Last year, Kansas-based William Newton Hospital, which serves a community of 40,000 people and has revenues of over $40 million, made the switch to PerfectDisk to improve its virtualization performance. The hospital looked to PerfectDisk's virtualization defrag solutions, which include tools for vSphere performance and Hyper-V performance improvements. William Newton Hospital maintains physical and virtual servers for database functions such as electronic medical record keeping, financial, inventory, lab and radiology information, and Point of Care charting. Medical Verification is also used at patient bedside via wireless Chart Carts and PDAs, along with a radiology image storage and retrieval system.
The big appeal, according to IT director Randy Mayo was PerfectDisk's unique Virtual Awareness capability, which eliminated "the severe system slowdown on our servers that we were experiencing with Diskeeper." As Randy points out, "PerfectDisk automatically determines guest and host activity to eliminate resource contention and minimize the impact on our shared storage. The result is faster systems, improved productivity and better service to our patients.”
But William Newton didn't stop there, as they continued to look to Raxco Software for performance and productivity improvements. This investigation led them to PerfectSpeed, Raxco's tool for boosting performance as well as cleaning up performance-debilitating clutter. While its typical use is for the home consumer, William Newton found so many useful tools for slow PC fixes and slow PC performance in PerfectSpeed that they've put it on over a hundred employees' computers. For these users, Mayo gets not only the benefit of the best defrag software, but also a powerful duplicate file removal program and one of the best registry cleaners, all helping speed up PC performance and ensuring these computers run at peak performance and efficiency.
From virtualization performance to an easy slow PC fix -- William Newton Hospital has found its fix.
There's another large set of consumers who want that same power and quality that PerfectDisk provides, but also want additional tools and slow PC solutions...and they want it from an industry leader. Slow PC fixes are needed by just about everyone to fix slow PC. When thinking about the best registry repair and best registry cleaners, Raxco software has not traditionally been one that people have sought out. Same thing to find and delete duplicate files. But to fix slow PC, thousands of users are now turning to Raxco Software and PerfectSpeed PC Optimizer.
With a safe registry cleaner, duplicate file finder, trace remover and the powerful defrag engine of PerfectDisk, PerfectSpeed can be the perfect solution to fix slow PC, especially for the person or small business with minimal or no computer expertise. You'll be able to read more here about PerfectSpeed and its evolution over the coming months. And it will be evolving.
Looking for slow PC tips? PerfectSpeed is one place to start...or finish.
The debate about whether or not free is good enough for a defrag of the data on your disk drives will likely go on as long as Windows and NTFS are around. I've discussed the merits of third-party defrag software that is not free here before, but I'm not doing that today. However, there are some instances and conditions that lend themselves to a much easier conclusion and a clearer delineation between free and "not free". And I do want to share an interesting user experience with you.
Like the case of the CNN newsroom that was brought to a halt because its servers were so severely fragmented. And a recent story that was brought to my attention by Andrew Hart of Australia. Andrew is a heavy Photoshop user and has 5 1TB hard drives that he gives quite a workout with all he does. And he needed to defrag Windows 7. He gave a couple of freeware defrag tools a try. For his environment, they didn't cut it.
This is how Andy describes his situation:
"After only 3 days of trialing it, albeit to the point of having tried, almost exhaustively, all the available defrag options on very large, heavily fragmented data drives, I have concluded that PerfectDisk 11 PRO is a very competent and comprehensive defragging program. I am very pleased to have it looking after my 5 x 1 Terabyte HDDs in a 64-bit Win 7 computer. On days when I am working in Photoshop CS5, which is quite often, I can generate and delete several gigabytes of image data in a single session, and this makes it virtually mandatory to have a defrag program with robust strength, speed and intelligence to keep my system from becoming bogged down and unresponsive. I have tried the defrag utility built into Win 7 64-bit, as well as another free 64-bit program, but unfortunately neither are quite up to the task of both completely defragging and simultaneously compacting all free space quickly in a single pass. For those requirements I have to look to PerfectDisk."
How to make your PC run faster? There are various things that can help, defragmentation being one. When people look at a defrag utility to defrag Windows 7 or auto defrag XP, at the individual user level, freeware may be considered. But they might not be good enough for the biggest, baddest and ugliest of your drives - the ones with large files that are edited, created and deleted frequently. And when you add things like the ability to find and remove duplicate files, the decision becomes easier still.
Sometimes the best things in life are free. Sometimes, however, as in the case of the best defrag software, free just doesn't cut it.
It's not often that PerfectDisk and disk defragmentation software get into an article on a hot topic like Google Voice in publications like Network World and ComputerWorld. But yesterday was such a day. Okay, you have to read the entire article and it's not the focus of the article, but hey, I'll take it (and for a ComputerWorld, Network World, PC World article all about PerfectDisk, see this).
Mark Gibbs, writing in Network World in an article picked up by ComputerWorld and others, penned Google Voice turned loose and finding duplicated files in an article stating that Google Voice is now available to the public. And not being a Google Voice user right now, I will be soon. After reading Gibbs article, there seem to be many reasons to follow his advice -- "...you should really check it out...."
Besides giving a brief overview of Google Voice, Gibbs turns his focus to duplicate file removal and duplicate file software. It's a key part of a cleaning and streamlining effort he undertakes, writing:
"...what could need cleaning out? The answer: Duplicate files.
On my storage systems I have literally hundreds of projects along with various resources that simply exist for our entertainment (such as iTunes) that I know contain in many cases many duplicate copies of files.
So, in an attempt to streamline my stuff, I decided to try out three de-duplication products..."
I agree wholeheartedly with Mark that duplicate file removal is important and a great way to clean your PC. What Mark didn't mention was that PerfectDisk includes a duplicate file manager for duplicate file removal. However, he does mention that PerfecDisk is handling his disk defragmentation needs on his servers and PCs.
So check out Google Voice, whether or not you need duplicate file software or a defrag utility. And check out Mark Gibbs article in Network World and ComputerWorld here. Mark knows his stuff - he's done just about everything in the networking business, from serving as an executive in various companies to creating companies; and as an author he has written four books and numerous articles about networking and computer technology.
Apparently, he can't be dupped.
Information Week had a recent cover story entitled Are Your Apps Smart Enough? This got me thinking, like most things do, of defrag programs and the "smarts" that are required to make the best defrag software. After all, any decent defrag utility, even freeware, is going to do a bare minimum (hopefully), to at least attempt to put fragmented files into a single piece and get you faster PC performance.
But how do you know if your defrag program is smart enough to be the best defrag software? Here are 12 to get you started:
- The developers of your defrag utility meet regularly with Microsoft development teams, including file system experts, for a true understanding of file system behaviors, strategies and plans.
- The defrag utility employs disk and file optimization strategies for the best possible drive optimization, rather than simply defragments files, so it is a true PC performance optimizer, beyond just a simple defrag utility.
- It performs robust free space consolidation to significantly prevent fragmentation, reduce the rate of future fragmentation and improve write performance.
- It's smart enough to just defrag a file -- a single file or a few selected files -- rather than the entire drive, if that's all that is fragmented and that's all you need done at a particular time.
- It doesn't force you into a single way to defrag - it provides flexible scheduling options that are accommodating to your activity and requirements, whether you need or want automatic background defragmentation during idle time, screen saver defrag, or daily or weekly schedules.
- It optimizes boot files to improve boot time by 20% or more.
- It provides a free, Microsoft-certified duplicate file remover and file recycler to further assist disk cleanup and optimization efforts.
- It's simple enough for the novice user but with free, optional advanced features for power users.
- It's smart enough to be the choice for tens of thousands of World of Warcraft users around the world to improve World of Warcraft performance and used by millions of gamers around the world to improve the performance of other PC games.
- It's intelligent enough to contain patent-pending technology that ensures no resource contention in virtual environments and can boost virtualization performance with specific solutions for vSphere and Hyper-V.
- It's passed the internal tests, pilot programs and RFPs of many of the world's largest companies and government agencies, and is deployed in and helping those enterprises today.
- It is certified by Microsoft for Windows 7.
After yesterday's post on the PC Magazine article about software discovery being dead, I found it ironic that later yesterday a review of PerfectDisk 11 appeared in ComputerWorld, Network World, PC World, and a host of other sites that picked it up. Here's an "old school" review of PerfectDisk 11 by a set of "traditional," mainstream technology publications.
When looking at how to make your PC run faster and the best disk defrag tool, there is the Windows 7 defrag tool and lots of free Windows defrag software out there. So why pay for one? Ian Harac's review explains why, including features above and beyond simple auto defrag. He even gets into duplicate file software and duplicate file removal.
Harac, in his review PerfectDisk 11 Whips Hard Drives Into Shape, writes:
"Defragmentation is one of the chores of computer ownership, something that's tedious but which has to be done regularly. Windows includes a free defragmentation tool, but there are plenty of competing products. How do you compete with "free"? You make something worth paying for. PerfectDisk 11 ($40, 30-day free trial) is that worthy tool.
"PerfectDisk 11 has one of the best blends of features and usability I have seen....given the range of features and ease of use, it's well worth upgrading from a free product to PerfectDisk Professional."
All disk defragmentation software is not created equally. A very small set is actually worth paying for.
You can read the entire Computerworld article here.
Since we have thousands of WoW players who are PerfectDisk users and always looking for all the WoW performance tips they can find, I thought I would provide a quick list of a few things that we think help improve the WoW game experience as well as any MMORPG game. Of course, I'm always partial to a good defrag as my favorite World of Warcraft performance tip - I can't help myself.
But a few other handy tips include:
- Increase virtual memory
- Update your graphics card
- Close startup programs you don't need
- Increase the priority of WoW
- Clean up your computer of junk (duplicate files, temporary Internet files, etc.)
An easy boost for WoW performance -- defrag, update and clean.
Related Posts:
- A war worth fighting -- defrag World of Warcraft MPQ files -- WoW optimizer
- PC game performance -- defrag for a fuller life for Half Life 2
While reasonable people can argue the merits of using freeware to defrag a computer or to defrag a file, if that capability exists in the particular defragmentation software, no such arguments exist when it comes to enterprise defragmentation. The choice becomes greatly limited. The freeware utilities, the built-in Windows defragmenter, and even most of the chargeable ones are simply not designed for enterprise defragmentation.
Putting aside for a moment the actual quality, flexibility and customization capabilities of the defrag program to improve PC performance, a large enterprise or even relatively small business has a lot more to worry about to ensure successful enterprise defragmentation. Installation and deployment across the organization to the required PCs and servers. Configuration and management. And reporting. Any good administrator requires full reporting capabilities to have a handle on the status of his or her enterprise. And better yet, be able to be proactive. Which is why PerfectDisk provides an elaborate alerting and warning system for administrators within the PerfectDisk Enterprise Console.
And now comes Remote Free Space Management, a shot in the arm to IT administrators responsible for enterprise defrag. It allows IT administrators to generate detailed reports on disk use, including graphical representations of storage usage. This new functionality provides significant improvements over Windows Storage Server Reports, providing not just data, but actionable reports. For instance, you can run a Duplicate File Report in Storage Server, but it does not allow you to remotely identify and execute duplicate file removals across the enterprise. PerfectDisk does.
Enterprise defragmentation evolved. March 2010.
Related Posts:
- A smarter way to speed up PC performance
- Size matters; then again, it doesn't
- Exchange defrag software -- ready for Exchange 2010
- Look beneath the surface, clean your PC, shrink your drive
- Defrag analysis -- catch me if you can
- A smarter SMARTPlacement is a smarter defrag and disk space management
- PerfectDisk 11 -- Gearing up for Beta
- PerfectDisk 11 defrag -- on the horizon
Whether it's Windows 7, Vista or XP, or a server OS such as Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003, many users are quick to jump to the conclusion that Microsoft has caused a problem when an application runs into an issue. But there are rules to follow when writing applications that interact with Microsoft's Windows operating systems. And unfortunately, not all software providers follow the rules.
But some users are more observant and savvy than others. Take Lee Archer of Manchester, United Kingdom. Lee is a Technical Analyst who spends a lot if his time digging into and deploying IT solutions; that is, when he's not tinkering with all kinds of gadgets and technology, which he does in his spare time. Lee, whose Twitter handle is @Leod_UK, was recently commenting on Twitter that "people are very quick to criticise Windows because it's Windows and Microsoft, when it's not actually the OS at fault." He's right - it's a common misconception.
Many people recognize the value of Microsoft certified application; others think it's superfluous. Well, whether it's a Windows 7 defrag that PerfectDisk is performing, or managing duplicate files, there are certain rules that need to be followed. We know it, because we often see misbehaving applications causing havoc to users' machines. If there's havoc to be played on someone's PC or server, we want to ensure it's not because of PerfectDisk. That's why we go through the time and expense of certifying PerfectDisk with Microsoft. As Lee points out, "PerfectDisk is a (excuse the pun) Perfect Example of a Windows application done properly." If you're going to defrag Windows 7 - or any other Windows OS - do it with confidence.
And you won't have to worry about blame because you'll be problem free.
There have been a number of blogs and articles written in recent months on the topic of best defrag software. I think that just begs the question, what would you want in your best defrag software?
At a minimum, you would want any defrag software to defragment all of your data files. The Windows 7 defragmenter and the free defrag utilities do a decent job in this regard, but the disks still re-fragment quickly. File defragmentation is just half the job, to truly hinder file fragmentation you need a defrag tool that also consolidates the maximum amount of free space. If the file system can find contiguous free space it will write files in one piece.
So, if you start to really look at what constitutes the best defrag software you want something that defragments all your files and consolidates the maximum amount of free space. But is there more to look for in a disk defrag program?
The location of the files can also make a difference. Files that don't change often can be defragged and placed together. The next time the defragger runs these files don't have to be moved. The same goes for frequently changing files, they can be located near the free space so they can grow in the fewest number of pieces. Boot files can be placed next to the Master Boot Record for faster system boot ups, and you can defrag system files, the ones Windows 7 doesn't touch, to get them out of the way so your on line defrag is faster.
Combine all of this with flexible scheduling, automatic defragmentation, a duplicate file finder, virtual system support and ease of use and you have something that really qualifies as the best defragmentation software. This is why PerfectDisk 10 is the choice of thousands. These users know that the best defragmentation software does the whole job.
My favorite video magazine, Videomaker, has its annual Camcorder Buyer's Guide out in the just-released December edition. And as the guide's author Randy Hansen states, "in video, if there's one constant, it's change." Like so much of electronics, do you buy today or wait a few months for the price to drop and/or for extra storage and capabilities to be added.
It's a very comprehensive guide, covering a wide range of camcorders, including those that start as low as $50 and skyrocket to the "if you have to ask" range. For me - I'm asking...and I have to! And there are lots of choices in the various categories - not like the choices for defragmenting a computer, of which I find very few if any (insert grin).
But unlike a disk defrag utility, where you'll receive regular updates to the software, a camcorder is typically an investment that you will hold onto for quite a long time, as is - barring add-on accessories.
We get emails from people every week who are video editors and videographers of all types - just starting out and professionals. The more anyone performs video editing on their computer, the more they realize the importance of a disk defragmenter program like PerfectDisk. The video editing gets them better videos; disk defragmentation makes it all easier, from a faster PC to better use of their PC's space through free space consolidation and things like duplicate file removal. It really acts as a disk cleanup program as well.
If this upcoming holiday shopping season includes shopping for a camcorder, I'd recommend taking a look at this guide before you spend your money. And of course, once you start taking those videos and editing and storing them, I'd recommend maximizing your investment with the necessary software to keep your computer performing like new.
You can see the entire roundup here.
It's what we try to do with every release of our software. It's what our entire company -- from development to technical support to customer service to account managers -- sets out to do every morning as we walk through the door. Do better than we did yesterday.
For defrag downloads, today I came across a new PerfectDisk 10 Pro editor's review on the Windows 7 Download website, which provides "the best free Windows 7 downloads." The review states that with PerfectDisk, "whether you are downloading movie files or manipulating jpegs on your machine, you will find that the speed of your computer stays at its maximum performance level. If you are tired of your programs hanging or your software coming up with countless errors, PerfectDisk 10 Professional can assure you of optimum execution."
The editor continues: "...Raxco Software has outdone itself again with this nifty piece of optimizing software. Installation is simple and navigation is uncomplicated and straightforward. PerfectDisk 10 Pro is a follow-up to its predecessor that was released in 2008 that is proving to be faster and more reliable in its functionality. The fact that it has included compatibility with Windows 7 is already a plus to many since it is obviously up-to-date and at par with other developments in the tech world.
"PerfectDisk 10 Pro also offers a defragmentation system that accommodates mini applications that maximize space management by effectively taking care of temporary and duplicate files in your PC. Perfect Disk 10 Professional is definitely a big improvement from the last release, which was already impressive when it was introduced back then. For those thinking of an optimizing defragmenter for their PC, you can be sure never to go wrong with this Raxco product that will take care of your PC internal optimizing needs."
To defrag Windows 7, there's the Microsoft defrag and the other usual suspects. But as the review points out, a basic disk defrag program doesn't give you all the power, flexibility and thoroughness of PerfectDisk. And when you then add capabilities like disk space management and the ability to boot quicker, you end up with a whole lot more.
You will have outdone yourself. You can see the full review here.
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