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So it has been a while since I last defragmented my laptop. I run the windows defragger, come back 12 hours later and it says it's still working. Is something wrong? Is there free defragging software superior to the one included with windows?
http://www.piriform.com/defraggler
my favorite. You can run a full or partial defrag. I usually use partial. Quicker. I also like that I can let defraggler turn my PC off when it is done.
im liking it so far. it tells and shows you what its doing. my biggest gripe with the windows defrag is i have no idea if its frozen or still working.
Othello - I really like this free one a great deal. It's a 'smart defragger' which will arrange your disk to allow the fastest access to your fave programs.
I've been using Iobit Smart Defrag for several years, It works very well as does all of Iobits software I have tried.
If you game (and something tells me you do), take a look at Game Booster, great software.
*Not affiliated with Iobit in any way,I just pass along what works for me. 
it's been at 3% for the past hour or so
im no expert but this doesnt look good.
i downloaded iobit upon your recommendations, will try it later.
Not sure which are the files that need to be defraged the red or blue. Either way let whatever you use run and get that hard drive back in shape. If you do it once a week it will only take a few minutes once you get it together.
You biggest problem for defragging is you only have 20% free space. That slows the process down.
ALl those red squares are fragmented files. Looks like you have a LOT. It looks like you need this bad. AND you have a decent size HD. It's gonna take some time. Removing large programs like Photoshop or deleting a lot of stuff can fragment files.
You may want to run CCleaner or Advance System Care to clean out some of the junk first.
Then just Defraggler run. I don't know of one that does it 'quickly' and Defraggler and the one from iobit are good.
I keep mine defragged (monthly or so) and use Defraggler. My Vista drive is the same size as yours and Defraggler will run for a few hours. The mess (sorry, nothing personal) you have there with files that are fragmented is going to take a while. (Maximize Defraggler and then expand that window down. You'll see almost all of the files and I'm betting you're gonna see an ass load more of those red squares) You may want to run it over night once or twice when you're not on it.
That 20% free space is going to be a problem. You may have to stop and reboot and restart it.
If there is anything on there you can get off (music files, pics, etc) you may want to do that first or back up all that stuff to get it off the HD.
Not with SmartDefrag 2 - takes a little time, but so what?
Whats the recommended percentage of free space I should keep at any one time?
Keep in mind that, along with your free space, you also have to consider file size.
A lot of small files will defrag a lot quicker than if you have many very large files.
I have many movies and tv shows that are in the 2-8GB range, and they can take a very long time to defrag - especially if you are rather low on free space.
Games too. That's why Wiz mentioned Gamebooster. You can defrag just your game files with it.
Defraggler will let you move your larger files (do it for you, I mean, if you select it) and put them all together at one end.
15% to 25% free space should be okay. On an older laptop with a little 60GB HD, Defraggler made me stop when it started getting down to 10% free space.
Like I said, if your files are as badly fragmented as your SS suggests, it could take a while..a long while. I don't know what you're running (XP, Vista, 7) or how old your laptop is but that can play into the time it takes as well.
System Restore takes up a ton of space as well.
Enough to allow page file size variations. You don't really need a heck of a lot...and 'Dows will tell you when it thinks it's getting 'choked'.
My little SSD is currently 92% full ...[8% free for those lacking in math] ...;)
Ashampoo Magical Defrag 3 defrags your computer whenever it is idle, which means you don't have to worry about manually starting the defrag process at all. 
I have Auslogic defrag. 300gb HD took less than an hour to defrag. IObit and smart defrag are good too, used them both.
SmartDefrag2 does the same... real time defrag. Both are quite good... your choice.
Yeah, but when was the last time you defragged your SSD?
Just pick one and go with it. (If you're running Win7 you can use Windows defrag. It's a huge improvement over XP and Vista) I think we all agree the HD needs to be defragged and no matter what you use it's going to take a while. You definitely have enough space to do it. Let us know how it works out.
*We really need some kind of protocol or disclaimer when it comes to bombarding recommending programs and software to anyone. 
Yes 20% free space for me at least is what I consider a full HD. This is because restore points can use up space quickly and also Windows will start working the HD harder to use more of the available space thus causing more fragmentation. The fuller a HD becomes the harder it gets worked.
You can and must defrag that HD with 20% free space. I personally wouldn't recommend any more installs of software needing GB's of space.
I don't.
It's not necessary.
Another Smartdefrag user here. I have it do a scheduled "Defrag & Fully Optimize" overnight on Sundays and run the automatic defrag on all but my backup disks
You can set Smartdefrag to skip files over a size you specify via a slider in settings.....backup files, iso's, movies etc. don't usually fragment so I skip them
I run mst Defrag on my PC. The nice thing about it is once you run your initial defrag, it runs proactively in the background keeping your drives defragmented with no noticeable affect on the PC's operations or performance at all. Right now it is only $9.90 US for a single user license too. Set it and forget it, you'll never have to run a defrag program again. It also does all your hard drives, or even USB's if you want to, at the same time. You can check it out if you like at: http://www.mstsoftware.com/
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