Dennis Morello writes about Defrag98, a free browser-based simulator that recreates the Windows 98 Disk Defragmenter. Unlike scripted animations, each run simulates the defragmentation process from the current disk state, so no two runs look alike. It features four virtual drives with different sizes and speeds, authentic period hard-disk audio, and exact color palettes sampled from the original utility. The app runs entirely offline as an installable progressive web app and never touches real files on the device.
- Realistic mode mimics Windows interrupting the defrag mid-run, causing the progress bar to drop back; after the first completion the run never finishes again, just like the original
- Each pass can make one of three moves: consolidate a run in place, drag a chunk forward from further down the disk, or shove a run out of the way to clear space ahead
- The project has been written up by PC Gamer, heise online, Boing Boing, and kottke.org, and discussed on Hacker News and Lobsters
- On mobile devices it displays a period-accurate "Windows 98 is not supported on mobile devices" warning that users can dismiss before the simulator runs normally
- Realistic mode mimics Windows interrupting the defrag mid-run, causing the progress bar to drop back; after the first completion the run never finishes again, just like the original
- Each pass can make one of three moves: consolidate a run in place, drag a chunk forward from further down the disk, or shove a run out of the way to clear space ahead
- The project has been written up by PC Gamer, heise online, Boing Boing, and kottke.org, and discussed on Hacker News and Lobsters
- On mobile devices it displays a period-accurate "Windows 98 is not supported on mobile devices" warning that users can dismiss before the simulator runs normally
