In an earlier edition of Gulf Coast Computing I reviewed the product Diskeeper. This is a defragmentation product that is considerably better and many times faster than the defragmentation program included with Windows XP, or indeed, with any version of Windows. The latest version of Diskeeper has just been released. This version supports all Windows platforms. Because the new version is considerably improved you need to know about it.

The earlier edition (Version 7.0) obtained a 98 percent market share of all of defragmenters sold to the corporate market. The Second Edition (SE) provides users with the latest technology in variable defragmentation modes. Diskeeper can be used on the home computer or on networks with different versions available for each task. Diskeeper 7.0 (SE) is the optimum solution to handle fragmentation and keep the system up and running at peak performance. Diskeeper’s hallmark Set it and Forget it® and Smart Scheduling® options fully automate a task that can only be done manually with defrag versions supplied with Windows. Any one of the three defrag modes in the new product can be easily automated with Diskeeper’s popular scheduling options. This allows for more routine defragmentation of a network or home computer.

New Screen Saver Mode: Using this mode, defragmentation occurs only while your screen saver is operating. I am personally using this mode and find it remarkable in its action. The result is that I know defragmenting is taking place at a time when my computer is otherwise not in use.

Smart Scheduling: In this mode, you can set the time of day you wish defragmenting to occur. For example, you can set it to run during the lunch hour.

Second edition (SE) gives you three basic modes of operation and you can set the one you prefer, or change it, very easily. The modes are: Maximum disk performance, Improved free space, or Quick defragmentation. After experimenting with the three modes I chose the Maximum disk performance mode and find it very satisfactory for my tasks. You can easily experiment with any of the three modes simply by changing your check mark in the mode selector.

I downloaded the SE version. It is a very easy download and it is self installing when you double click on the downloaded file.

The URL for Executive Software, the parent company of Diskeeper, is: www.execsoft.com.

For information by phone, the numbers are 800 829 6468 and 818 771 1600.