In this example, try turning off your system firewall. Your new security suite is likely to include a firewall. As an example, Windows includes a firewall switched on as a default. Another cause of system slowdown, is a result of two software applications performing a similar task. For instance, security software can clash with a background process, such as a system maintenance tool or defragmentation software. Most system performance issues are often a result of other software clashing with your brand new software. Smart Defrag also includes a 'Boot Time Defrag' technology which allows you to defrag files during the system boot process - these are files that cannot be defragged or are not safe to move after Windows is running. All you'll notice is an all-round speed boost as Smart Defrag fixes any defrag issues automatically before they become too serious. Smart Defrag needs less than 15MB of RAM, doesn't fire up until your system has been idle for 5 minutes, and stops as soon as other applications become active again, so it never got in our way. We wondered if this meant the program would compromise the performance of other applications, but this really isn't the case. You're able to launch any of these defrag options on demand, on a schedule, or even in the background after your PC has been idle for a few minutes. You're able to defragment files alone, defrag and compact free hard drive space, or use a 'deep optimise' mode to reorganise your hard drive files for the best possible speeds. The program has a variety of defrag strategies, for instance. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives around, and IObit Smart Defrag is one of the best. So it's a pity that Windows' own defrag tool is slow, short on features and has a poor interface, especially in Vista.

Defragmenting your hard drive can make a real and significant difference to your PCs performance.

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