Supercharge your PC: O&O Defrag 29 launches with start-up manager and SSD visualization tool

Berlin software developer O&O Software has released O&O Defrag 29 Professional, a major new release of its extremely configurable defrag and disk optimization tool for Windows.

The new release is the first to offer a Windows build for ARM-based PCs, plus adds two major new features of interest: O&O StartupManager and O&O VisualDisk.

O&O Defrag offers tools to maintain and optimise both regular hard disk drives (HDDs) and newer flash-based drives (SSDs) through a combination of defragmentation, drive optimization and maintenance checks that flag potential problems that need addressing.

Version 29 adds O&O VisualDisk to the mix -- this tool is aimed firmly at flash-based media like SSDs and NVMe drives. It provides users with the ability to track drive usage to better understand how defragging might help reduce disk writes to help lengthen its lifespan.

O&O Defrag 29 also bundles a brand-new tool for managing startup items -- simply click 'Optimize startup' on the program’s main screen to open O&O StartupManager in a brand new window. This lists all detected start-up items across a range of locations, giving users the chance to identify what’s starting with their PC.

Users can choose what types to monitor via the View menu (scheduled tasks and services aren’t shown by default), then review each item’s Impact rating for an insight into its effect on startup and performance. Finally, they’ll see options to quickly enable, disable and delete items as required.

The program also ships with a new version of its free standalone O&O AppBuster tool, an uninstaller capable of removing apps not covered by Windows’ own uninstall tool. New features include recommendations for removing unnecessary applications as well as the ability to detect programs added since AppBuster was last run.

In addition to unveiling a native build for ARM-based PCs, O&O Defrag 29 also provides a minor refresh of its Modern UI design.

O&O Defrag 29 Professional can be downloaded as a free 30-day trial now for PCs running Windows 8 or later. The full version can be purchased for $29.95 for a 1-PC lifetime license, $49.90 for five PCs, or as part of the O&O PowerPack, comprising four disk tools in one, for $59.95.