JkDefrag is a free
open-source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...
disk defragmenting utility
As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosopher ...
computer program
A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to execute. Computer programs are one component of software, which also includes documentation and other intangible components.
A computer program ...
for
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
. It was developed by Jeroen Kessels (initials "JK", hence the name) beginning in 2004 and was released under the
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL or simply GPL) is a series of widely used free software licenses that guarantee end users the four freedoms to run, study, share, and modify the software. The license was the first copyleft for general us ...
. Since version 4 of 2008, much changed from previous versions, JkDefrag was renamed MyDefrag by its developer; earlier JkDefrag versions continued to be available. MyDefrag, which was
closed source freeware
Freeware is software, most often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the f ...
, was discontinued, with the last version being v4.3.1, file date 21 May 2010; for several years the MyDefrag website has been a redirect to the still-existing JkDefrag site, but links to downloadable JKdefrag files are dead.
Operation
JkDefrag has many options. If run without options it groups files into 3 zones with the intention of optimizing speed:
# Directories and system files
# Regular files
# Large files referred to as "space hogs" in the documentation
Files outside their zone are moved to their zone. Directories are perhaps the most accessed data on disk, so zone 1 is placed at the beginning of the drive. After the directories comes a free space area, then zone 2 with regular files, another free area, and then zone 3 with "space hogs", which are large files, archives, recycle bin contents, service pack files, and other infrequently accessed data.
JkDefrag characteristics:
* Both command-line & graphical executable programs, about 500k bytes total size;
* Automated operation;
* A range of
command line interface
A command-line interpreter or command-line processor uses a command-line interface (CLI) to receive commands from a user in the form of lines of text. This provides a means of setting parameters for the environment, invoking executables and pro ...
options, allowing for scheduled defragmentation with administrator scripts;
* No need for installation; runs with default options by opening JkDefrag.exe;
*
Screensaver defragmentation, with the option to run another screensaver when done;
* Source code (Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 for 32-bit version and Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 for 64-bit version) available;
* A DLL
library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
(for use in programming) licensed using the
LGPL
The GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) is a free-software license published by the Free Software Foundation (FSF). The license allows developers and companies to use and integrate a software component released under the LGPL into their own ...
;
* Support for
64-bit versions of Windows XP and Vista with native x64 binaries;
* Documentation available on the web site.
JkDefrag runs on the Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista Operating Systems, and defragments both
FAT
In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food.
The term often refers spec ...
and
NTFS filesystems. It uses the standard Windows defragmentation
API
An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software Interface (computing), interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standa ...
. Because of that, it could technically even be used on operating systems up to Windows 11. However such use would be completely unsupported and might bear the risk of data loss or a corrupt
OS or other severe problems. User support was provided through web-based forums.
Related software
There are several
graphical user interface
The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inste ...
utilities designed to work with JkDefrag:
* ''JKDefrag Option GUI'' by Emiel Wieldraaijer includes support for 26 languages, and has support for
BartPE
BartPE (Bart's Preinstalled Environment) is a discontinued tool that customizes Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 into a lightweight environment, similar to Windows Preinstallation Environment, which could be run from a Live CD or Live USB drive. ...
and U3 implementations. It was also nominated "Repair Tool of the Week" in ''TechNibble'' in August 2007.
* ''JkDefragGUI'' by Markus Hörl is portable, includes support for 10(+30) languages, and there is a setup version.
* ''ScanDefrag'' supports JkDefrag and allows it to run during Windows startup.
The only other Windows-based defrag program with a
GNU GPL
The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL or simply GPL) is a series of widely used free software licenses that guarantee end users the four freedoms to run, study, share, and modify the software. The license was the first copyleft for general us ...
is
UltraDefrag
UltraDefrag is a Defragmentation, disk defragmentation utility for Microsoft Windows. Prior to version 8.0.0 it was released under the GNU GNU General Public License, General Public License. The only other Windows-based defragmentation utility lic ...
before version 8.
See also
*
File system fragmentation
*
List of defragmentation software
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
External links
* {{Official website, http://www.kessels.com/JkDefrag/, JkDefrag official website
MyDefrag website (defunct; 2016)MyDefrag website on archive.org (Sept 23 2015)JKDefragGUI and MyDefragGUI related front-end project
2004 software
Free defragmentation software
Windows-only free software
Utilities for Windows