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Hard drive utilities

This month in APC we tested the latest hard drives. Now check out these great utilities to keep your system performing how it should.

Section Index

Products in this section include: BigDisk 1.5, Cacheman 3.6, Directory Snoop 3.0, Diskeeper Lite, DiskState 1.14c, Drive Monitor 3.1, FATMon 1.2.06, Hard Drive ScanDisk Pro 1.0, Index & Shutdown 1.0.4, KDiskFree 0.5.1, Kmemmon 0.2, Lost & Found 1.0, MBRSCAN 1.1, PictureTaker 1.52, Save Butt 1.2, The Partition Resizer 1.3.1, Virtual Drive 3.1, Waste 2.6, Wipe 0.58.6

BigDisk 1.5

Download the version for your operating system here:

Windows 95/98/NT

Description:

Extend the size of any hard drive by reallocating space from other drives. If you have more than one hard drive, have access to network drives or if your drive is partitioned into multiple drives, BigDisk makes them all function and appear as one big disk. The program extends the amount of free space on the primary drive by automatically moving files to another drive. Directories are protected from relocation and any changes made by BigDisk can be fully restored.

Licence:

Shareware. In the shareware version you may only migrate 100M of data, and the 'Redirect New Files' option is disabled.

Requirements:

Install instructions:

Internet Explorer users just click on the file and choose Open to run the setup program straight from the CD. Netscape users download to your local drive and run the EXE file.

Rating:

Links online:

http://www.syncronys.com/bigdisk15/index15.html

Cacheman 3.6

Download the version for your operating system here:

Windows 95/98/NT

Description:

When your system runs out of RAM, Windows starts to use virtual memory instead of flushing the disk caches. To change this, you have to edit your SYSTEM.INI file. Cacheman is a well-designed tool that uses slide bars to optimise the cache settings and change the SYSTEM.INI file. The result is enhanced system performance due to the reduced use of the swapfile. Cachman provides a number of default settings if you're unsure what size to set the cache at.

Licence:

Postcardware

Requirements:

Install instructions:

Download to your local drive, unzip it then run the .EXE file

Rating:

Links online:

http://members.xoom.com/ultimatum/index.htm

Directory Snoop 3.0

Download the version for your operating system here:

Windows 95/98/NT

Description:

Directory Snoop enables you to view a number of low-level items, including the raw DIRENTRY structures for any directory, the file allocation table (FAT) and raw clusters for any file or directory. You can also view, unerase and totally purge files that have been previously 'erased'. Other features include the ability to step forwards or backwards through cluster chains, file and cluster wiping, file and cluster searching, and the ability to map files and directories to cluster numbers.

Licence:

Shareware (30-day trial)

Requirements:

Install instructions:

Internet Explorer users just click on the file and choose Open to run the setup program straight from the CD. Netscape users download to your local drive and run the EXE file.

Rating:

Links online:

http://www.briggsoft.com/dsnoop.htm

Diskeeper Lite

Download the version for your operating system here:

Windows NT 4.0

Description:

This high-speed manual defragmenter is designed exclusively for Windows NT 4.0 (build 1381 or higher).

Licence:

Freeware

Requirements:

Visual Basic 5.0 Runtime files

Install instructions:

Internet Explorer users just click on the file and choose Open to run the setup program straight from the CD. Netscape users download to your local drive and run the EXE file.

Links online:

http://www.execsoft.com/

DiskState 1.14c

Download the version for your operating system here:

Windows 95/98/NT

Description:

A well-designed utility that allows you to keep track of the amount of free space you have on your system. You can view the particulars for each drive and display a breakdown of how much space different folders take up -- useful for reducing unnecessary disk usage. DiskState will also give you a complete listing of all duplicate files on all drives, using 128-bit MD5 signatures to ensure that the actual files, not just the names, are duplicates.

Licence:

Shareware

Requirements:

Install instructions:

Download to your local drive, unzip it then run the .EXE file

Rating:

Links online:

N/A

Drive Monitor 3.1

Download the version for your operating system here:

Mac OS 8

Description:

Drive Monitor displays information about all volumes currently mounted on your desktop and how much space you are using on those volumes.

Licence:

Demo

Requirements:

Links online:

http://prozac.cwru.edu/JudeHome.html

FATMon 1.2.06

Download the version for your operating system here:

Windows 95/98/NT

Description:

FATMon allows you to monitor your hard drive's file allocation table (FAT) while you work. FATMon monitors for and advises you of major changes such as disk errors.

Licence:

Shareware (30-day trial)

Requirements:

Install instructions:

Download to your local drive, unzip it then run the .EXE file

Rating:

Links online:

http://www.easydesksoftware.com/fatmon.htm

Hard Drive ScanDisk Pro 1.0

Download the version for your operating system here:

Windows 95/98/NT

Description:

Hard Drive ScanDisk Pro is a small and simple program that finds and fixes errors on your hard drives. It can correct cluster, physical and file location errors. There is no help file but everything is fairly intuitive. Once a scan has commenced the program will not stop unless you shut it down.

Licence:

Freeware

Requirements:

Download to your local drive, unzip it then run the .EXE file

Install instructions:

Internet Explorer users just click on the file and choose Open to run the setup program straight from the CD. Netscape users download to your local drive and run the EXE file.

Rating:

Links online:

http://members.tripod.com/~pccure/download.html

Index & Shutdown 1.0.4

Download the version for your operating system here:

Mac OS 8

Description:

Index & Shutdown quits all running applications and prompts you if documents need to be saved, puts away all servers that you are connected to, disconnects all users (with your permission) if file sharing is on, and then empties the contents of your RAM disk and trash.

Licence:

Shareware. After 30 days the program will index but not shut down.

Requirements:

Links online:

http://www.carnationsoftware.com/

KDiskFree 0.5.1

Download the version for your operating system here:

Linux

Description:

KDiskFree is a utility that gives you a graphical overview of your system disks. It notifies you when the capacity on a disk becomes critically low.

Licence:

GPL

Requirements:

Links online:

http://www.kde.org/

Kmemmon 0.2

Download the version for your operating system here:

Linux

Description:

Kmemmon is a KDE panel application that monitors memory usage and swap usage. It works by docking in the K Panel and showing memory usage in real time.

Licence:

GPL

Requirements:

Links online:

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/smf/

Lost & Found 1.0

Download the version for your operating system here:

Windows 95/98/NT

DOS

Description:

PowerQuest's Lost & Found is a data recovery program designed to find and restore files lost on corrupt disks. The full version of the program can recover data after accidental or intentional data loss, or from corrupted media caused by a disk crash or logical system failure. It can even recover data if a partition has been reformatted, or if the file allocation table (FAT) has been destroyed.

Licence:

Demo. The demo version only allows you to determine if Lost & Found can access your lost files. It does not display cylinder, head or sector values, and it does not recover any files.

Requirements:

Install instructions:

Internet Explorer users just click on the file and choose Open to run the setup program straight from the CD. Netscape users download to your local drive and run the EXE file.

Rating:

Links online:

http://www.powerquest.com/lostandfound/lfdemo.html

MBRSCAN 1.1

Download the version for your operating system here:

DOS

Description:

MBRSCAN is a DOS program that dumps MBRs (master boot records) and boot records of each partition, and analyses partition table entries. It can be useful if you encounter MBR corruption at an OS installation. The program can also help you understand partition table structure. This is a program for the more technically minded who have some knowledge of the way their hard drive functions.

Licence:

Freeware

Requirements:

Install instructions:

Download to your local drive, unzip it then run the .EXE file

Rating:

Links online:

http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA003009/mbrscane.html

PictureTaker 1.52

Download the version for your operating system here:

Windows 95/98/NT

Description:

This program takes a picture of items on your drive so that you can keep track of any changes that occur, which can be extremely useful when backing up your data. The picture taken may contain information such as program files, INI files, directories, shortcuts, registry details and more. There are different types of pictures that can be taken, however, those with the most information can take a considerable time to process. PictureTaker makes an image of each item, collects them into one file and then stores the file in a compressed format. This allows you to back up and restore the environment, duplicate the environment on another computer, or compare it to the current environment to find changes.

Licence:

Demo (15-day trial)

Requirements:

Install instructions:

Internet Explorer users just click on the file and choose Open to run the setup program straight from the CD. Netscape users download to your local drive and run the EXE file.

Rating:

Links online:

http://www.lanovation.com/

Save Butt 1.2

Download the version for your operating system here:

Windows 95/98/NT

Description:

Save Butt protects your data by automatically copying files that you change or delete, and saving them to your hard disk, removable drive or network server. It runs in the background, logs all file deletions and changes, and can recover files with a single mouse-click from the main application window or with a right-click from within Windows Explorer. In addition, Save Butt can be configured to include or exclude file types of your choice.

Licence:

Trial (30-day trial)

Requirements:

Install instructions:

Download to your local drive, unzip it then run the .EXE file

Rating:

Links online:

http://www.pgsoft.com/

The Partition Resizer 1.3.1

Download the version for your operating system here:

DOS

Description:

Resize and move disk partitions and logical drives without having to reformat your hard drive. The Partition Resizer supports almost any type of DOS or Windows filesystem, including FAT12, FAT16 and FAT32 and it works with extended partitions. Hard drives up to 2T (terabytes) are supported. Cluster sizes can also be changed, however, the data on the hard drive will not be preserved. The Partition Resizer is not easy to use nor is it foolproof, so you should back up your data and thoroughly read the documentation before running it.

Licence:

Freeware

Requirements:

Install instructions:

Download to your local drive, unzip it then run the .EXE file

Links online:

http://members.xoom.com/Zeleps/

Virtual Drive 3.1

Download the version for your operating system here:

Windows 95/98

Description:

By creating CD-ROM images on your hard drive, Virtual Drive allows you to instantly run your CD applications without having to put the CD into the drive. It reads any CD and creates a highly compressed image file. Virtual Drive is network compatible, it supports copy-protected drives, offers built-in compression and also supports audio CDs.

Licence:

21-day trial

Requirements:

Install instructions:

Download to your local drive, unzip it then run the .EXE file.

Rating:

Links online:

http://www.farstone.com/english/index.htm

Waste 2.6

Download the version for your operating system here:

Windows 95/98/NT

Windows 3.1

Description:

If you are still using a version of Windows earlier than 98 then you may want to consider changing the cluster size used by your hard drive. The cluster size can be reduced by upgrading to FAT32 or by reducing the size of your partitions. Waste is a useful program that analyses your hard drive to determine how much space you can save by switching to a new cluster size. It can tell you how much space is wasted due to the disk's cluster size, and how much would be wasted for other given cluster sizes. This allows you to make informed decisions, using your own files, about how best to partition your hard disk.

Licence:

Requirements:

Install instructions:

Download to your local drive, unzip it then run the .EXE file

Rating:

Links online:

http://www.isis-software.com/

Wipe 0.58.6

Download the version for your operating system here:

Linux

Description:

Wipe is a secure file wiping utility. Wipe should make it extremely difficult for all but the most determined persons to recover your original data.

Licence:

GPL

Requirements:

Links online:

http://users.erols.com/thomassr/zero/download/wipe/