Disktrix UltimateDefrag 3 - The "Respect Layout.ini" Option & Hard Link Files

[homeless_sapient]

Hi!

I like very much the power of Disktrix UltimateDefrag, but I don't understand something in the operation of the program. (I'm using version 3.0.100.39 on Windows 7 64 bit.)

When I select the "Respect Layout.ini" option a lot of files from my Layout.ini are not placed in the required place. After a brief surveillance I realized that the missing files are all hard links.

For example the first 8 entries of Layout.ini looks like this:

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\NTOSKRNL.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\PSHED.DLL
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\KDCOM.DLL
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CLFS.SYS
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CI.DLL
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\HAL.DLL
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SOFTWARE

But after the optimization process the Cluster Viewer looks like this:

C:\$Boot
C:\Windows\System32\config\SYSTEM
C:\Windows\System32\config\SOFTWARE

The ntoskrnl.exe, pshed.dll, kdcom.dll, clfs.sys, ci.dll and hal.dll are all missing from the first sectors, and they are all HARD LINKS.

I have tried two other programs – MyDefrag (with the System Disk Monthly Script) and O&O Defrag – , but they do not miss these files, and the Cluster Viewer looks like this:

C:\$Boot
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-os-kernel_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17640_none_ca31f809cade8847\ntoskrnl.exe
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-pshed_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385_none_b7e7d4f746c595bb\PSHED.DLL
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-b..gertransport-serial_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17556_none_6fb25371c3691bc8\kdcom.dll
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-commonlog_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385_none_da778c54413d0c9c\clfs.sys
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-codeintegrity_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17514_none_fe9df6ad1b5f6e87\ci.dll
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-hal_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17514_none_094ef8137049c196\hal.dll
C:\Windows\System32\config\SYSTEM
C:\Windows\System32\config\SOFTWARE

So the files are lined up there – with differently localized hard links.

What's the explanation of this strange program behaviour? Or did I misunderstand something?

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[Isso]

Hi,

This is a bug in layout.ini processing module of UltimateDefrag. Unfortunately I no longer work on this project, but I'll forward this information to the manager.

[homeless_sapient]

Thank You!

[psi2003]

Originally Posted by Isso

Hi,

This is a bug in layout.ini processing module of UltimateDefrag. Unfortunately I no longer work on this project, but I'll forward this information to the manager.

Isso,

DefragExpress uses "Respect Layout.ini" when defrag?

[Isso]

If you check "Move frequently used files to high performance area", then yes.
But I guess it will suffer the same problem as UD (I mean hard links processing)

[psi2003]

Originally Posted by Isso

If you check "Move frequently used files to high performance area", then yes.
But I guess it will suffer the same problem as UD (I mean hard links processing)

Why?

[Isso]

Because it uses the same codebase as UD, and no one has reported this hard link problem before

[homeless_sapient]

I sent an email to the DiskTrix office about the observation regarding this hard link issue. See if it will help in any way.

[homeless_sapient]

I made some additional tests with the program.

Under certain circumstances the UltraDefrag simply just cannot see a single hard link in Windows 7:

1) On the one hand it can defragment hard links.
For example I've used the MyFragmenter.exe from MyDefgrag to split the C:\Windows\System32\ntoskrnl.exe (hard link) into 100 fragments. Than the „Fragmented Files Only” and the „Consolidate” options from the UltraDefrag can defragment the splitted ntoskrnl.exe.

2) BUT on the other hand includind the C:\Windows\System32 and C:\Windows\SysWOW64 directories into the „High Performance” locations has NO effect on ntoskrnl.exe (and on the other hard links from the included directories). The ntoskrnl.exe remains fragmented and unoptimized.

Conclusion:
Apparently the optimizations based on sorting algorithms has no effect on hard links.

However the situation is a little more complex, because:

I wrote a script to include in Layout ini every hard link output of „fsutil hardlink list” for every original entry.

For example:

INSTEAD OF:

C:\Windows\System32\ntoskrnl.exe
C:\Windows\System32\pshed.dll
C:\Windows\System32\kdcom.dll
C:\Windows\System32\clfs.sys
C:\Windows\System32\ci.dll
C:\Windows\System32\hal.dll

THIS WILL APPEAR IN LAYOUT.INI:

C:\Windows\System32\ntoskrnl.exe
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-os-kernel_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17640_none_ca31f809cade8847\ntoskrnl.exe
C:\Windows\System32\pshed.dll
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-pshed_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385_none_b7e7d4f746c595bb\pshed.dll
C:\Windows\System32\kdcom.dll
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-b..gertransport-serial_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17556_none_6fb25371c3691bc8\kdcom.dll
C:\Windows\System32\clfs.sys
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-commonlog_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385_none_da778c54413d0c9c\clfs.sys
C:\Windows\System32\ci.dll
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-codeintegrity_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17514_none_fe9df6ad1b5f6e87\ci.dll
C:\Windows\System32\hal.dll
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-hal_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17514_none_094ef8137049c196\hal.dll

Changing in this way the Layout.ini allows UltimateDefrag to not miss the hard linked items from the „Respect Layout.ini” operation.

This is weird.

[Isso]

I was just contacted by the UD developer and he told that he fixed this issue, so the new release should work properly.

[psi2003]

Originally Posted by Isso

I was just contacted by the UD developer and he told that he fixed this issue, so the new release should work properly.

And DefragExpress? I love that app

[Isso]

Sorry, I think they don't have plans to update DefragExpress in the near future

[homeless_sapient]

Originally Posted by Isso

I was just contacted by the UD developer and he told that he fixed this issue, so the new release should work properly.

Thank You! It's a good news !

Also it would be nice if the size of distance (gap) between the High Performance zone and Archive zone would be customizable. It's not always a good idea to put the Archive files to the very end of the partition.

[Isso]

There will be an option to place Archive right after HP as far as I know. But I guess a gap should be easy to do too, I'll notify them about this feature request

[psi2003]

Disktrix has dead again

[neijek]

i hope i'm not doing something too bad hijacking this thread but since it's about disktrix ultimatedefrag 3 and it had already part of my question.. i wanted to ask the second part...

is there a way that i could force it to place "x" amount of space after one of my high priority files? i use it on one hd for organizing strickly by folder 3 games i often use to have the fastest load time i can, but 2 of those games often write just a little bit to it's folder, forcing that data to go after the 3 game folders (40 g later) and fragmenting, causing i would gather mild speed problems till i defrag again. Since I use these hd just for those games i was hoping i could force it to place i dont know 5%-10% extra white space after it places my folders by strict hight priority placment allowing for these little "extra bits" to be written as close as possible to their default folder... (i know austic does this with their defrag but i really dont like it )

the idea in case i didn't explain it too well is ... :xxxxxxxx(hightpriorityfolder)----(whitespace)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx(nexthighpriotityfolder)--(whitepace)xxxxxxxxxxx(lasthighpriorityfile).