Extras

Check drive
Using the ribbon, you can check your drives for errors with the Check drive command.

• The related report is automatically saved under Scheduling → Reports.
  
• The check corresponds to Windows’ chkdsk function, but runs in read-only mode.
  • No errors are fixed automatically.
    
  • You must correct errors manually using the Windows chkdsk command.

If an error is detected, we recommend a thorough check of the drive.
You can cancel the check at any time using the Stop button.

O&O ClusterInspector
O&O ClusterInspector is a tool for detailed analysis of disk allocation.

• Open it with a double-click on a block in the block view.
  
• It shows the files located in that area of the disk.
  
• By default, up to 50 file entries per page are displayed. You can view more entries using the navigation buttons.

Displayed information:
- Start cluster: Start of the currently displayed section
- Number of clusters: Number of clusters occupied by the file in the block
- Fragments: Number of file parts — greater than 1 indicates fragmentation
- Size: Physically occupied storage space
- File: Absolute path of the file

Tip: A cluster is the smallest logical allocation unit for files on a storage device.

Show file layout (Details)
- Click Details to view information about a selected file.
- All fragments with cluster number and size are displayed.
- In the block view (ClusterView), occupied clusters are highlighted.
- You can immediately see how fragmented a file is and where its fragments are located.

Determine file position
- Via the ribbon: Determine file position.
- Select the desired file in the dialog.
- In the block view (ClusterView), all areas occupied by the file are highlighted.
- This provides a quick overview of how the file is physically distributed on the disk.

Optimize Thin Provisioning
Thin Provisioning is a technique for virtual machines that assigns storage dynamically.
Goal: More efficient use of resources, reduced power consumption, smaller footprint, and less heat generation.

• O&O Defrag supports Thin Provisioning by reporting changed storage demand (especially reduced demand) to the virtual machine.
  
• Benefit: Allocation can be reduced → future storage requirements decrease.

Import/Export base settings
O&O Defrag allows you to export and import your custom base configuration via .xml files.

Export:
1. In the main window, under Extras, click Export….
2. Enter a file name (e.g., ood_settings.xml).
3. Choose a save location in the file browser and confirm.

Import:
1. In the main window, under Extras, click Import….
2. Select the desired configuration file.
3. Confirm your selection.

Defragment individual drives

Select the desired drive in the drive list.
- Clicking the Start button in the ribbon begins defragmentation with the default SPACE method.
- If you want to use a different method, open the Start button’s submenu and choose the desired method.

The duration of defragmentation depends on the size of the data set and can take several hours.
- A running process is indicated by an animated drive icon and the progress bar.
- After completion, you can display a status report in your web browser.

Defragment SSDs
- SSD controllers store files fragmented across pages (free memory sections).
- As a result, more memory cells must be read than necessary when accessing data.
- Consequences:
- Slowdowns due to searching for fragments
- Increased wear on memory cells → shorter lifespan

The resource-friendly SOLID/COMPLETE method reduces unnecessary fragmentation by optimally consolidating file fragments.
- Benefit: Fewer memory cells are used → longer lifespan and stable performance.
- Note: SOLID/COMPLETE can be used for SSDs and HDDs alike.

Defragment HDDs
- On traditional hard drives, fragmentation increases access times, because the read/write head must travel longer distances.
- Causes: daily work, browsing, gaming, frequent server access.
- Consequences:
- Significantly longer access times
- Increased wear on mechanics
- Benefits of defragmentation:
- Faster access times
- Less hardware stress
- Longer hard drive lifespan

Defragment the entire computer
- Select all drives in the drive list (multi-select with Ctrl key).
- Start defragmentation using the SPACE method or select another method from the submenu.
- Running operations are shown via the icon and progress bar.
- After completion, you can display a comprehensive status report in the browser.

Defragment individual files and folders
- In a file’s or folder’s context menu, select Defragment directly.
- O&O Defrag opens and starts defragmentation immediately.
- Especially for small amounts of data, defragmentation completes in just a few seconds.

Work over the network

The network feature allows you to remotely control O&O Defrag on another computer within the same network.
This lets you run all program functions you use locally remotely as well.

Requirements
- O&O Defrag must be installed on the target computer.
- Port 50300 must be open in the target system’s firewall.
- By default, you can only control O&O Defrag on computers where your user account is a member of the local Administrators group.

Optional:
- If you want to allow all users on the network to control it, enable the option in Settings:
“Allow remote access from the same network.”

Establish a connection
1. In the Extras menu, select Connect to computers.
2. Choose the desired network computer.
3. Once connected, you have access to all O&O Defrag features as if you were working directly on the target machine.

Firewall settings
To ensure the connection works, configure the firewall correctly:

1. Open Windows Firewall at:
   Control Panel → Security → Windows Firewall → Advanced settings → Exceptions.
   
2. Create a new port.
   
3. Enter port number 50300 and name it, e.g., O&O Defrag.
   
4. Confirm the changes.
   
5. Check the O&O Defrag box in the exceptions list.

Defragmentation information & S.M.A.R.T. functionality

O&O Defrag provides various information views to monitor the progress and results of your defragmentation.
Use the tabs at the bottom of the Defragmentation ribbon to switch between the following categories:

Timeline
- Overview of actions you have performed recently.
- Shows defragmentation results per drive.

History
- Shows how many files were sped up and how many fragments were removed.
- Overview of the total amount of data defragmented.

Drive status
- Summary of the status of selected drives before and after defragmentation.
- Includes information about:
- Drive details
- Drive usage
- File system
- A dynamic pie chart displays the current fragmentation level proportionally.
- Also includes:
- Total and analyzed number of files and folders
- Dynamic updates during defragmentation

File status
- Overview of the largest and most fragmented files.
- This information is also included in the status reports.
- Sorting options by different criteria (e.g., file size, fragmentation level).
- Requirement: The drive must be analyzed beforehand.

Notes on the first defragmentation
- The first defragmentation usually takes the longest.
- Reason: O&O Defrag must examine and optimally position all files.
- The COMPLETE methods are particularly time-consuming because they move non-fragmented files as well.
- Recommendation:
- Perform the first defragmentation using the STEALTH or SPACE method → quick consolidation.
- Then optionally use the COMPLETE methods for maximum performance.

S.M.A.R.T. functionality

O&O Defrag uses the S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) built into drives to monitor the health of your drives.

• Reads key drive attributes (e.g., power-on hours, error rates).
  
• Changes in these values indicate wear or impending issues.
  
• The view shows details such as:
  • Power cycles
    
  • Temperature
    
  • Read errors
    
  • Write operations
    
• Each value is displayed on a scale (raw value) from 0 to 100, 200, or 255.

Typical SSD attributes
| Name | Description | |——————————-|—————————————————————————–| | Temperature | Temperature in °C (normal 40–65 °C). The lower, the better. | | Power-on hours | Total operating time in hours. | | Power cycles | Number of power on/off cycles. | | Interface / transfer mode | Interface through which the SSD is connected. | | Read/Write operations | Total number of read and write operations. | | Block size | Indicates the SSD’s block size. | | Critical warning | Number of critical error messages. | | Available spare | Remaining spare capacity. | | Wear percentage | SSD wear level. | | Data units read/written | Number of processed data units. | | Executed read/write commands | Details on command usage. | | Command wait time (min) | Average wait time in minutes. | | Unsafe shutdowns | Number of improper shutdowns. | | Integrity errors | Number of detected integrity issues. | | Error log entries | Number of stored error logs. |

Typical HDD attributes
| Name | Description | |——————————-|—————————————————————————–| | Temperature | Temperature in °C (normal 40–65 °C). The lower, the better. | | Power-on hours | Total operating time in hours. | | Power cycles | Number of power on/off cycles. | | Interface / transfer mode | Interface through which the HDD is connected. | | Read error rate | Uncorrectable read errors → may indicate surface issues. | | Average spin-up time | Number of attempts to reach rated speed → indicates motor problems. | | Start/stop cycles | Number of load cycles during start/stop. | | Reallocated sectors | Number of used spare sectors → decreasing reserves = increasing risk. | | Seek error rate | Read/write errors due to head movement. | | Spin-up retries | Problems when the disk spins up. | | Recalibration retries | Frequent recalibrations indicate wear. | | Power-off retract count | Improperly completed shutdowns. | | Head parking events | Number of head parking operations. | | Used spare sectors | Number of already used spare sectors. | | Remaining spare sectors | Number of not yet assigned spare sectors. | | Uncorrectable sectors | Direct indication of impending data loss. | | Interface CRC errors | Number of faulty transfers. | | Write errors | Number of uncorrectable write errors. |

TRIM compatibility

The TRIM feature is critical for maintaining the lifespan and performance of SSDs.
O&O Defrag helps you ensure your system is TRIM-capable and provides solutions for common configuration issues.

What is TRIM?
- Flash memory cells in SSDs have a limited number of write cycles.
- To achieve even wear, the SSD controller spreads writes across as many cells as possible (wear leveling).
- The TRIM command tells the SSD which data blocks are no longer in use and can be reused.
- Result:
- Fewer unnecessary writes
- Longer lifespan
- More stable performance

Requirements for TRIM
For TRIM to work, four conditions must be met:

1. The SSD or NVMe must support TRIM/Deallocate (standard on almost all models since ~2010).
   
2. Controller in AHCI or NVMe mode:
   • SATA SSDs: AHCI mode
     
   • NVMe SSDs: natively via the NVMe protocol
     
3. No RAID array: TRIM only works with single drives and basic disks.
   
4. Driver support: The controller/NVMe driver must not block TRIM commands.
   • Safe: Windows 10/11 standard AHCI or NVMe drivers
     
   • Vendor drivers only if they explicitly support TRIM.

Enable AHCI on Windows 8/8.1, 10, and 11
If your system runs in IDE mode, set the following registry values before switching the BIOS to AHCI:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci]
"Start"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci\StartOverride]
"0"=dword:00000000

Then open the BIOS → change SATA mode from IDE to AHCI.

Restart → Windows 8/8.1/10/11 will now boot in AHCI mode.

NVMe SSDs and TRIM
- NVMe SSDs use NVMe Deallocate (Dataset Management) instead of classic ATA TRIM.
- Since Windows 8.1, this command has been supported natively; in Windows 10 and 11, it is enabled automatically.
- No special settings required → as long as Windows uses the standard NVMe driver, TRIM is active.

Common problem cases
- IDE mode active → TRIM blocked → Solution: switch to AHCI.
- Marvell controller with vendor drivers → TRIM blocked → Solution: use Windows’ standard AHCI driver.
- RAID array → TRIM does not work → Solution: connect SSD as a single drive.

Validated TRIM-capable configurations

Checklist: Is TRIM active?

1. Open Command Prompt with admin rights

   • Start menu → type “cmd” → right-click → Run as administrator.

2. Run the command
   ```cmd fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify

3. Interpret the output DisableDeleteNotify = 0 → ✅ TRIM is active DisableDeleteNotify = 1 → ❌ TRIM is disabled

4. Check NVMe (optional)

Open Windows PowerShell and enter: Get-PhysicalDisk | Select FriendlyName, MediaType, TrimEnabled Column TrimEnabled shows True if TRIM is active.