Disk defragmentation: all typical questions from A to Z. Defraggler - defragmentation is easy Removing unnecessary files and programs

When any files get to hDD or any other storage medium, data fragments are not recorded sequentially, but chaotically. To work with them, the hard disk has to spend a lot of time and resources. Defragmentation will help to create a clear structure of the file system, sequentially write the data of each program or a single large file to achieve the highest speed hard disk and wear of its mechanical parts when reading information.

Smart Defrag Is a very advanced file defragmenter presented by a renowned developer. The program will help you quickly and easily put things in order on the hard drives of the user's personal computer.

Files are written in fragments every second of work operating system... The standard Windows tools do not have functionality that can monitor the state of the file system in real time and correctly and consistently write all data.

Autoanalysis will reveal the current fragmentation of the file system and notify the user if the indicator exceeds the set. It is performed independently for each individual storage medium.

Auto defragment disks

Based on the data obtained during autoanalysis, the disk is auto-defragmented. Auto defragmentation mode is enabled separately for each hard drive or removable media.

Autoanalysis and autodefragmentation are performed only when the computer is idle to protect user data from damage. You can select a period of computer inactivity from 1 to 20 minutes to run these features. Defragmentation or analysis will not be performed if the user has left a resource-intensive task at this time, for example, unpacking an archive - to specify the system load limit at which the optimizer automatics is activated, you can specify a value in the range from 20 to 100%.

Scheduled defragmentation

This function will be useful for users who have a huge amount of information on their computer. In such cases, the fragmentation of the file system regularly reaches very high values. It is possible to completely customize the frequency and time of defragmentation start, and it will occur at a specified time without user intervention.

Defragmentation during system boot

Some files cannot be moved during defragmentation. are currently in use. Most often this concerns the system files of the operating system itself. Defragmenting them at boot will allow them to be optimized before they get busy with processes.
There is a function for setting the frequency of optimization - once, every day at the first boot, every download, or once a week.

In addition to the non-relocatable files defined by the program itself, the user can add their own files.

The largest files in the system are defragmented - the hibernation file and the paging file, the MFT and the system registry are defragmented.

Disk cleanup

Why optimize temporary files, which in most cases do not carry any functional load, but only take up space? Smart Defrag will delete all temporary files - cache, cookies, recent documents and transitions, empty the clipboard, trash and icon thumbnails. This will significantly reduce the time that will be spent on defragmentation.

List of exclusions

If it is necessary that the program does not touch a certain file or folder, they can be whitelisted before optimization, after which they will not be analyzed or defragmented. Again, adding large files will significantly reduce optimization time.

Auto update

The developer is constantly improving his product, so installing and working with the latest version of the program is a guarantee of a high degree of its performance. Smart Defrag can on exit new version install it yourself, without paying attention to the user and saving his time.

Quiet operation

Automatic operation of Smart Defrag requires showing some notifications about the progress of tasks. Many users know how inconvenient it is when a notification appears in the corner of the screen while watching a movie or an important moment in the game. The developer paid attention to this detail, and added a "quiet mode" function. Smart Defrag monitors the appearance of full-screen applications on the monitor and does not show any notifications or sounds at this time.

In addition to full-screen applications, it is possible to add any programs at all when they are running - Smart Defrag does not interfere.

Defragment individual files and folders

If the user does not need to optimize the entire disk as a whole, but only needs to work on a large file or a heavy folder, then Smart Defrag will help here too.

Defragmenting games

A separate function is to highlight the optimization of the files of these games to achieve the highest performance even in moments of real action. The technology is similar to the previous one - you just need to specify the main executable file in the game and wait a bit.
In addition to games, you can also optimize large programs like Photoshop or Office.

HDD status information

For each disk, you can view its temperature, percentage of use, response time, read and write speeds, as well as the status of attributes.

Benefits:

1. The program has been fully translated into Russian, but sometimes you come across typos, which, however, are not so noticeable against the background of the possibilities.

2. The modern and very clear interface allows even a beginner to understand immediately.

3. One of the best solutions in its segment. This confirms its being in the top of the best defragmenters.

Disadvantages:

1. The main drawback is that the free version does not fully reveal the functionality. For example, in the free version, you cannot perform auto-update and activate automatic defragmentation.

2. When installing the program, by default there are checkboxes, due to which unwanted software can be installed in the form of toolbars or browsers. Be careful when installing, remove all unnecessary checkboxes!

Conclusion

Before us is a modern and ergonomic tool for optimizing a personal computer. A proven developer, frequent additions and bug fixes, quality work - that's what helps her confidently lead the list of the best defragmenters.

When writing any files to the hard disk, all information is distributed across clusters. If you decide to delete this or that file, the clusters with information will be erased, but instead of them there will be empty space. This distorts the order of all files on the hard disk. As a result, when reading information, the hard drive spends much more time searching for the required clusters, since they are scattered throughout the media. This leads to a noticeable slowdown in the computer as a whole. This process is called fragmentation.

Defragmentation allows you to put things in order in the internal space. This procedure organizes the arrangement of all clusters on the media, transferring them to a close distance to each other. After that, a noticeable increase in performance in resource-intensive applications and games. Let's figure out how to defragment a disk, and in what cases it is necessary.

When to defragment your drive

If you notice that the performance of a personal computer has dropped significantly, then optimization is definitely required. Long loading of programs, opening files, copying also hints that it's time to optimize.

What programs are used to defragment the hard drive

Operating systems XP, 7 and newer have built-in software for defragmentation. If you want to perform the procedure once, you can use it. However, many report poor performance when using the standard utility. If you decide to use it, then follow these steps:

Let's look at how to make disk defragmentation a built-in utility:

Let's look at an example of how to defragment a disk on a schedule:

• The standard program allows you to set a regular schedule for defragmentation. In the previous window, click the button Set up a schedule ....
• In the window that opens, select the frequency, day, time and partitions that you want to defragment.
• After completing the configuration, click OK.

Now the switched on computer at the appointed time will automatically start the optimization procedure.

During this period of time, there may be a drop in performance as the system is busy with a more important process.

According to the instructions presented, the hard disk is defragmented in Windows XP, 7, 8 and 10. Now let's figure out how to defragment the hard disk using a third-party program.

Optimization with defragmenters

There are quite a few programs for defragmenting the system disk. Among them there are both options for advanced users and beginners. For example, consider a simple utility Defraggerfull free version which can be downloaded from the official website of the developers. Download the distribution, install the software and run it. The program cleans up disks in OS 7, 8 and 10. To do this, use the instructions:

Through Defraggler not only defragmentation of the system or external disk is carried out. You can also get information about the speed of the media, a list of files, or optimize each folder separately.

How to defragment a disk through Auslogics Disk Defrag

Another utility that allows you to perform a quick or complete defragmentation of your hard drive. The main window of the program is very similar to Defraggler, so there shouldn't be any problems with using it.

Consider the startup process:

Now you know how to defragment a hard drive, including an SSD, using standard Windows tools or third-party software.

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Good hour!

If you want it or not, but for the computer to work faster, you need to carry out preventive measures from time to time (clean it from 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 out of laziness) ...

Meanwhile, doing it regularly - you can not only speed up your computer a little, but also increase the 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. Defragmentation questions: why, how often, etc.

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

All files on your disk, while writing to it, are written sequentially in chunks to its surface, they are often called clusters (this word, probably, many have already heard). So, while the hard disk is empty, the file clusters may be close, but when the information becomes more and more, the scatter of these pieces of one file also grows.

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

Defragmentation it is aimed precisely at bringing these pieces together compactly in one place. As a result, the speed of your disk and, accordingly, the computer as a whole increases. If you haven't defragmented for a long time, this can affect the performance of your PC, for example, when you open some files, folders, it will start to "think" for a while ...

2) How often should you defragment your disk?

Pretty frequent question, but it is difficult to give an unambiguous answer. It all depends on how often you use your computer, how you use it, what drives it uses, what file system. 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 inform you in time that it's time ... But about such utilities - below in the article).

To do this, go to the control panel, enter "defragmentation" in the search box, and Windows will find the link you need (see the screen below).

3) Do I need to defragment SSD solid state drives?

Not necessary! And even Windows itself (at least the new Windows 10, in Windows 7 it is possible to do this) disables the analysis and defragmentation button for such disks.

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

4) Do I need to defragment the disk if it has an NTFS file system?

In fact, it is believed that the NTFS file system needs little or no 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 you need to defragment the hard disk under its control much less often.

In addition, the performance does not drop so much from strong fragmentation, as if it were on FAT (FAT 32).

5) Do I need to clean the disk from "junk" files before defragmentation?

It is highly advisable to do this. Moreover, not only to 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 end earlier);
• make Windows work faster.

6) How to defragment the disk?

It is desirable (but not necessary!) To install a separate special. a utility that will handle this process (about such utilities below in the article)... Firstly, it will do it faster than the utility built into Windows, and secondly, some utilities can perform defragmentation in automatic mode without distracting you from your 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 built-in Windows program, makes defragmentation pretty high quality (although it does not have some "goodies" that third-party developers have).

7) Should defragmentation be done not on the system disk (i.e. on the one on which Windows is not installed)?

Good question! It all depends again on how you use this disk. If you store only 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 start to slow down if the disk does not have time to respond to it. As it follows, with this option - defragmentation on such a disk is desirable!

How to defragment your disk - step by step

By the way, there are universal programs (I would call them "harvesters") that can perform complex actions to clean your PC from garbage, delete erroneous registry entries, configure your Windows OS and defragment (for maximum speed!).

1) Cleaning the disk from garbage

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 press the analysis button, and then clear 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 the screen below).

3) Run defragmentation

Consider launching the Windows built-in disk defragmenter (as it eats me by default on everyone who has Windows).

First you need to open the control panel, then the system and security section. Further, next to the "Administration" tab there will be a link "Defragmentation and optimization of your disks" - go to it (see the screen below).

An alternative way to run 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 how fragmented it is). 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 to defragment your disk

Note! This subsection of the article will not tell you all the features 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 ...

1) Defraggler

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

By the way, about defragmentation 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 the disk in the background (when the computer is not busy with resource-intensive tasks, which means that the program does not hinder or hinder the user in any way).

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

3) Auslogics Disk Defrag

This program can transfer system files (which need to provide the best performance) to the fastest part of the disk, thereby slightly speeding up your Windows operating system. In addition, this program is free (for normal home use) and can be configured to automatically start during PC idle time (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 is very careful with data, even if during defragmentation some system error occurs, a power outage or something else ... - then nothing should happen to your files, they will be read and opened in the same way ... The only thing is, you have to restart the defragmentation process.

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

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

Our hard drive fills evenly during use, 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 a longer call of programs on the hard disk, and therefore to a decrease in system performance.

There are a lot of tools for defragmenting your hard drive now. Of course, we will consider a free and very high-quality application, because buying a program for these purposes is definitely not worth it.

Company programPiriform Ltd which gave 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 the usual disk defragmentation, you need only two clicks. At the top of the window 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 "List of files" is intended for defragmentation of individual files on the hard disk that you need to find in advance. Well, the "Search" tab is used to select individual files and folders for defragmentation.

Functionality

Defragment individual files and directories

The first thing that distinguishes from some other applications is the ability to defragment only individual directories and even files. This is done in order to save time spent on processing unnecessary areas of the hard disk. For example, if you have a permanent collection of music or video stored on your hard disk, and you do not delete or move the files of this collection, then we can say that there are no fragmented sections in these directories, therefore, you should not waste time processing them. Conversely, if any of the directories are actively moving and deleting files, then these directories need to be defragmented first. The Search tab provides several options for finding 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 according to different criteria, then all the results will be summarized in the "List of files" tab and select required files you will be able to defragment them.

Defragmenting an individual folder or file can be easier. From the Actions menu, select Defragment Folder or Defragment File, select the desired folder and a separate file in Explorer, and defragmentation will start automatically.

Such features of the program, in my opinion, are very useful. Usually, the process of defragmenting an entire disk takes a very long time, often several hours. At this time, the machine can "slow down" very much and prevent it from working normally. Therefore, by selecting the very sections of the hard disk, and defragmenting them for protected minutes, we lose these problems.

Settings

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

Another useful option of the program is to automatically shutdown 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 shut down itself.

Outcome

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

Good day!

Despite the fact that Windows has a built-in disk defragmenter, there are hundreds (if not more) analog programs (which do it ten times better!).

The fact is that, in my opinion, Microsoft added it to Windows so that it was, and its work is far from ideal (work algorithms are imperfect, there is no detailed schedule and settings, you cannot manually specify specific folders and files, etc.) ...

Addition!

If you don't know what defragmentation is and how to perform it, I recommend that you check out this help article:

The best utilities for defragmenting HDD

❶

IObit Smart Defrag

A very powerful disk defragmenter that, thanks to its unique algorithms, is able to maximize the performance of your disk subsystem!

The program not only defragments the files themselves, but also distributes them on the disk in a special way: according to how often they are used. All operations can be configured to perform them automatically (which means you will not be distracted and waste time on optimizing the system every time).

Smart Defrag is the main window of the program: there are options for cleaning the disk, optimizing games, etc.

Advantages:

1. unique defragmentation algorithms (according to the assurances of the developers - one of the best in the world);
2. you can defragment individual folders or files;
3. optimization of games;
4. there is an opportunity to work on a schedule;
5. high safety at work (if suddenly during defragmentation the electricity goes out - with your data everything will be in order);
6. there is an option to defragment the disk before booting the system;
7. thoughtful and user-friendly interface;
8. the utility is free, and completely in Russian (even the most "distant" menus with high-quality translation).

Defraggler

Defraggler is a simple free program for quickly assessing and defragmenting hard drives. The utility's arsenal contains everything you need: assessing the state of the disk, analyzing, defragmenting individual files (it is convenient to optimize folders with games), etc.

By the way, the utility automatically detects the type of media (HDD, SSD), which is very convenient if you have several media connected - you will not need to remember which one is "which" (note: since it is not recommended to defragment SSD drives).

Features:

1. defragmentation of individual files (many similar programs allow you to optimize only the entire disk as a whole);
2. there is a portable version that does not need installation (the program can be copied to a USB flash drive / external HDD and used on any PC);
3. the utility supports all the most modern versions of Windows (including Windows 10);
4. file systems NTFS and FAT32 are supported;
5. automatic disc type detection;
6. after analysis, the utility shows a list of fragmented files (convenient when you do not want to defragment the entire disk).

Auslogics Disk Defrag

This defragmenter differs from others in its compactness and high speed of work. The program is rightfully considered one of the best in the world - more than 11 million users have recognized this product!

Features:

1. it is possible to defragment both individual files / folders and free space;
2. allows you to defragment system windows files (which affects overall performance);
3. it is possible to work in the background, as invisible to the user as possible (thus, your system will always be in optimal condition);
4. the program is free for home users;
5. supported by all popular OS Windows 7/8/10 (32, 64 bits).

Disk SpeedUp

This utility is from the famous Glary Soft PC optimization suite. The utility optimizes drives for their maximum system performance. Disk SpeedUp can work in automatic mode and on a schedule without distracting the user (by the way, you can set at what CPU load - disable the background defragmenter. This option is not available in most other utilities of this kind).

Features:

1. automatic mode and work according to a predetermined schedule;
2. there are options to turn off the PC after defragmentation is complete;
3. setting the PC load level (CPU and hard disk) to disable background defragmentation;
4. support for all the most popular file systems: FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, NTFS5, NTFS EFS;
5. the program has pre-configured templates for work (suitable in most cases);
6. regular updates and revision of the program;
7. support of all windows versions 7/8/10.

MyDefrag (old name: JkDefrag)

Despite the fact that this program was created not by any company, but by a single programmer, it is rightfully considered a leader in its segment.

Judge for yourself: it can work both in a simple mode (for ordinary users) and provide complex and detailed settings for advanced users. MyDefrag supports various scripts, they can be created or edited independently), can work according to a pre-configured schedule, analyze HDD and defragment not only the occupied space, but also the free one.

There are default settings - they are suitable for those users who do not want to deal with all this multifunctionality of the utility. By the way, it works in all versions of Windows (XP / 7/8/10), fully supports the Russian language.

O&O Defrag

A very powerful and multifunctional utility for optimizing hard drives. Can work with many file systems (FAT, FAT32, NTFS, NTFS5), Volume / Stripe Sets, supports background mode, scheduled operation, etc.

Features:

1. there are 5 defragmentation modes: STEALTH (note: invisible in the background), SPACE (note: free space), COMPLETE / Name, COMPLETE / Date and COMPLETE / Access;
2. there is an option to start defragmentation when a certain percentage of fragmentation is reached;
3. the ability to defragment system files that affect the performance of your system (swap file, registry, MFT, etc.);
4. availability of a schedule;
5. pleasant and intuitive interface (even beginners can figure it out with it);
6. support for all file windows systems: FAT, FAT32, NTFS, NTFS5;
7. support for Russian and all modern OS Windows 7/8/10.

Puran defrag

Free India defragmenter. It is distinguished primarily by its high-speed operation (it uses its own unique PIOZR algorithm). As for defragmentation, Puran Defrag can defragment both the entire disk completely, and individual folders and files (including setting a schedule, with the ability to restrict work during CPU load by extraneous tasks, prioritizing system files).

Puran Defrag - main program window

It will save those users who have little time to maintain the system (or for those who constantly forgets about it). So to speak, once you have configured Puran Defrag - and your system will always be responsive and fast. Conveniently!

Features:

1. your own unique algorithm (high-speed and high-quality work);
2. separate priority for defragmenting system files;
3. command line support;
4. the ability to turn off the PC after the completion of the HDD optimization process;
5. it is possible to set a schedule for automatic and background defragmentation;
6. compression of directories in order to increase system boot speed;
7. you can defragment individual folders / files from the explorer context menu;
8. support for all popular versions of Windows XP / 7/8/10 (32 and 64 bits).

That's all.

For additions on the topic - a separate merci!