Tools hakin9 5/2008

Diskeeper 2008 Pro Premier

System: Windows 2000/XP/Vista (32 bit and 64 bit)
License: Commercial
(offers different options to accommodate business needs)
Application: Disk Performance Enhancer
Homepage: http://www.diskeeper.com/defrag.asp


Diskeeper is a small utility that silently runs in the background cleaning the file system and optimizing computer performance all the while remaining unnoticeable to the user.
Overview
Often times you begin to notice that your not so old computer just das not run the same. Files take longer to open, programs take longer to load and the overall feel of the machine is sluggish. Most would blame these symptoms on poor hardware choice, or possible spyware infection. While these may be true, one of the more likely causes is that the hard disk is in desperate need of defragmentation. Because files are written in different places on the hard disk all the time it is obvious that fragmentation is going to occur. Diskeeper works to solve this fragmentation problem by defragmenting the hard disk in real time, thus keeping files packed together and performance at its best.
Quick Start
After installation Diskeeper allows you to configure the program so you can set it and forget it. The GUI interface itself is easy to follow with links on the top bar and additional menus on the left sidebar. Following the quick start guide allows you to set everything up in a manner of minutes.

Performance
After the initial defragmentation, the computer used for testing was restarted. There was almost an immediate change when bringing up files and opening programs. Things seemed to speed up for the most part without any interaction from myself at all.
One of the interesting features about Diskeeper Pro Premier is the I-FAAST feature. This feature looks at the files being accessed most often and configures itself to maximize performance when using the said files. I-FAAST also allows the user to individually specify the files to maximize performance on though Diskeeper does not recommend doing this.
So far since using Diskeeper, the test machine has been running great. Performance has certainly improved since installation and it has only been a week or so. The only problem that has been noticed so far is that occasionally the mouse will begin to lag as if the computer resources were at its peak. Checking the computer performance revealed no spikes, but Diskeeper seems to be the blame as this was not happening prior to installation. Though this problem is annoying at times, its rare and the benefits gained are well worth the minute or so of a choppy mouse.
Overall
Diskeeper is quite impressive. The concept is fresh and the developers have done a great job of creating an easy to use, maintenance free piece of software. Aside from the minor mouse issue, Diskeeper is able to provide almost instant performance improvements with little to no interaction from the user and that alone makes it worth the small price tag.


By Brandon Dixon
Brandon has over 5 years of experience in the information technology and security industry. Mr. Dixon is currently a member of G2, Inc. where he performs network and application penetration testing services.