O&O Software has announced the release of O&O Defrag 17, the latest edition of the company’s powerful defrag tool.

Top of the new features list this time is the ability to securely wipe your hard drive’s free space while defragging, ensuring snoopers won’t be able to recover confidential files.

Professional users may benefit from a new Optimize Thin Provisioning option, which deallocates unused drive space on virtual and SAN volumes.

O&O Defrag 17’s interface has been revamped, making it easier to use

Elsewhere, a simplified interface sees many of the lesser tools and options relocated to an Extras tab, helping new users to find their way around. Performance has once again been improved; there’s better defragmentation of locked files; SSD Optimisation by TRIM has been enhanced to support even more manufacturers, and of course there’s full compatibility with Windows 8.1.

And all this builds on the lengthy list of features available in the last edition, including eight defragmentation strategies; the ability to defrag multiple drives simultaneously; detailed reports, capable backup scheduling, power management for notebooks, and more.

We’re not entirely sure about the value of wiping free hard drive space from within a defrag tool. Plus points are convenience and speed, as this should be significantly quicker than using a separate program. But it also means that you won’t be able to undelete files afterwards, which might lead some people to defrag less often. Still, there’s no harm in having the option available for those who need it, and if you don’t, then it can be disabled with a click.

O&O Defrag 17 Professional is priced from $29.95, and a fully functional 30-day trial build is available now.