CPUs, and by extension the software that runs on them. 64-bit CPUs have existed in supercomputers since the 1970s and in RISC-based workstations and servers since the early 1990s...

). It supports FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS

NTFS

NTFS is the standard file system of Windows NT, including its later versions Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, and Windows 7....

 file systems.

As common with other defragmentation programs, DiskTune uses the Windows defrag API

Application programming interface

An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other...

. DiskTune is capable of moving the Master File Table (MFT) while the file system is mounted. DiskTune provides boot and application launch optimization utilizing the Windows layout.ini (see Prefetcher

Prefetcher

The Prefetcher is a component of versions of Microsoft Windows starting with Windows XP. It is a component of the Memory Manager that speeds up the Windows boot process, and shortens the amount of time it takes to start up programs...

). DiskTune counters interaction between the Shadow Copy service and defragmentation I/O

Input/output

In computing, input/output, or I/O, refers to the communication between an information processing system , and the outside world, possibly a human, or another information processing system. Inputs are the signals or data received by the system, and outputs are the signals or data sent from it...

 by offering a VSS safe-mode option. DiskTune monitors the hard disk's temperature using S.M.A.R.T., and can warn the user if it overheats.

Features

DiskTune offers normal defragmentation as well as an optimization mode. The goal of optimization is to improve boot-time and faster application as well as frequently used files loading times. To accomplish the latter DiskTune moves those frequently used files and directories and the MFT in what it calls the 'system area' at the start of the volume.

DiskTune can be run with command-line parameters (shortcuts created by DiskTune itself employ this capability).

Compatibility

• Although DiskTune is a 32-bit application it is capable of moving files in the system folder on 64-bit Windows versions: DiskTune will detect if it is running in a WoW64
  WoW64
  WoW64 is a subsystem of the Windows operating system that is capable of running 32-bit applications and is included on all 64-bit versions of Windows—including Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, IA-64 and x64 versions of Windows Server 2003, as well as 64-bit versions of Windows Vista, Windows...
  
  environment and will disable the File System Redirector for its own process for the duration of the process.
• VSS safe-mode emulates a 16 KB cluster size to ensure all disk I/O is 16 KB aligned. As a result, in VSS safe-mode it will not move files smaller than 16 KB nor will it move larger files if they can't be moved to a location where the move-delta between original location and new location is not an increment of 16 KB.

Limitations

• DiskTune cannot move files which an administrator does not have access to. These are files that can typically only be accessed by the system account.
• DiskTune cannot access files for which Windows bypasses normal file-system access (raw access) such as the pagefile and the hibernation file.
• DiskTune may be unable to access files that are in use (it can most of the time however). These can include logfiles constantly being written to.
• An open bug causes DiskTune to skip directories for which the name starts with "." (e.g. "\.cache\").

External links

• DiskTune blog and download
• Windows File System Redirector