Someone reviewed v on Jul 5, 2022

Pros: 555

Cons: 555

Bottom Line: 555

Enlightenment reviewed v4.3.1 on Dec 19, 2014

Old school look, but very powerful. It just works without problems and that's what's important.

You can edit the script files with a text editor, add various file types and directories that you want to push towards the end of the drive during the full drive defrag, and I love this capability.

It doesn't have boot-time defrag, but I'll install another program to do it from time to time.

dhry reviewed v4.2.9 on Mar 8, 2010

Changelog:
* Added a check to * MoveToEndOfDisk to exit more quickly if the program is stopped prematurely.
* Fixed an installation bug that causes an "unable to execute file" error for the MyDefragScreenSaver.scr file.
* Changed the * MoveToEndOfDisk fileaction so it will skip a file faster if there is no gap large enough above the file.
* Changed the * MoveToEndOfDisk fileaction so it will stop faster when MyDefrag is stopped by the user.
* Fixed a bug that limited the value of constant numbers in a script to 2147483647.
* The ZoneBegin will no longer be automatically moved by a zone that contains a MoveToEndOfDisk fileaction.
* Removed the automatic disk filters from most of the default scripts. For example, the script for flash memory disks will now run for all the selected disks, and not only for removable disks.
* Fixed a problem where enlarging a gap for FastFill would be extremely slow if the file to be moved away was a NTFS compressed file.
* Fixed a bug in MaxRunTime statement that would cause it to always use zero as maximum runtime.
* Fixed a bug that could cause the subroutine that enlarges gaps for FastFill(WithShuffling) to move items that were already processed (placed in a previous zone).
* Fixed a bug in the grammar that prevented the WhenFinished(Shutdown) setting from accepting the sub-options.
* Fixed 2 bugs in string variables.
* Changed PreventScreenSaving() into * SetScreenSaver.
* Changed PreventPowerSaving() into * SetScreenPowerSaver.
* Changed the subroutine that vacates the NTFS reserved area, Previously it would not count NTFS reserved area free space that was already there, resulting in unnecessary data movement.
* Fixed a bug in NTFS scanner so it will now load a minimum of 1 sector when loading the first record of the MFT. On ultra-big harddisks the size of an MFT record (1 kilobyte) can be smaller than the number of bytes per sector.
* The * ImportListFromProgramHints fileboolean is now oompatibel with Windows XP.

AFAIC the most important fix (haven't tested it yet, but I sure will tonight - 5 stars for the moment) is the longstanding issue with the massive slowdowns due to NTFS compressed files. If he's fixed this, the program instantly becomes the best defragger currently available on Windows - and that includes the commercial equivalents.

EDIT: This thing is still broken. Crashed with a dialog telling me to send the debuglog to the author's forum. Reading the debuglog, it tells me it doesn't have enough info and NOT to post it on the forum. WTF? This thing is still far from stable - avoid and get something trustworthy that won't potentially sh1tcan your boot drive - either Defraggler or PerfectDisk, whichever fits your budget.

dhry reviewed v4.2.8 on Feb 25, 2010

Great idea, very configurable, but still has a major bug that needs to be ironed out. Basically, the program can use 100% of your CPU and spend HOURS moving an incredibly small amount of data. The author claims this is due to NTFS compression on a drive, but no other defragmenter has this problem and it manifests even when there is no NTFS-compressed files on the drive at all. In addition, I've found that the program can be closed but will continue to run for ages in the background (still using 100% CPU) before it finally decides to quit out. On smaller drives, or if you're lucky, the program will work fast and does everything you'd expect. However, it's pretty far from something you should trust your important data to. Stick with one of the commercial guys, like PerfectDisk, or else something solid and reliable like Defraggler for the moment.

Forum post: http://www.mydefrag.com/...=3165.msg21010#msg21010

mikewt reviewed v4.2.8 on Feb 17, 2010

Defragging USB sticks will break them (see draculla's review) or at the very least shorten their lifespan. Don't EVER do it. The reason: USB are solid state devices, hard disks are magnetic devices. Solid state devices can only write to each cell a limited number of times (50,000 - 1M) before they become stuck - read only. Hard disks being magnetic can be written (millions).

Do NOT defrag USB drives.

JustForMyMemory reviewed v4.2.8 on Feb 16, 2010

this program needs so much tweak and editing
- The installer is stupid and not-so-much-smart, you have to remove old version before install a new one.
- The screensaver is not smart, can not be portable
- Did not remember view setting
- Pretty slow, sometimes crash

cltx99 reviewed v4.2.8 on Feb 15, 2010

Does the job well, but is incredibly slow.

univers4113 reviewed v4.2.8 on Feb 15, 2010

MyDefrag 4.2.8
And not 2.4.8
Nice and pretty version
see changelog 4 more informations

Ramp4me reviewed v4.2.7 on Dec 22, 2009

Is maturing nice, 4 stars for still having some optimization inconsistencies.

draculla reviewed v4.2.7 on Dec 16, 2009

Reviewing 4.2.5
I defrag on my Western Passport 160GB (external USB), with Memory Stick mode, then all files in the disk is not usable anymore. So dont ever try with it.

dhry reviewed v4.2.5 on Nov 3, 2009

In addition to my note below, this version also takes an unnecessarily long time to analyze the drive. There's still opportunity for some major procedural optimization in this area. Every other defrag program generates a drive analysis about five times faster. Perfectdisk screams by comparison. I'm definitely hanging around to see what develops with MyDefrag but there's still plenty of sawdust on the ground with this program right now.

Ulmo reviewed v4.2.5 on Nov 3, 2009

This simply is the best Defrag soft out there.
It only lacks a portable version like JkDefrag had ;)

dhry reviewed v4.2.4 on Oct 27, 2009

Update: v4.2.5 is out. STILL not usable. Ran for about 8 hours on my C: last night and never got past 13% of completing zone 1 of 15. I recommend people continue to avoid this until the major bugs (such as running for over 8 hours without getting more than 13% of the first zone completed) are ironed out.

Changelog for v4.2.5:
* Added the !InstallDirectory! macro.
* Added the !ScriptDirectory! macro.
* Added the !ExecutableDirectory! macro.
* It is now possible to use macros inside included files.
* Added the * ProcessPriority setting.
* The MakeGap() and AddGap() functions before v4.2.4 would automatically scale down a gap if it would not leave enough room for the remaining data to be processed. This limiting is now removed.
* Added an extra test to make sure the script chooser will only list "*.MyD" files, and not for example "*.MyD~".
* Fixed an infinite loop for unmovable NTFS compressed files.
* Fixed a bug that prevented the PreventScreenSaving() and PreventPowerSaving() settings from working if they were placed in the Settings.MyD file.
* Fixed an infinite loop problem for extremely rare cases where the Microsoft defragmentation api returns an empty list of extends.
* Change the tree locking timeout from 15 minutes to 2 minutes.

----------

v4.2.4 is probably worth trying again for those people who thought it was slow. The slowness was usually due to the presence of compressed files on your HD which the program always had a problem with - note that when I say "compressed" I'm talking about NTFS compression, not things like zip. This version has a bugfix for that.. giving a tentative four stars until I test it tonight. In the meantime, here's the changelog for this release:

* Fixed a bug in the Title() setting that caused it not to replace macros.
* Fixed a bug where a change in the size of the windows would not be remembered if the windows were not moved away from the top-left of the screen.
* Added a parameter to * PlaceNtfsSystemFiles to set the size of the NTFS reserved area.
* Added the !ProgressPercentage! macro.
* The script chooser will no longer display volumes that are excluded with ExcludeVolumes() in the Settings.MyD file.
* Changed the syntax of the * MakeGap and * AddGap actions. It is now possible to place zones anywhere, they do not have to be placed one-after-another from the beginning of the disk.
* Changed the default scripts so that the MFT, some other NTFS system files, and the directories, are now placed 30% into the data on the disk.
* Fixed a bug in the screensaver that would not display the progress percentage.
* Fixed a bug in the graphics code that will properly show StatusBar(path) if StatusBar(Status) is not specified.
* Changed the vacate function so that when there are no gaps above the end of the zone, it will use the highest gap available. Before it would use the first gap available.
* Changed the default script for the screensaver into Optimize Daily. Before it was Optimize Weekly.
* Changed the default setting for the status bar of the screensaver into Full Status Bar. Before it was No Status Bar.
* The positions of the windows are now also saved when the windows are moved and not only when they are resized.
* If the Windows defragmentation API has not succesfully moved an NTFS compressed file then MyDefrag will no longer try to move the file with the alternative method, but leave the file where it is and mark it as unmovable. The alternative method is extremely slow for compressed files.
* Made a change that should increase the chance of succesfully moving files on Windows 2000 machines. Sometimes files could not be succesfully moved and they would be marked as unmovable.
* Fixed a bug that caused unnecessary work and unfilled gaps at the end of a zone for the SortBy fileactions.
* The script chooser window will now list scripts that contain a syntax error. The description of the script shows the error.
* Fixed a bug where the subroutine that determines if a file is fragmented (see the IgnoreWrapAroundFragmentation setting) would treat gaps as unmovable.
* Fixed a bug that caused the program to skip very big FAT volumes.
* If the Sortby fileactions find two files to be equal (for example SortBySize and files with equal size) then the program will now also compare the Inodes. This reduces the number of filemovements.
* The !Include PATH! macro is now evaluated before any other macros, so that macros inside the included file will be processed.

swreynolds reviewed v4.2.3 on Oct 12, 2009

Pros: works well, works fast. I run 2 passes, one to defrag files and the other to consolidate free space.

Cons: It has 2 displays you can choose from while it is defragging. One is a diskmap which presents a completely useless display of the disk fragmentation.
The other is the statistics page which presents many clearly wrong numbers.
For example, I'm currently consodatine free space on an 80GB hard drive. The total bytes is correct, but it lists 98GB of unfragmented items!
At the end of the defragmentation run, the statistics are replaced by nonsense for either view.
Who tested this before release?

Sammo reviewed v4.2.3 on Oct 12, 2009

This is a piece of junk. The same hard drive that takes about 20 minutes to completely defrag with Auslogics Disk Defrag took around 12 hours with MyDefrag. Stay away. Just stay away. Get a program that functions efficiently instead.

nugro reviewed v4.2.1 on Oct 7, 2009

Optimize monthly option took 1 day to defrag my 1/2TB harddisk.
Optimize daily eat 1.5GB of my 2GB rams, crawling my system to oblivion.
Optimize weekly didn't get a chance to run cause I uninstalled this POS.

JKdefrag was good, what went wrong? Dont fix it if it ain't broken...

TomWibbaert reviewed v4.2.1 on Oct 5, 2009

Crap thing, hang and crashes and eats CPU's and memory ad infinitum with every (buggy) line of code it contains.

1 postive thing though, the installation procedure doesn't crash or hang LOL.

dhry reviewed v4.2.1 on Oct 5, 2009

Yep. This one's still a fair way from being complete. Lots of nice options but it kills your CPU and there's still major problems with memory allocation - enough to take over 5 hours on a 30Gb drive then die with an out of memory error. Check out the forums for more info, but avoid this program for the moment. Still not ready for prime time.

http://www.mydefrag.com/...index.php?topic=2588.30

anomoly reviewed v4.2.1 on Oct 4, 2009

Slow slow slow. Cpu goes all the way up with a spare ide holding 50 gb of pics and wants to take like a week on fast optimize.
Went back to ultradefrag, also sourceforge, and it blew through that drive in about 10 seconds. Ultra uses more memory but uses ~5% of the cpu only.
This runs ~40-95% cpu with near no effect on my memory.

dhry reviewed v4.2.0.Beta on Sep 15, 2009

I recommend avoiding this release. It has a worse bug than the previous versions. v4.1.2 had an issue with massive CPU usage and slowdowns. This version eats up RAM like it's cotton candy, but only after a certain period of time. Some sort of memory leak. Basically it shat itself on a 3Gb system with an "Oeps!" error message.. something about disk.cpp at line 833. Beta status notwithstanding, we go down to 3 stars until stability is restored. Still a fantastic idea but the author needs to take baby steps instead of releasing something with this sort of issue into the wild. Patiently waiting for the next release - and trust me, I generally don't stick around after something crashes. Ever.

dhry reviewed v4.1.2 on Aug 13, 2009

One of the most comprehensive, least bloated defragmenters I've seen. Read my full take on it at http://www.dhryland.com/?p=128

Edit: I'm going to have to say that this program currently has a very annoying bug which causes excessive CPU usage and extremely slow defragmentation progress under certain circumstances. There are several threads on their forums discussing this issue. You can "fix" it, weirdly enough, by running another defragmenter on the drive for a few minutes. Who the heck knows why? Still five stars, though.

roj reviewed v4.1.2 on Aug 13, 2009

It works.

It works well.

I was using the standard Windows Defrag on Vista64 once a week. Ran the Slow Defrag in MyDefrag (it literally took a day) and now do nightly defrags at 1:00AM using FastUpdate as recommended.

System is MUCH faster and thrashes less.

FIVE stars.

bobad reviewed v4.1 on Jul 24, 2009

The program is OK, but I perfer the old version without all the bloat and scripting. The old version is 1 file, and only 217K! This one expands to 2.5MB! It also needs to associate script files in the registry, making further bloat. I think JK tried to match his competition's fancy features, and unfortunately he succeeded. It's still a neat program, but I'm sticking with the last simple version, (I think 3.36) which was just about flawless. 3.5/5!

Nighted reviewed v4.1 on Jul 23, 2009

I did a quick defrag of my system drive with this while my machine was running, It did a fantastic job! I was also trying the shareware Puran Defrag at the same time. With Puran, I did an offline defrag with inferior results compared with MyDefrag defragging a running system. :/

MyDefrag actually sorted out all of the fragments that Puran missed. :P

NightFright reviewed v4.0 on Jul 20, 2009

This is one of the best defrag programs you can find for free, if you ask me. It is fast, reliable and efficient.

However, the program itself is a bit difficult to handle if you don't know much about the script-based stuff. Using it is much, much easier if you use the version integrated into "MyDefragGUI", available here:

http://mydefrag.8qm.de/#1

This version will give you the options you would be missing when using the standard version of MyDefrag, e.g. drive selection, defrag method etc. With MyDefragGUI, the 5 stars are well-earned.

mjm01010101 reviewed v4.0 on Jul 19, 2009

System Restore is invaluable if you've ever had to rely on it. I have twice. You can restore a system screwup in minutes whereas an image based backup must restore everything pretty much to a singular point in time, disregarding changes that may have occurred since. There's no reason you can't use both technologies.

IMO one should never disable system restore. If you must, just set the disk space it uses at 1-3%.

jkdefrag/Mydefrag is a pretty nice program, but with SSD's coming on the scene, defragmenting is losing a purpose in the storage world.

Input Overload reviewed v4.0 on Jul 19, 2009

For free this program is excellent! It's also better than some defraggers you pay for. As I did away with 'Restore Points' years ago I can't comment on whether it damages them or not. You are much better off doing regular images with 'True Image' anyway. This is worth giving a try if your subscription for ‘Perfect Disc’ etc is coming up, you might really like it.

anomoly:- I have 3 hard drives & I have had none of the issues you have raised - Maybe it's time to reinstall.

Zarggg reviewed v4.0 on Jul 19, 2009

@everyone giving low ranks because of certain "features" lacking:
This program is not intended to do those things (i.e., pagefile) and the author specifically states as such. That's a bit like downrating MSPaint on the merit that it doesn't open Photoshop files.

This program is still good, although it does seem to run a bit slower than the parent program (JKDefrag).

anomoly reviewed v4.0 on Jul 17, 2009

Script based. Chm says to run the slow-optimize first then schedule the fast-optimize. My tsk scheduler refuses to cooperate and the gui is almost nonexistent. Seems to be working But; I have 4 internal drives and after a few hours of slow-optimize my cpu was at 100% and ap was totally nonresponsive at two different times. I had to kill it both times and first time was fast-optimize.
not good at all.
Ultradefrag is much better & OS. I never did like jk's. Ultra has scheduling if you look in it's install folder and also has a portable option.
http://ultradefrag.sourceforge.net/
System Restore is a worthless pile of crap (what if pc won't boot genius?) which invariably doesn't fix squat. all pc's should come with 2 hd's and a decent program for backups. Windows backup is a joke too. Try booting to that crap.
Defragging has nothing at all to do with whether or not you installed your OS a day ago or 2 years ago.
It is time, if only because corp discs no longer update. Back to OEM and updates fine.

PRoBiSoNe reviewed v3.36 on Nov 5, 2008

[/quote]
Reviewer: shodan816 Oct 31, 2008
Version: 3.36

If you are running Vista - BEWARE ! This beast will wipe out your restore points in a heartbeat! Why the author cannot or will not fix this horrendous bug is beyond me... :-(
[/quote]

Why you use restore points is beyond me! ;) LoL

Not sure if this is any better at optimization then Diskeeper's I-FAAST, as DK continuously monitors file usage and knows which files need to be optimized. But hell, its free, so I'll give it a 3! :D

mfarmilo reviewed v3.36 on Nov 1, 2008

Excellent free defragger, I don't think any of the other free ones come close. I mostly use Perfectdisk myself, but where someone wants a free one this is my recommendation.

On a sidenote - this version was released 31/08/08, so why, 2 months later, is it being posted on here as a new release ?

Undesired Username reviewed v3.36 on Oct 31, 2008

Sorry, no "But it's free!" Kool Aid for me, thanks.

No useless features? I think my fellow reviewers mean "no useful features".

Features like the ability to defragment huge files like pagefile.sys and hiberfil.sys. (The author suggests other software to handle the former, and manually deleting/recreating the latter.) Like support for layout.ini. (I guess that one just isn't important enough.) Like support for Vista's MFT. And on. And on. And on.

This is just another toy for people who can't or won't pay for real software.

I'm fairly sure the "Jk" stands for "Just kidding".

Ulmo reviewed v3.36 on Oct 31, 2008

It not only defragment, but optimize each file place for optimal performances.
No need to install, just run and watch how well it reorganize your disk.

shodan816 reviewed v3.36 on Oct 31, 2008

If you are running Vista - BEWARE ! This beast will wipe out your restore points in a heartbeat! Why the author cannot or will not fix this horrendous bug is beyond me... :-(

Antichrist reviewed v3.36 on Oct 31, 2008

Best defragger I've used as well. Read over all the features on the program's site, it will probably win you over. It makes sense. It's simple, but gets a bit more complex if you want to use different features. There are a few different gui's available, but I'd definitely recommend JkDefragGUI over the rest, which is also up on fileforum now too.

kebabi reviewed v3.36 on Oct 31, 2008

This is the best defragger I've used. Easy to use, no useless s***, totally free, even a cmdline version. Good to see this on FileForum :)
5/5