If you are a Windows user, you have probably had to defragment your hard drive at one time or another.  However, even if you have never heard about defragging, this article is still for you.

It should come as no surprise that the built in defrag program “Windows Disk Defragmenter” isn’t the best program out there.  There are several other programs that are far more efficient and have more options than the default Windows program.  This article is going to cover Defraggler, a program from the same company as CCleaner.

Defraggler is one of the best defrag programs for Windows, and the best part is it’s FREE!  While you can’t beat the price, this isn’t the only selling point. Some other notable features include:

• The ability to defrag individual files as well as the entire drive
• Vista support including 64bit!
• Small enough to run on a flash drive (Setup file is less than 1MB)

Below is a screenshot of Defraggler at the main screen:

As you can see, the interface is pretty straight forward.

To begin, simply click on the hard drive or partition you wish to defrag and click the ‘Analze’ button in the bottom left corner.  When the analysis is complete, it will show you how many files are fragmented and the number of fragments.  You can also see a list of the fragmented files by clicking ‘View files.’

Once you are ready to defrag, simply click the ‘Defrag’ button. Can’t get much easier than that :-) .

This will analyze and defrag your entire hard drive. If you wish to only defrag a certain file or folder, click ‘Action’ and then make the appropriate choice.

Also, once you analyze the hard drive, you can click ‘View files’ and select individual files to defrag.

TIP: If you have more than 1 hard drive (or partition) don’t forget to defrag it as well.

Last but not least, Defraggler has the ability to check your hard drives for errors.

This is similar to running the “Error-checking” program in Windows.  This will check to make sure your drive is running in tip top shape.

When Microsoft first released Windows Vista, there was talk of fading out XP.  As word got out about the problems with Vista, some people decided to stay with XP for a little while longer.  Microsoft heard such and uproar about fading out XP that they decided to push back the end-of-sales date.  Well, that day has finally come.

On June 30th, 2008, Microsoft will stop selling Windows XP.  This means that you will no longer be able to buy XP as a stand-alone product at a store or from major PC manufacturers like Dell and HP.

Of course it will take months for places like Dell and HP to sell all the copies of XP in their inventory.

If you refuse to upgrade to Windows Vista and want to get your hands on a copy of XP, you might be in luck.  Local PC makers known as “system builders” will continue to sell computers with XP pre-installed until January 2009.  Also, ultra-low cost PCs (ULCPC) will still be allowed to carry Windows XP Home Edition until June 2010.

If you are worried about Windows XP support, you still have some time before it runs out.  Microsoft will stop supporting XP in April 2009.  If you have pay for Microsoft “Extended” support, you will be covered through 2014.

For more information:
The Future of Windows XP
Microsoft Support Cycle

Do you wish Microsoft would have delayed the end-of-sales for XP just one more time??? Let us know in the comments.