What Is It?

PageDefrag is a standalone utility for defragmenting system files including pagefile.sys, hiberfil.sys, system event files and registry hive files. These are all files that standard defragmentation utilities, both freeware and paid, can’t touch.

Why Would You Want It?

The system files, particularly the page file(s)  can be subject to a lot of activity during normal use of a PC. Fragmentation of these files will therefore have an impact on system performance. In reality these files tend not to be very fragmented but should they be this program will fix them, every little helps.

What Does It Do - The Essentials?

Provides a simple standalone, utility whose sole purpose is to defragment "locked" system files that cannot normally be defragmented.

Summary:

• Defragments system files 
• Can be set to run once on every startup (boot)

Pros: What’s Good?

• Freeware

• Portable*
• Simple to Use
• Command Line Options

*The utility is portable but must be stored on a medium that is available when the system starts (boots)

Cons:What’s Not So Good?

• Will Sysinternals Utilities be updated now Microsoft has bought them?

More About What it Does in Detail:

Quote from the Microsoft TechNet website:

Introduction

One of the limitations of the Windows NT/2000 defragmentation interface is that it is not possible to defragment files that are open for exclusive access. Thus, standard defragmentation programs can neither show you how fragmented your paging files or Registry hives are, nor defragment them. Paging and Registry file fragmentation can be one of the leading causes of performance degradation related to file fragmentation in a system.

PageDefrag uses advanced techniques to provide you what commercial defragmenters cannot: the ability for you to see how fragmented your paging files and Registry hives are, and to defragment them. In addition, it defragments event log files and Windows 2000/XP hibernation files (where system memory is saved when you hibernate a laptop).

PageDefrag works on Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Server 2003.

Installation and Use

When you run PageDefrag (pagedfrg.exe) you will be presented a listbox that tells you how many clusters make up your paging files, event log files, and Registry hives (SAM, SYSTEM, SYSTEM.ALT, SECURITY, SOFTWARE, .DEFAULT), as well as how many fragments those files are in. If you feel that these files are fragmented enough to warrant a shot at defragmenting them, or if you want to defragment them at every boot, select the appropriate radio button choice and click OK.

 

General Use of PageDefrag

Main Screen
(Click to enlarge)

The main screen shows a list of the files on your system when it starts along with the size in clusters and the number of fragments:

On my system the only fragmented file is hiberfil.sys which is unimportant as it would only be written and then read if the system was set to hibernate at shutdown. A write once/read once process.

From the main screen PageDefrag can be set to defragment the files at the next startup (boot), on every start or you can just exit if nothing is required.

Command Line Options

PageDefrag can also be run from the command line with a number of options. Details of command line usage and options can be found at

technet.microsoft.com/en-...ysinternals/bb897426.aspx

Help

The help file is provided with the download. The help screen comprises of a single page which is quite sufficient for this simple utility.

What are the Technical Details & Compatibility?

What is the My Free Review Experience?

PageDefrag is a useful tool to have in your armoury of system maintenance programs.

Personally I rate this as:

Simple - Stable

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This entry was posted on Saturday, March 1st, 2008 at 10:19 am and is filed under Portable Freeware. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.