Today we have some exciting news – the all new Disk Defrag 3 is out of beta. Auslogics Disk Defrag is not just a simple defrag utility – now it’s a fully featured disk optimizer. The new version has features that beat paid analogs, has new Windows 7-style user interface, and is even faster than before. And it remains absolutely FREE.

What’s New?

1. Free Space Consolidation

Simple defragmentation only defrags files and not free disk space. This means that free space is scattered all over the disk. When new files are created, Windows fills in those small free space fragments. The more fragmented the free space is, the more fragmented new files will be. Disk Defrag 3 consolidates free space into a large contiguous block, so that there are no “holes”. This technology effectively prevents file fragmentation and speeds up disk access.

2. System Files Smart Placement

Quite often Windows system files get placed all over the disk and end up mixed with other files. As a result Windows takes longer to access them. Disk Defrag 3 arranges system files by defragmenting and moving them to the faster part of the disk. This improves overall computer performance and makes your system run smoother.

3. Keeping the MFT Reserved Zone Clear

NTFS file system reserves about 12.5% of disk space for the MFT records (a place where information about every file and directory is stored). However, when the rest of the disk space is getting low, the MFT Reserved Zone is used to store regular files. This may lead to MFT fragmentation, which will force HDD heads to move more and slow down data access. Disk Defrag 3 moves regular files from the MFT Reserved Zone to the rest of the disk space, allowing NTFS to allocate contiguous space for the MFT records and prevent its fragmentation.

4. List of Fragmented Files

Auslogics Disk Defrag 3 creates a list of all fragmented files after performing disk analysis. Selecting any file from the list will highlight its clusters’ location on the fragmentation map. Selected files can be easily defragmented or added to the ignore list.

Other features include options to integrate Disk Defrag into Windows Explorer context menu, run autodefragmentation when system goes idle, and minimize the application into the system tray.

You can find out more and download the new Auslogics Disk Defrag here. There is also a portable version of Disk Defrag that can be downloaded here.

We are happy to present you the new Auslogics Disk Defrag 3^beta! We call it “new” because Disk Defrag 3^beta is not just a defragmenter but a fully featured disk optimizer. We’ve supplied it with advanced techniques of disk optimization that only paid analogs have. With Disk Defrag 3^beta you can replace regular data files from the MFT Reserved Zone, consolidate free space and optimize system files placement. Let’s have a closer look at how these optimization techniques may affect your PC performance.

System files smart placement

Commonly used by Windows, system files may be scattered all over the disk and intermixed with data files. Disk Defrag 3^beta arranges system files by defragmenting and moving them to the faster part of the disk.  This minimizes the time needed for HDD to access system files and improves overall computer performance.

Free space consolidation

It is not a secret that a simple defragmentation leaves the free space on the disk highly fragmented. It means that there are many free space «holes» all over the disk. Windows fills in those free spaces with newly created or extended files. The more fragmented the free space is, the more fragmented new files will be.

Disk Defrag 3^beta merges all those free space «holes» into a large contiguous block during optimization process. This allows the file system to create new files without fragmentation. As a result, free space consolidation dramatically reduces further disk fragmentation.

Keeping the MFT Reserved Zone Clear

Any NTFS drive is divided into two main zones: MFT and the rest of the disk. MFT (Master File Table) is a place where information about every file and directory is stored. In order to keep MFT records contiguous, Windows reserves about 12.5% of the disk volume for them. This reserved disk space is called “MFT Reserved Zone”.

Normally, NTFS prevents writing data other than MFT records to the MFT Reserved Zone. However, when the rest of the disk space is getting low, the MFT Reserved Zone will be used for storing regular files. This may lead to MFT fragmentation.

Since MFT fragmentation degrades hard drive performance by increasing the number of reads required for some files, it is important to keep the MFT Reserved Zone clear of regular files. Disk Defrag 3^beta moves regular data files from the MFT Reserved Zone into the rest of the disk space. This allows NTFS to allocate contiguous space for the MFT and thus to prevent its fragmentation.

Other improvements include a significantly increased defragmentation speed and a redesigned user interface. Navigating through Disk Defrag 3^beta is now even more simple and intuitive.  For instance, we’ve added a handy auto-defrag icon to easily customize and control an automatic defragmentation mode.  Another useful feature I’d like to mention is an ability of Disk Defrag 3^beta to list all the fragmented files after performing disk analysis. You can select one or several of them to see their clusters’ location on the disk.

And we have more good news for our users – with all the improvements we’ve made, Disk Defrag 3^beta still remains absolutely FREE!

You can download the new Disk Defrag 3^beta here.

Today we are very happy to inform you that we’ve released a new version of Auslogics BoostSpeed. We’ve made it more efficient, more stable, it now looks better, and has a lot of exciting new features.

BoostSpeed 4.5 includes a brand new utility – Auslogics Duplicate File Finder. With the help of this tool Windows users will be able to recover gigabytes of space taken up by unnecessary duplicates. Apart from using up hard disk space, having too many duplicate files can make computers run slower. Deleting them will help speed up disk defragmentation, Windows search, and anti-virus scans.

BoostSpeed 4.5 also includes the latest version of a popular and award-winning Auslogics Disk Defrag, which has a lot to offer. Users can now brighten up disk defragmentation by applying different defragmentation map colour themes. In addition to that, the program can auto defrag disks in the background, can be integrated into Windows Explorer, minimized into system tray, and defragment all disks at once.

Apart from that, the new version of Auslogics BoostSpeed has a significantly improved interface, works faster, repairs more errors, and has a lot of great new tweaks and advanced options. All this ensures that both novice and experienced users are comfortable when using it.

BoostSpeed is not just an optimizer – it’s a complete system maintenance tool. It will ensure your computer is fast and optimized for best performance, protect your privacy by erasing traces of Internet activity, wiping free disk space, and erasing files beyond restoration. It will also advise you on which Windows services are safe to disable and will let you easily apply dozens of useful tweaks that will make your computing experience more productive and enjoyable.

Download a free fully functional 15-day trial version here.

The full version costs $39.95 USD.  Auslogics BoostSpeed 4.5 supports Windows 7/Vista/2008/XP/2003, 32-bit and 64-bit and dual-core CPU.

It’s not a secret that hard disks are the slowest part of a computer. That’s  because they have moving parts, unlike RAM and CPU.  Fragmentation can significantly slow down a hard drive, since it forces the reading head to move more. As a result your computer becomes slower and you even might start experiencing freeze-ups and system crashes. That’s why it’s very important to keep the disks defragmented.

Auslogics Disk Defrag is a free tool to fight disk fragmentation. It doesn’t need to analyze the disk first, which makes it one of the fastest disk defragmenting tools available today. The program has a clear interface and is very easy to use.

Fragmentation is caused by creating and deleting files and folders, installing new software, and downloading files from the Internet. Computers do not necessarily save an entire file or folder in a single space on a disk; they’re saved in the first available space. After a large portion of a disk has been used, most of the subsequent files and folders are saved in pieces across the volume.

Disk Defrag Options

Apart from basic disk defragmentation, Disk Defrag has an option to defrag single file or folder, lets you schedule defragmentation, and offers command line support.

Command line options allow users to defragment multiple disks, specify how much CPU should be used for defragmentation, and generate detailed HTML logs.  A comprehensive list of error codes is provided, so that system administrators can use the program in their automation scripts.

Home users may find that they are more comfortable with the feature-rich built-in scheduler available in the program settings. The scheduler lets you specify when automatic defragmentation should be performed, which disks to defragment, and if a detailed report should be created.

Auslogics Disk Defrag received awards from reputable websites like CNet, Majorgeeks, and Tucows, and lots of positive user reviews. It is available as a separate free tool or as part of Auslogics BoostSpeed – an award-winning computer optimization suite.

Computers are like pets  – they need care to keep them healthy, responsive, and fast. In this post I’m going to share with you some tips that will help keep your computer in top shape. If you want to improve your computer’s speed and performance – read on.

1. If your computer suddenly becomes really slow and starts acting up, the first thing you need to do is scan it for viruses and spyware, because in most cases they are the culprit. There are great free anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, just go to download.com and do a search. Remember to download only programs that got lots of positive user reviews.

2. Test your RAM to ensure error-free performance. Failing memory can be the cause of numerous errors, and the worst part is that they may seem random. So, use the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool from time to time. Vista users can find it on their Windows installation disk and XP users will need to create a CD.

3. Just as it is a good idea to test RAM, it’s a must to check your hard drive regularly. To do that run Check Disk:

• Go to My Computer
• Find the disk you want to check, right-click on it and go to Properties
• In the Properties dialog  box click Tools
• Click Check Now
• Check both options in the dialog box that will appear and click Start
• Most likely you will get a message that Check Disk wants exclusive access to the disk and wants to start right after your reboot. Click OK
• Restart your computer

4. And last, but not least, always remember to clean your disks weekly, clean the Registry once a month, defrag your hard drive at least once a month, compact the Registry to keep it as small as possible, and keep your Windows and drivers up to date.

All this will help you keep your computer fast and stable. There is no need to wait for your PC to become infected with viruses and spyware, cluttered with junk, and show you the blue screen of death to start performing basic maintenance.

Cleaning the Windows Registry in an essential part of computer maintenance because having a clean Registry means having a fast and stable computer. A great way to get rid of Registry junk is to run Auslogics Registry Cleaner – a totally free Registry maintenance tool.

What is the Registry?

Windows Registry is a database that stores Microsoft Windows settings and options. It contains all the information for all hardware, operating system software, other software, and user settings – for example, all user profiles, the applications installed, the type of documents they create and so on.

Why Clean the Registry?

The Registry is one of the most vital and the most vulnerable to errors part of a computer. Programs access the Registry thousands of times per second and new registry entries are created whenever new software or hardware is installed. Most programs delete their entries when they are uninstalled, but some applications leave a lot of their registry keys behind. That’s how invalid entries mount up and the Registry becomes cluttered with unused and corrupted keys and references. As a result the system needs more time to access the Registry and find the entries it needs, which causes dramatic computer slow-downs.

Among other things that can lead to Registry problems are poorly written applications, incorrect program uninstalls, and bloated browser cache. All this can cause system errors, crashes, and failures. That’s why it’s extremely important to keep the Registry in top form by regularly cleaning all the junk and fixing all the errors that accumulate over time.

How to Clean the Registry?

Cleaning the Registry is now as simple as opening a Word document. All you have to do is launch Auslogics Registry Cleaner, select the categories to scan, scan the Registry for errors, and fix them. Of course you could do it the hard way and delete what you think is not needed manually, but that is really dangerous, because you can delete files that are needed by the system to boot and work properly.

Backup First!

Always backup your Registry before cleaning it. That way you will never have to worry about software accidentally deleting a valid entry. Use the Restore changes radio button in Auslogics Registry Cleaner to undo any changes made by the program. Also you can backup your Registry manually. Read this article to learn how to do it on an XP system.

Clean the Registry regularly – for example once a month – and your computer will run fast and stable.

Sydney, Australia – February 13, 2009 - Auslogics releases a new free Windows Registry maintenance tool – Auslogics Registry Cleaner – an essential utility to keep the Registry clean to ensure maximum PC performance. It will meticulously scan the Registry, find and remove invalid and obsolete entries, and fix various registry errors.

The Windows Registry is one of the most vital and the most vulnerable to errors part of a computer. Programs access the Registry thousands of times per second and new registry entries are created whenever new software or hardware is installed. Most programs delete their entries when they are uninstalled, but some applications leave a lot of their registry keys behind. That’s how invalid entries mount up and the Registry becomes cluttered with unused and corrupted keys and references. As a result the system needs more time to access the Registry and find the entries it needs, which causes dramatic computer slow-downs.

Among other things that can lead to Registry problems are poorly written applications, incorrect program uninstalls, and bloated browser cache. All this can cause system errors, crashes, and failures. That’s why it’s extremely important to keep the Registry in top form by regularly cleaning all the junk and fixing all the errors that accumulate over time.

Auslogics Registry Cleaner is designed for fast and safe Registry clean-up and optimization. First the program offers to choose categories to scan, then scans for registry errors, and then provides the list of errors to fix. Each problem comes with a detailed description.

Auslogics Registry Cleaner is very easy to use and has an intuitive user interface, which makes it ideal for novice users. Experienced users will be able to get the most out of the program by choosing the Advanced scan option.

Some registry cleaners can be dangerous and harm the computer because they often treat entries required by the system as invalid and delete them. This can lead to unpredictable results, make the system unstable or even unbootable. Auslogics Registry Cleaner is made in such a way that it finds only safe-to-delete items by default. In a highly unlikely event of any problems occurring, all changes can be undone by selecting the Restore changes radio button. This makes using Auslogics Registry Cleaner absolutely risk-free.

Registry Cleaner is available as a separate free tool or as part of our award-winning computer optimization suite -  Auslogics BoostSpeed.

About Auslogics

Auslogics Software Pty Ltd is a developer and publisher of premium computer optimization software. The company is storming the market with its flagship product, Auslogics BoostSpeed, which enhances computer productivity by keeping PCs running smooth and error-free. This lengthens the lifetime of computers and eliminates the need for constant hardware upgrades.

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More information:
http://auslogics.com/en/software/registry-cleaner

This post is an attempt to help all those customers who now and again come to us with this very question. Below is the list of things you could try in order to resolve the computer freezing issues before running out and buying a new, faster computer.

I assume you have already tried running Auslogics BoostSpeed and fixing registry errors, removing junk files and defragmenting your hard disk drives. This will most likely be your first and only required fix to bring your computer back to life. However if this doesn’t help, read on.

Upgrade RAM

If your computer is slow (but not freezing for long periods of times), this can be caused by low system memory (RAM). The amount of RAM you need depends on the operating system. Click on Start (or Windows Orb), then right click on the “Computer” item in the Windows Start menu and select “Properties” (Windows Vista/Windows 7). You can get system information from Auslogics System Information, as well.

Obtaining System Information

If you’re running Windows XP or Windows 2000 you must have at least 512 MB of memory on your computer (note that 1 GB equals 1,024 MB of memory). Windows Vista and Windows 7 users will need at least 1 GB of RAM for comfortable work, better yet upgrade it to 2 GB. Having 3 to 4 GB installed may be useful if you work with image processing, 3D animation or CAD software. Upgrading RAM is best left to a professional unless you’re comfortable opening up your computer.

Scan for Viruses and Spyware

Nothing (not even increasing computer memory) will speed up your computer if it is infected with certain viruses or spyware. Be sure to scan your computer with the latest antivirus / antispyware solutions.

You can try antivirus programs such as AVAST! or AVG (they both have free versions). There isn’t a single solution that can detect all viruses and spyware.  I used to run AVAST! on my PC, however have uninstalled it after it failed to detect a virus. Don’t trust one single program and run a few. Also download and run PC Tools ThreatFire. This program can detect “trojans”, which is a special kind of spyware that hides itself from normal antivirus scanners.

Note that some  antivirus/antispyware programs are resource hogs themselves, especially those that are “all-in-one” solutions. They monitor everything that’s happening on your computer and can therefore slow it down considerably. Try uninstalling your all-in-one solution to see if your PC gets much faster.

Disable “Resource-Hungry” Programs

As you keep on using your computer and installing new software, programs get added to your computer startup list. This means that at any given time Windows may be running dozens of programs it doesn’t really need. Some of them are “resource-hungry”.

To find out which of the programs are using up the resources, hit Ctrl+Alt+Del on your keyboard (all three at the same time) and then click on the “Task Manager” (alternatively, use Ctrl+Shift+Esc instead). In Task Manager switch to Processes tab, then click on the “CPU” column header. This will show all the CPU hungry processes on top of the list. If you’re running Windows Vista or a newer version of Windows you might want to click on the “Show processes from all users” button /checkbox at the bottom of the Task Manager window. Ignore “System” or “System Idle Process” and look for all processes that take up 10% or more CPU. These are the ones that slow down your computer. You can also try sorting the processes by memory, as huge memory usage can also slow a computer down.

Now, try running Startup Manager (part of BoostSpeed) to disable startup programs you don’t need. Startup Manager will show you the program description (and a link to Internet description for more details). Disabling a startup program is safe because you will be able to enable it back. If you’re an experienced user you can try running msconfig (click Start, Run…, then type msconfig and then hit Enter) where you can see more advanced options.

Hardware Problems

Sometimes computer just freezes even though programs use very little system resources. This can indicate a hardware problem. Here’s a short list of likely hardware issues.

• Bad or corrupt RAM (causes sudden system reboots or freezes)
• High CPU temperature (causes sudden system shutdowns, system refusing to boot up, beeping)
• Bad drivers (they can cause a Blue Screen or Death, or a sudden system reboot)

Troubleshooting these problems goes beyong the scope of this post, but we will get back to this in later posts.

When Nothing Else Helps

If none of the steps above helped you, you can still fix the problem by methodically removing the installed software one by one. To do that use Uninstall manager in Auslogics BoostSpeed or click Start, then Control Panel, then click on “Uninstall a program” (it can also be called Add and Remove Software, etc). Start by removing the least necessary software programs and see if your computer gets better as you go. This will allow you to find out which of the software programs caused the freezing problem. If nothing else helps, you can resort to simply re-installing Windows. Unless the problem is related to hardware faults or inadequate computer specification, this solution will most certainly help.

There are many ways to improve computer performance, from hardware upgrades to editing the Registry. But upgrading hardware can be quite expensive and editing the Windows Registry can seriously harm your computer if you do something wrong. In this article I’ve focused on simple and safe tweaks that will not cause any trouble and will make your computer run faster.

1) Speed Up Windows Explorer

Sometimes starting Windows Explorer can take a while. This is because Windows automatically looks for network files, shared network folders, and devices when you start Windows Explorer. It is possible to make it open faster by changing the settings:

1. Open Windows Explorer
2. Click on Tools menu
3. Then click on Folder Options
4. Click on the View tab
5. Find Automatically search for network folders and printers check box and uncheck it
6. Click Apply, then click OK
7. Reboot your PC

From now on Windows Explorer will start faster, as it will no longer automatically search for network files, shared folders, and devices in the network.

2) Optimize Appearance Settings

We all are used to how Windows XP looks. But actually its visual effects waste system resources. The graphics card is not the only one that has to deal with it – the CPU and the memory are affected as well. Windows Vista graphics are even more advanced and can dramatically slow down your PC, especially if your computer is not one of the latest and the fastest ones.

Luckily there is a way to configure Windows XP for best performance by reducing the effects in the graphical user interface. This will free up RAM and increase computer speed. To configure Windows XP for maximum performance do the following:

1. Go to Start - Settings and select Control Panel
2. In the Control Panel, click System and then Advanced tab
3. In the Performance Options window select Adjust for best performance
4. Click OK to confirm and close the window

This will turn off all visual effects, which is good for less powerful PCs and laptops. However, if you would like Windows XP to look more like what you’re used to, leave the following boxes ticked:

• Show shadows under menus
• Show shadows under mouse pointer
• Show translucent selection rectangle
• Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop
• Use visual styles on windows and buttons

3) Uninstall Unused Device Drivers

Once you have uninstalled a device, it’s a good idea to remove any device drivers that were left behind. Otherwise those drivers will still be using valuable system resources. Here is why this happens.

When you install a device, you also install its drivers and they get called each time you boot up your PC. And even when the device has been removed, but the drivers are still there, your system continues to load them at boot up. What a waste of resources!

If you have Windows XP, follow these steps to remove any unwanted device drivers:

1. Press the Windows key + the Break key on your keyboard. System Properties box will appear
2. Select the Advanced tab
3. 
4. Click Environmental Variables
5. Under System Variables click New
6. In the variable box type devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices
7. Type 1 in the Variable value text box
8. Click OK to return to the System Properties box
9. Click OK again
10. Go to the Device Manager tab
11. Click View – Show hidden devices

Then you will need to expand all the branches and look for washed out icons. Those icons show unused device drivers that you can uninstall.

Once you have found a device driver you wish to uninstall, highlight it, right-click it, and choose Remove. Delete only washed out icons. All the other icons show drivers of connected and used devices. If you delete them, your devices will stop functioning properly.

4) Remove Software You Don’t Need

One more way to speed up your PC is to check what software you have installed and see if you need all the applications or not. To do this click Start - Settings - Control Panel – double-click Add/Remove Programs.

Most likely you will find programs you’ve used only once or twice. Removing them will free up disk space and make your PC run faster.

When Uninstalling Software Fails

Uninstalling software doesn’t always go as smooth as one hopes it would. A very common problem is that some programs don’t remove all their data completely, thus leaving some files behind. These files are called junk files.

Sometimes you have to uninstall the software trial version in order to register the full version. But if the uninstall process is not complete, you might fail to register the program that you have paid for.

If the uninstaller doesn’t work, it may be possible to remove the software manually. This means that you will need to remove all related files and configuration data from your hard disk. Usually software uses the Windows Registry to store configuration information.

Firstly, you will need to find the folder where the program was installed. Most likely it’s the Program Files directory. Locate the software folder and delete it. If it’s impossible to delete some files, try restarting your computer. This will help if the files were used by the system. If you can’t delete the files even after a restart, try booting in Safe Mode (tap F8 during PC boot) and then delete the files.

After that you will need to remove invalid Registry entries. Microsoft offers a free Windows Installer CleanUp Utility to help you do the job. After you’ve installed and opened it, select an application you wish to uninstall from the list. The utility will remove all registry entries related to that software. Double check what applications you select and also backup the Registry in case something goes wrong.

If running Windows Installer CleanUp Utility does not solve the problem, you can use a third party registry cleaner. Be careful and only use well-known software that has received positive reviews and trustworthy awards. There are lots of programs that claim to be great, but in fact they contain malware and spyware, and can damage your computer.

Another way to uninstall software without having to worry about the Registry is to use a software uninstaller. Program uninstallers track down and remove all application-related components from your system, thus ensuring that the software gets completely uninstalled.

Auslogics BoostSpeed contains both an uninstaller and a registry cleaner, plus lots of other useful tools to optimize and protect your system. You can download it from http://www.auslogics.com.

5) Disable Indexing Services

The Indexing Services use large amounts of RAM and can often make a computer pretty slow and loud. This service indexes and updates lists of all the files that are on your computer in order to enable you to search for the files and folders faster. To tell you the truth, this service is not really needed and you can safely disable it.

1. Go to Start
2. Click Settings
3. Click Control Panel
4. Double-click Add/Remove Programs
5. Click Add/Remove Windows Components
6. Uncheck Indexing Services
7. Click Next and then click Finish