UltraDefrag 9 vs UltraDefrag 7
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People often ask us, what is the difference between the most recent version of UltraDefrag (9.0.1) and the latest free version of the program (7.1.4). We hope that by writing this article we can answer this popular question.
In short, the difference is huge.
UltraDefrag 7.1.4 has a few major flaws:
- it is difficult to use
- it is slow and inefficient
- it lacks good documentation
- its development ceased a long time ago
UltraDefrag 9.0.1, on the other hand, does not have any of these flaws. It is very easy to use, extremely fast and efficient, it comes with comprehensive documentation and its development actively continues!
The full list of new features and improvements UltraDefrag 9 and its predecessor UltraDefrag 8 brought in can be found in the UltraDefrag Changelog. Let’s take a closer look at the most important ones.
Easy installation
UltraDefrag 7 comes as a set of 3 separate installers, one for each of the supported Windows editions (x86, x64 and IA64). The problem is that you have to figure out yourself which installer to use on your system. And, if you don’t make the right decision, you have to download another installer and start all over again:
UltraDefrag 9, on the other hand, comes as a single installer which checks itself which edition of Windows you have and installs files the most appropriate for it automatically.
Extremely fast and efficient defragmentation
UltraDefrag 9 uses a lot of smart techniques to perform the job as quickly and efficiently as possible. For instance, it uses all the available CPU cores whenever possible and much more sensible default settings to exclude more files which do not affect system performance from defragmentation. Also UltraDefrag 9 uses the fastest available disk tracks to relocate files.
All that makes the disk processing algorithms of UltraDefrag 9 extremely fast and efficient. UltraDefrag 9 performs the job on average in half time, if you compare it to UltraDefrag 7, and it improves the system performance as much as possible at the same time.
Easy defragmentation of essential system files
To defragment all essential system files including locked ones using UltraDefrag 7 you would have to learn the boot time script syntax and available commands, open the script in a text editor, write your own script, save it and then manually enable the boot time defragmentation. And, after all, you would have to reboot your computer manually for the action to take effect. So much hassle, ain’t it?
On the other hand, with UltraDefrag 9 you can easily defragment all the essential system files with just a few clicks. Select the disks, then click Boot time defragmentation > Defragment and then click Reboot now to proceed with defragmentation:
That’s about it, as simple as it could be!
Easy boot time optimization
In addition to the regular defragmentation UltraDefrag can optimize disks at a system reboot. In this mode the disk optimization is more efficient, because it optimizes all files and folders on the disk, including those which are usually locked by the operating system and running applications.
To perform the boot time optimization using UltraDefrag 7 you would have to learn how to use the boot time scripts in order to write your own script for the disk optimization. Then, you would have to manually enable the boot time interface for the next system reboot and, finally, reboot the computer.
On the other hand, in UltraDefrag 9 all you need to do is to select the disks and then click Boot time defragmentation > Perform full optimization of selected disks and then Reboot now to proceed with the optimization. That’s it, you don’t need to write any script anymore!
Automatic defragmentation
It can be tedious to check fragmentation of your disks from time to time manually and defragment them when it goes high.
To automate disk defragmentation using UltraDefrag 7 you would have to thoroughly learn how to use Windows Task Scheduler, batch scripts and the command line interface of UltraDefrag. In other words, you would have to invest a lot of your time and effort to achieve the goal.
On the other hand, in UltraDefrag 9 all you have to do is to open the preferences dialog, select the disks you want to defragment automatically and then click OK:
As simple as that 😉
Easy configuration
In UltraDefrag 7, to change a setting, you have to learn the syntax of the main configuration file, open the file in a text editor, search for the appropriate setting, change it, save the file and then restart the program. That’s too much, ain’t it?
UltraDefrag 9 features an easy to use preferences dialog. Now you can easily configure all the components of UltraDefrag with just a few clicks, without a single line of code!
Easy to use portable edition
The portable edition of UltraDefrag 7 comes as a set of 3 separate packages, one for each of the supported Windows editions (x86, x64 and IA64). If you don’t know exactly which edition of Windows you have, you have to guess. And, if you don’t make the right decision, you have to download another package and try it hoping it will work this time.
On the other hand, the portable edition of UltraDefrag 9 comes as a single package with a software launcher which checks itself which edition of Windows you have and launches the appropriate binaries automatically.
Moreover, now the portable edition is truly portable. You can use a single copy of it across different computers, having both 32 and 64-bit editions of Windows, and your user preferences will be preserved across all the computers.
Comprehensive documentation
One of the major flaws of UltraDefrag 7 is its limited documentation. No matter what you want to do with UltraDefrag 7, you have to struggle to find out how to do it.
UltraDefrag 9, on the other hand, comes with comprehensive documentation which covers all kinds of topics in detail with well illustrated step-by-step guides and usage examples!
Future updates
Sometimes people ask us, when will be the next update of UltraDefrag 7. Well, most likely never. UltraDefrag 7 is completely outdated and there’s no point in continuing its development.
On the other hand, UltraDefrag 9 is under active development now and a bunch of exciting updates are coming soon! Stay tuned 😉