Disk defragmentation: all typical questions from A to Z. How to defragment a disk An alternative way to run defragmentation in Windows

Our hard drive during use, it is filled evenly, one sector after another. But when we delete files or uninstall programs, the disk begins to fragment - filled areas alternate with empty ones. This leads to longer programs accessing the hard drive, and consequently to a decrease in system performance.

Defragmentation Tools hard drive there are a lot now. Of course, we will consider a free and very high-quality application, because it is definitely not worth buying a program for these purposes.

Program from the company Piriform Ltd , which brought us a well-known system cleaning product - .

Interface

The graphical shell of the program is very simple and not oversaturated with unnecessary elements. In order to start regular disk defragmentation you only need two clicks of the mouse. At the top of the window there is a list of all disks, and at the bottom there are three tabs with defragmentation options. The first tab contains information about the selected disk. The second tab, “File List,” is designed to defragment individual files on your hard drive that you need to find in advance. Well, the “Search” tab is used to select individual files and folders for defragmentation.

Functionality

Defragmentation of individual files and directories

The first thing that distinguishesfrom some other applications is the ability to defragment only individual directories and even files. This is done in order to save time that is spent on processing unnecessary areas of the hard drive. For example, if you have a permanent collection of music or videos stored on your hard drive, and you do not delete or move files from this collection, then we can say that there are no fragmented areas in these directories, therefore it is not worth spending time on processing them. Conversely, if some of the directories are actively performing operations to move and delete files, then these directories need to be defragmented first. The Search tab provides several options for searching for files to defragment. You can select files by size, or search for fragmented files only in a specific folder.

If you conduct several searches for files using different criteria, then all the results will be displayed in total on the “List of Files” tab and select necessary files you will be able to defragment them.

Defragmenting an individual folder or file can be easier. In the "Actions" menu, select "Defragment Folder" or "Defragment File", select the desired folder and individual file in Explorer, and defragmentation will begin automatically.

Such program features, in my opinion, are very useful. Typically, the process of defragmenting an entire disk takes a very long time, often several hours. At this time, the car may “slow down” very much and prevent it from working normally. Therefore, by selecting the very sections of the hard drive and defragmenting them in protected minutes, we are deprived of these problems.

Settings

Defragmentation has two modes - normal and fast. You can specify quick defragmentation parameters in the program settings, as well as set a schedule according to which defragmentation will start automatically.

Another useful program option is to automatically turn off the PC after defragmentation. If you decide to defragment the entire disk and, for example, leave it running at night, then after completion the computer will turn off itself.

Bottom line

One of the main advantages Piriform is the ability to defragment individual directories and files, which significantly saves time. Otherwise, it may seem too simple, but it does its job efficiently.

Good afternoon!

Whether you want it or not, to make your computer work faster, you need to carry out preventive measures from time to time (clean it of temporary and junk files, defragment it).

In general, I can download that most users very rarely carry out defragmentation, and in general, do not pay due attention to it (either out of ignorance, or simply because of laziness)...

Meanwhile, by doing it regularly, you can not only speed up your computer a little, but also increase the service life of the disk! Since there are always a lot of questions regarding defragmentation, in this article I will try to collect all the main things that I myself encounter quite often. So...

FAQ. Questions about defragmentation: why do it, how often, etc.

1) What is defragmentation, what is the process? Why do it?

All files on your disk, while being written to it, are written sequentially in pieces onto its surface, often called clusters (many have probably already heard this word). So, while the hard drive is empty, file clusters can be nearby, but when there is more and more information, the scattering of these pieces of one file also increases.

Because of this, when accessing such a file, your disk has to spend more time reading the information. By the way, this scattering of pieces is called fragmentation.

Defragmentation is aimed precisely at collecting these pieces compactly in one place. As a result, the speed of your disk and, accordingly, the computer as a whole increases. If you have not defragmented for a long time, this may affect the performance of your PC, for example, when opening some files or folders, it will begin to “think” for a while...

2) How often should you defragment the disk?

Enough frequently asked question, but it’s difficult to give a definite answer. It all depends on how often you use your computer, how it is used, what drives it uses, what file system it has. In Windows 7 (and higher), by the way, there is a good analyzer that will tell you what to do defragmentation, or not (there are also separate special utilities that can analyze and notify you in time that it’s time... But about such utilities - below in the article).

To do this, you need to go to the control panel, enter “defragmentation” in the search bar, and Windows will find the required link (see screenshot below).

3) Should I defragment? solid state SSD disks?

No need! And even Windows itself (at least new Windows 10, in Windows 7 - this can be done) disables the analysis and defragmentation button for such disks.

The fact is that an SSD disk has a limited number of write cycles. This means that with each defragmentation, you reduce the life of your disk. Moreover, in SSD drives there are no mechanics, and after defragmenting, you will not notice any increase in work speed.

4) Is it necessary to defragment the disk if it contains files? NTFS system?

In fact, there is an opinion that the NTFS file system practically does not need defragmentation. This is not entirely true, although it is partly true. It’s just that this file system is designed in such a way that defragmenting a hard drive under its control is required much less frequently.

In addition, the speed of operation does not drop as much due to strong fragmentation as if it were on FAT (FAT 32).

5) Is it necessary to clean the disk of junk files before defragmentation?

It is highly advisable to do this. Moreover, not only clean from “garbage” (temporary files, browser cache, etc.), but also from unnecessary files(movies, games, programs, etc.).

If you clean up the disk before defragmenting, then:

• speed up the process itself (after all, you will have to work with fewer files, which means the process will complete earlier);
• you will do more fast work Windows.

6) How to defragment a disk?

It is advisable (but not necessary!) to install a separate special. a utility that will deal with this process (about such utilities below in the article). Firstly, it will do this faster than the utility built into Windows, and secondly, some utilities can defragment in automatic mode without distracting you from work (for example, you started watching a movie, the utility, without disturbing you, defragmented the disk at this time).

But, in principle, even the standard one, built into Windows program, does defragmentation quite well (although it does not have some of the “goodies” that third-party developers have).

7) Should defragmentation be done not on system disk(i.e. on one that does not have Windows installed)?

Good question! It all depends again on how you use this disk. If you only store movies and music on it, then there is not much point in defragmenting it.

It's another matter if you install, say, games on this disk - and during the game, some files are loaded. In this case, the game may even begin to slow down if the disk does not respond to it in time. As it should be, with this option, it is advisable to defragment such a disk!

How to defragment a disk - step by step steps

By the way, there is universal programs(I would call them “harvesters”) that can carry out complex actions to clean your PC of junk, remove erroneous registry entries, configure your Windows OS and defragment it (for maximum speed!).

1) Cleaning the disk from debris

For example, I can recommend CCleaner. Firstly, it is free, and secondly, it is very easy to use and there is nothing superfluous in it. All that is required from the user is to click the analyze button, and then clean the disk from the found garbage (screen below).

2) Removing unnecessary files and programs

At worst, you can use the standard utility built into Windows (to open it, use the control panel, see screenshot below).

3) Start defragmentation

Let's consider running the disk defragmenter built into Windows (since it eats me by default for everyone who has Windows).

First you need to open the Control Panel, then the System and Security section. Next, next to the “Administration” tab there will be a link “Defragmentation and optimization of your disks” - click on it (see screenshot below).

Alternative way running defragmentation in Windows

1. Open “My Computer” (or “This Computer”).

3. Then in the disk properties, open the “Service” section.

4. In the service section, click the “Optimize disk” button (everything is illustrated in the screenshot below).

Important! The defragmentation process can take quite a long time (depending on the size of your disk and the degree of fragmentation). At this time, it is better not to touch the computer, not to run resource-intensive tasks: games, video encoding, etc.

The best programs and utilities for disk defragmentation

Note! This subsection of the article will not reveal to you all the capabilities of the programs presented here. Here I will focus on the most interesting and convenient utilities (in my opinion) and describe their main differences, why I chose them and why I recommend trying them...

1) Defraggler

A simple, free, fast and convenient disk defragmenter. The program supports all new Windows versions(32/64 bit), can work both with entire disk partitions and separate files, supports all popular file systems(including NTFS and FAT 32).

By the way, regarding defragmentation of individual files - this is, in general, a unique thing! Not many programs can allow you to defragment something specific...

2) Ashampoo Magical Defrag

To be honest, I like products from Ashampoo- and this utility is no exception. Its main difference from similar ones of its kind is that it can defragment a disk in background(when the computer is not busy with resource-intensive tasks, which means that the program is running will not constrain or interfere with the user in any way).

What is called - once installed and forgotten this problem! In general, I recommend paying attention to it to everyone who is tired of remembering defragmentation and doing it manually...

3) Auslogics Disk Defrag

This program can move system files (which need to be the fastest) to the fastest part of the disk, thereby speeding up your Windows operating system somewhat. In addition, this program is free (for general home use) and can be configured to automatic start during PC downtime (i.e., by analogy with the previous utility).

I also want to note that the program allows you to defragment not only a specific disk, but also individual files and folders on it.

The program is supported by all new Windows OS: 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits).

This is one of the fastest disk defragmenters! Moreover, this does not affect the quality of defragmentation. Apparently, the program developers managed to find some unique algorithms. In addition, the utility is completely free for home use.

It is also worth noting that the program treats data very carefully, even if something happens during defragmentation. system error, a power outage or something else... - then nothing should happen to your files, they will still be read and opened. The only thing is that you will have to start the defragmentation process again.

The utility also provides two operating modes: automatic (very convenient - set it up once and forget it) and manual.

It is also worth noting that the program is optimized to work on Windows 7, 8, 10. I recommend it for use!

Defragmentation programs allow you to rearrange parts of files on your hard drive so that fragments of the same file are located sequentially. This allows the hard drive to read and write information faster.

In other words, defragmentation makes reading a file faster because the hard drive doesn't have to move the read head to do so. Disk controller software will allow you to read the entire file in one go, which will significantly increase the speed of the disk subsystem.
It should be noted that defragmentation and defragmentation software are only useful for systems that have hard drives. When using SSD drives, no head movements occur and the controller of such a drive itself takes care of the placement of data blocks, without requiring external intervention.

Although each of the operating rooms Windows systems equipped with its own defragmentation program hard drives, the use of third-party free software is completely justified, since it allows you to complete this process better and faster.

Note: only free programs are presented here, which are usually enough to perform defragmentation efficiently. Links to programs can be found at the bottom of the article.

Screenshot of Defraggler version v2.20.989 on Windows 8

One of the best free programs for defragmentation. It can be either in a version for installation on a hard drive or in portable version. To reduce operating time, you can specify optimization not only of the entire disk, but also of individual folders.

Defraggler can start working when the computer boots, check the disk for errors, empty the Recycle Bin before starting its work, exclude pre-defined files from the defragmentation process, select rarely used files and move them to the end of the disk to leave its beginning for those files that are used often.

The company that released the program, Piriform, is also known to users for its other popular products - CCleaner (system cleaning) and Recuva (data recovery).

Defraggler can be installed on Windows 10, Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP operating systems, as well as on server families of Windows operating systems.

Screenshot of Smart Defrag version 5 on Windows

The free program is great for automatically optimizing files on a schedule. Automatic defragmentation settings even in free version in many ways superior to many competitors.

The program allows you to start moving hard disk blocks while the computer boots, thus gaining access to system or pinned ones during normal operation. Windows operation files.

In addition, Smart Defrag allows you to exclude individual files or folders on the disk from the defragmentation process, replace the standard Windows operating system application, and optimize only interface applications Windows Metro, skip files of a certain size.

In addition, in the settings you can specify the preliminary deletion of unused and temporary files of the operating system and Internet browser Explorer to free up the disk. Cached data is removed to speed up the process and eliminate unnecessary and temporary data.

The program can be installed on computers running Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP operating systems.

Screenshot of Auslogics Disk Defrag version 6 on Windows 7

Auslogic's disk defragmenter software is available in two versions: an installation version and a portable version for distribution on removable media.

Settings allow you to transfer system Windows files and program libraries, as the most frequently used data, are in the areas of the disk that are read the fastest. This setting allows you to increase the overall performance of your computer by reducing system response time.

Like many other software, Auslogics Disk Defrag allows you to start the process while your computer is booting. In addition, the hard drive can be checked for errors using chkdsk, it can be optimized, folders and directories can be added or excluded from the process, background scans can be run, and temporary files can be deleted before starting defragmentation.

Auslogics Disk Defrag, even in its free version, works on almost all user versions of the operating system - Windows 10, Windows 8 and earlier.

Puran Defrag has its own data optimization engine - Puran Intelligent Optimizer (PIOZR). This engine, according to the manufacturer, intelligently moves files so that they are located as much as possible on the outer areas of the hard drives. At the same time, at the same speed of rotation of the disk spindle, the head manages to travel a greater distance per unit of time and, by reading more data, ensures high performance of the computer.

Like many other programs on this list, Puran Defrag can defragment files and directories when called context menu right-click in the Explorer window. It can delete various temporary data before optimization to speed up its process; it can work while the computer is booting to access those files that are not accessible in normal mode.

In addition, the software has some specific settings and capabilities. So its work can be started according to a schedule by setting the number of hours of system inactivity after which it needs to be turned on, you can program disk defragmentation during the startup of Screen Saver (screensaver).

In addition, you can start the process, for example, when you turn on your computer for the first time in a current day, or when you turn on your machine for the first time in a week or month.

Along with undeniable advantages, the program has disadvantages. So many researchers note that Puran Defrag tries to install a number of third-party programs during its installation.

Puran Defrag is compatible with many operating systems. And can be run under Windows control 10, 8, 7 and earlier.

Screenshot Disk programs Speedup company © Glarysoft.com

Disk Speedup is another free hard drive defragmenter program that can work not only on the entire volume, but also on individual files and directories on it. You can start the file optimization process after a specified number of minutes of system inactivity have passed.

The software has some specific settings. This way you can exclude from processing files with fragments less than 10 megabytes, files consisting of more than 3 fragments, and larger than 150 megabytes. All these values ​​are adjustable.

In addition, large, rarely used files, files of certain formats (for example, video, graphics, archives, etc.) can be sent to the end of the disk, thus leaving small and frequently used data at the beginning of the disk. In this way, you can expect that the HDD head will not have to jump from one area of ​​the disk to another too often in its normal operation, which will lead to an increase in the performance of the system as a whole.

Among other things, Disk Speedup can be launched during system boot, which may exclude separate folders and files from processing, automatically turn off the computer when the process is completed on one or more disks, work according to a set schedule.

Note: Disk Speedup tries to install some other programs from the manufacturer, but this behavior can be stopped during installation by simply unchecking the appropriate boxes in the installer dialog.

The program is declared to work on computers running Windows 8, 7, Vista and other operating systems, including server ones. Independent testers checked the operation of the software on a computer running Windows 10 - everything functioned without any complaints.

Free program from ToolWiz Software. It is characterized by a very fast installation process on a computer and a minimal interface. It is stated that this software can optimize the hard drive 10 times faster than standard Windows tool. Can move archives to a special slow part of the hard drive, providing small system files quick access.

The program shows the number of defragmented files on the disk, it really does its job very quickly, it can show the overall level of fragmentation, and it can schedule its launch at a later time.

While sometimes it's nice to have a tool that's lightweight and simple to perform a function without being cluttered with unnecessary buttons or settings, sometimes they're very necessary. So Toolwiz Smart Defrag is designed in such a way that almost nothing can be configured in it. If the priority is to find the easiest to use, but effective and quick program- this is one of the best options.

Works under Windows 8 and below.

WinUtilities DiskDefrag is not a completely specialized program. This is an optimization system that includes, among other things, a disk defragmentation module. However, it is a fairly simple and highly customizable tool.

All the usual features for this class of free programs are present here: work on a schedule, the ability to start while the system is idle, and the ability to control computer power.

In the settings, you can set more than 10 behavior options: analysis only, analysis and moving rarely used files to the end of the disk, etc. In addition, you can control the estimated time for optimization, exclude folders and files.

Another feature of the software is the ability to select files and folders to move to a special area on the disk (the SpaceHogs area), where the program tries to place large and rarely used objects. Therefore, in manual mode, you can flexibly configure your computer so that it works as quickly as possible.

In the settings, you can set the need to automatically turn off the computer when the defragmentation process is complete.

The hard disk optimization module in the program can be found by selecting the menu item “Modules > Optimize & Improve > Disk Defrag”.

The program works perfectly in Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP operating systems.

Free version software O&O Software has a simple and well-designed user interface. Even in the free version, it contains most of the features available from competitors - disk optimization, viewing all fragmented disks, checking the disk for errors.

In addition to the ability to run scans and patches on a schedule on a specific day of the week, O&O Defrag Free Edition can be programmed to start working when the screen saver is launched.

For those who do not want to deal with the settings, it is possible to launch the settings assistant.

Some of the necessary features are missing in the free version and are present only in the paid version. Therefore, it may happen that when turning on some option, the user will receive a message that in order to obtain this option it is necessary to upgrade to a paid option.

Works under almost all common Windows operating systems. From Windows 10 to 8, 7, Vista. However, in reviews of this software, sometimes there are messages that it was not possible to fully launch it on a particular machine.

Screenshot of UltraDefrag version 7.0.0

The program is intended for both beginners and advanced users. Along with simple settings There is an option for more complex actions, so regardless of the user’s experience, the program can be used equally effectively.

Most of the functions are similar to other software, at the same time, if you need to defragment while the computer is booting, you must have basic skills in working with batch .bat files.

There is both a version of the program for installation on a computer and a portable, portable version. In addition, there is a program version for 32-bit systems and a program version for Windows defragmentation for 64-bit Windows systems.

The developer states that the program is intended for Windows 8 and lower operating systems, but testing has shown that it functions perfectly in various versions of Windows 10.

A program created by a single programmer. Previously called JkDefrag. Like the previous option, it can work both in a simple mode for beginners or undemanding users, and provide complex configuration options to follow the user’s exact instructions.

The program can execute pre-created scripts containing defragmentation tasks. Scripts can be changed (created and edited) by the user himself. Moreover, during installation the program already contains a number of standard scripts. So she can work according to a schedule, analyze the hard drive, and allocate free space on it. The default settings are great for those who do not want to understand all this but want to use the program for its intended purpose.

Works under everyone operating systems Windows.

Devices for recording information need so-called optimization. First of all, this concerns the computer's hard drive, which can contain a huge amount of content. In Windows xp, the hard drive optimization procedure is based on 3 pillars: enabling dma mode, disk write caching and defragmentation.

If the first two parameters are already configured in the system by default, then the last of them always raises the question of how to defragment. Since it is this that requires periodic intervention from the user.

Process Description

Before considering how to do defragmentation, we will describe the process of this procedure itself. Then we’ll look at the utilities built into xp and the auslogics software package, which also has a separate defragmenter application.

So, the above procedure has the following features. When the user launches it, it expects the result - speeding up the work with the computer and running everyday tasks.

On a hard drive, data is stored in small portions in sectors. A file or folder with files fits entirely within one sector. But over time, with the constant addition of new content to the HDD, these same objects shift relative to their original position in such a way that one part of a file or folder may be in the initial sector, and the remaining parts in other non-adjacent sectors. You end up with scattered pieces of content that take longer than usual to access.

Thus, in order to speed up reading data from disk and, therefore, reduce the time it takes to open an application or document, you need to combine these fragments. We will now look at how to do this using the example of a standard windows utilities xp - defrag.exe programs

This utility has and can be called through the working system management console - MMC. There are two ways to launch this console.

1. In the “start” menu, open the “run” item, then enter mmc into the working command window, but I recommend doing something more wisely.
2. Namely: right-click (touchpad) on the “computer” icon and select the “computer management” option.
3. The control panel will open windows console, divided into two parts. In the one that is smaller and located to the left, we will finally see how to defragment.
4. Select the item “disk defragmentation” and click on it. A window will open in which you can perform this procedure on specific hard drive partitions.
5. Let's say we need to find out if there are additional fragments on the system partition WITH. Select the icon of this section by clicking the mouse and clicking “disk analysis”. The program will analyze the current state of the partition and display a detailed summary of whether defragmentation is needed for the selected volume.
6. If the disk needs processing, click the “defragmentation” button and wait for the result. After completing the procedure, the application will display a report on the work performed. If some files could not be optimized, it may be missing free space on the section. Then, before defragmenting, free up additional space and then try again.

We use it for optimizationauslogics 5

The above set of programs was created to optimize Windows. The auslogics series 5 also includes a defragmenter. Here's how to defragment it using it (assuming that this complex is already installed):

1. Launch the application using a shortcut on the Windows desktop.
2. Click on the blue ball icon in the tray (near the clock).
3. Right-click to sequentially use the submenu list “Tools” - “disk maintenance/defragmentation”.
4. In the program window that opens, analyze or defragment partitions. The utility from auslogics has advanced capabilities when compared with the optimizer built into the system. Otherwise, its functionality is similar to the defrag.exe interface