While the days of Windows 98 are long gone, a new project by engineer Dennis Morello will help revive memories of one of the most recognizable elements of the 26-year-old operating system.
Image source: defrag98
We are talking about an application for disk defragmentation, the process of which on Windows 98 was accompanied by visualization (recoloring dark blue cells into light blue) and the sounds of the hard disk (HDD) operating.
Morello’s Windows 98 Disk Defrag simulator, designed specifically for browsers, accurately simulates the disk defragmentation process on a 26-year-old operating system, down to the aforementioned details.
When you select a disk, the simulator calculates the approximate time it will take to complete defragmentation.
Po words Morello, one of the most challenging aspects was creating an authentic defragmentation algorithm: his solution allocates a random number of cells for processing and adjusts the speed depending on the selected disk.
For audio, Morello recorded and edited the sounds of a real hard drive running, and synchronized the effects with the visualizer and the speed of each drive.
Morello positions the Windows 98 defragmenter simulator as an experiment in exploring new ways of web development. The engineer used a number of tools, including React, Next.js, Zustand, TailwindCSS, Radix UI Primitives, and Vercel.
Anyone who misses the days of Windows 98 can try Windows 98 Disk Defrag for free on the website defrag98.comMorello added that he is ready to develop the simulator further, improving and expanding it with new capabilities.
If you notice an error, select it with your mouse and press CTRL+ENTER.
