Windows 10 disk defragmenter. OS optimization: Disk defragmenter program

Defragmentation is the most important process that involves transferring data from several areas to one part of the disk. After defragmentation, system performance improves, writing and reading of any type of file speeds up. Windows operating systems already have a built-in defragmenter, but it has limited capabilities. That is why it is recommended to use third-party programs.

Every advanced user should have a good hard drive defragmenter program. Of course, sometimes it can be difficult to make a choice. Therefore, it is recommended to carefully familiarize yourself with the functionality of each utility, and then choose what suits you best.

Defragmenters for Windows

In the process of work, users create, copy and delete a huge number of files. After a few months, and sometimes even earlier, the OS slows down. To cope with the problem, it is recommended to pay attention to the following programs:

• Defrag Pro;
• SmartDefrag;

Whatever defragmenter you use, it is worth noting that it is not recommended for use on SSD drives. Otherwise, serious problems may arise.

Defrag Pro

This is the best program for high-quality hard drive defragmentation. Compared to many analogues, the utility is able to work with the file system:

• FAT32;
• NTFS;
• NTFS5.

The program works great on Windows XP, as well as more modern versions of the OS. The application can replace a standard defragmenter. At the same time, Defrag Pro can be launched on a schedule and also work in the background.

It is important to note that the defragmentation utility has not only a client version, but also a server version. In addition to defragmenting hard drives, the program can work with the registry and the swap file.

SmartDefrag

The program was developed by IOBit. The software product allows you to quickly and, most importantly, efficiently optimize the system through defragmentation. It is noteworthy that the application is perfect for Windows 10 and earlier versions. Even an inexperienced user can manage the program.

It is important to note that the program for quick disk defragmentation can work in manual and automatic mode. You can change the way it works in the settings. It is best to use manual mode. In addition to the standard defragmentation procedure, the application is capable of:

• Move data when the operating system boots. Thanks to the “Boot Time Defrag” technology, even those files that cannot be moved while the OS is running will be optimized;
• It is possible to launch the utility on a schedule;
• Disk analysis is performed only at certain moments. This reduces the load on the system.

It should be noted that it is difficult to find a better program than this one. In addition, the application is distributed in Russian.

Auslogics Disk Defrag

You can find free defragmenters on the Internet, but not all of them are as good as . The application optimizes and organizes files scattered on hard drives. After completion of the work, the speed of the system increases several times.

The program uses several algorithms, thanks to which disk defragmentation is faster than when running a utility built into the OS. After optimization is completed, a report on the work done will be provided.

The main features of the defragmenter include:

• Organizing files and cluster structure;
• Disk map showing the defragmentation process in real time;
• Intuitive interface;
• A clear reporting system. Thanks to this, you can understand how well the disk was defragmented;
• Ability to optimize 2 or more hard drives simultaneously.

The program can be downloaded for free from the official website. For effectiveness, it is recommended to use the defragmenter 2 times a week.

Everyone knows that the best programs are those that fully cope with the assigned tasks. Defraggler, developed by Piriform Ltd., is just such a defragmenter. The utility can work not only with the hard drive, but also with specific directories. This is the best defragmenter for Windows 7.

Unlike paid analogues, the application works several times faster and better. During the defragmentation process, the user has the opportunity to observe the transfer of data from one place to another. While the program defragments the disk, you can work on the computer (it’s better, of course, not to do this). After finishing the work, a report about the changes will appear.

The main functions of the program include:

• Creating an information map of fragmented files;
• Setting up a schedule;
• Supports all popular file systems, including exFAT;
• Setting the interface language.

To see all the benefits of a defragmenter, it is recommended to test it yourself.

UltraDefrag is the best defragmenter. Despite the fact that the utility is small, it does an excellent job of moving even complex clusters. Hard drive defragmentation is not the only feature of UltraDefrag; the program can also work with the registry and the page file. In addition to the main interface, there is a console interface, thanks to which the utility is launched on a schedule.

The application works with file systems such as FAT, FAT32 and NTFS. After completion of the work, a report appears in the form of an HTML file. It should be noted that the program has a function such as turning off the PC after optimization is completed. Even beginners can handle the controls.

Conclusion

The user downloads the program that best copes with the assigned tasks. That is why it is recommended to consider third-party applications, since the defragmenter built into the OS does not cope well with transferring files. One of the best programs can be considered Auslogics Disk Defrag. Before downloading the utilities, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with all the advantages and disadvantages.

Video review of the defragmentation program

As you write, delete, or move files, free space appears on your hard drive, surrounded by other recordings. When adding a new file, the volume of which is larger than the existing area, the file is split into several parts. As a result of this division, the file becomes fragmented and access to it becomes more difficult (more precisely, the reading time increases, since the system needs to “glue” individual fragments together into a heap).

Over time, a large number of such “pieces” of files accumulate on the local disk. The Windows 10 operating system takes longer to access them. The system starts to work slowly. To optimize the performance of Windows 10, defragmentation is needed. It can be done using standard tools or programmatically.

Disk defragmentation using standard Windows 10 tools

Complete disk defragmentation on Windows 10 is possible using standard tools. To do this, the operating system itself has a built-in disk defragmentation tool. Users often wonder where it is located.

To perform fragmentation, you should follow the following instructions:

• Open Explorer. Select local drive C and right-click on it. Select “Properties”. A small window will open. Go to the “Service” tab. Click on the “Optimize” button.

• The Disk Optimization window will appear. To defragment a specific disk, you need to select it and click “Analyze”.

• Analysis will show how fragmented the volume is. Click on the “Optimization” button so that the standard defragmentation program starts working.

To defragment a hard drive with Windows 10 on a schedule, you need to perform the following settings in the same standard utility:

• Click on the “Change parameters” button.

• A new window will appear. We indicate the periods when defragmentation should be launched on Windows 10.

• Click “Select disks” and indicate which volumes should be optimized.

It is important to note that another way to defragment a Windows 10 disk is to use the command line. Launch the console as Administrator and enter “defrag” (for complete defragmentation, without specifying a specific disk).

You can also use the following syntax:

The defragmentation report will be presented as follows:

When using a HDD, information is constantly recorded/erased. But the disk surface is not filled sequentially, but in parts, resulting in fragmentation. It is one of the main reasons for a slow computer, so you need to know how to defragment a disk on Windows 10 to speed up your PC and increase data access speed.

Why is defragmentation needed?

This procedure allows you to collect one file “in a heap” by writing information about it sequentially onto the surface of a magnetic disk. After this, the operating system will not have to first assemble the file piece by piece and only then use it. Therefore, after defragmenting the HDD, the speed of the PC will increase (you will also find this article useful for improving the performance of the device).

How to start a process on Windows 10?

Defragmentation in Windows 10 is performed by standard tools or programs developed by third-party companies.

Established funds

The new OS, like previous versions, has a built-in Disk Defragmenter utility.

1. This computer → RMB on any disk → Properties → Tools tab → Optimize.
2. In the "Disk Optimization" window, select the one you want to defragment → Analyze.
3. After the evaluation process, if the fragmentation is more than 5% - 7%, click "Optimize".
   
   

   Important! Windows 10 is set to automatically defragment disks by default. You can change the optimization schedule or disable it altogether in the “Optimization by schedule” block by clicking the “Change parameters” button and specifying the desired time.

   
   

The time of the procedure depends on the speed of the HDD, fragmentation and how busy the disk is (it needs to have about 10% - 15% of free space).

Third party programs

Third-party programs provide the user with more options for setting up and performing defragmentation.

Defraggler

The program shows the fragmentation map and HDD status, and also prepares a list of “partitioned” files. It carries out the process according to the user's specified parameters. This program is much more efficient than the built-in utility.

The tool has a similar interface and functionality to Defragger, and is capable of optimizing the file system by moving Windows files. This increases the speed of the computer.

The SSD defragmentation process is performed on a different principle, so the classic utility harms the solid-state drive (read the article on how to configure it correctly). In addition, the speed of reading data from all SSD cells is the same. Therefore, information fragmentation does not slow down your computer. When installing this type of media on your computer, disable automatic disk optimization.

Video

The video describes in detail how to defragment a disk using a standard utility and another third-party program.

Conclusion

Defragmentation increases the speed of your computer. It “assembles” files into one whole after they are split when recording to the HDD. You can perform optimization using the built-in utility or programs from third-party developers. But when using SSD storage, do not run this function because it is harmful to the drive.

As you probably already know, if you actively use one of the hard drive partitions (or all), especially the system one, then after some time the system begins to work slower. That is what I mean. You install and uninstall different programs, move files, and so on for a long time, this does not have a very good effect on the placement of hard disk clusters and the hard drive starts to work slowly. Disk defragmentation helps solve this problem. In the Windows 10 operating system, it is called “Optimization”. It just so happens that by default, defragmentation in Windows 10 runs on a schedule.

In this article, I will tell you how to disable the schedule and perform defragmentation manually, as well as how you can configure this schedule.

Via Explorer

There are several ways to perform defragmentation. The first of them is through Explorer or disk properties.

And so, open “Explorer”, after "This computer", select the hard disk partition. In the explorer at the top, go to the “Management” tab and click on the button "Optimize"

In the same way, we can get to defragmentation in a slightly different way. Right-click on the hard drive partition and select “Properties” from the drop-down menu.

Then go to the “Service” tab and click on the button "Optimize"

Now about which partition to defragment. In fact, it is usually necessary to perform this operation on the C drive, because this is where the main battles take place. However, if you have actively deleted or installed various files, programs on another one (D:, E: and so on), then it is recommended to defragment it too.

If your hard drive is not partitioned, then we recommend reading the article:. Then you will have the system on drive C:, and personal files (music, videos, etc.) can be stored on D: or, for example, E:.

And so the disk defragmentation window opened in front of us. We can go through each section and click on the button "Analyze". Let's look at the parameter "Current state". If you look at my screenshot, you can see that the F: drive is 16 percent fragmented and needs to be defragmented. You can do this by pressing the button "Optimize". On all other sections everything is fine and there is no need to optimize them.

Change of schedule

We also see that scheduled optimization is enabled, we can disable it or change it by clicking on the button "Change settings":

After pressing the button "Change schedule", a window with schedule settings opens. We can disable it altogether by removing the checkbox next to the item "Run as scheduled".

If you do not want to disable schedules, you can change its frequency or select the disks on which optimization will be performed according to the schedule. In order to select partitions, you must click on the “Select” button opposite the name “Disks”

Place the checkboxes next to the required ones and click on the “OK” button

We're done with the first method, now let's move on to the second.

Using the command line

Right-click on the “Start” button and select the item from the drop-down menu "Command Prompt (Administrator)"

Enter the command diskpart and press Enter;

Enter the command list volume and press Enter;

A list appears in front of us, which you need to compare with the list of partitions in the operating system explorer.

If everything matches, then you can defragment one of them. To do this, enter the command defraq C: /O

Instead of C: enter any other partition of the hard drive that you want to defragment.

That's it, I finish this article on defragmentation in the top ten.

We also watch the video

A home computer is an electronic device that almost no family can do without. It serves not only for entertainment and games, but also often becomes a serious assistant in working from home. With constant use of a PC, you can observe a deterioration in its performance and data processing speed. This is due to fragmentation of files on the hard drive.

Fragmentation is the process of distributing, when writing, parts of newly created or modified files across different HDD clusters. It is expressed as a percentage of the total amount of data on the drive. It is this scattering of data that entails problems in the speed of the PC and the response of the operating system.

To systematize the file system, there is a process of defragmenting the hard drive, which improves the performance of the OS. This procedure is provided both by tools built into Windows 10 and by third-party software.

The best defragmentation programs

We have compiled for you the top programs for fast and safe disk defragmentation.

Defraggler

The creators of the CCleaner optimization utility created the Defraggler program in a very simple form, with a laconic interface that is accessible even to a novice user. Defragmentation of the hard drive in this program is carried out in two stages:

1. Before starting the optimization process itself, you need to analyze the general condition of the HDD. To do this, select the required disk with the right mouse button, and then use the “Analysis” button in the lower left corner to launch the procedure itself. After the analysis is completed, the program will provide information about the state of the file system.

To your attention! If the removable hard drive (SSD) is checked or the fragmentation rate is below 10%, defragmentation is not recommended.

1. If, based on the results of assessing the condition of the drive, optimization is required, it can be started by clicking the “Defragmentation” button at the bottom left. Here the program gives you a choice of two process options: normal and fast. In the first case, the procedure will be in-depth and of higher quality. It will take a lot of time, but it will carefully systematize all the data and optimize the operation of the operating system as much as possible. In the second option, the processing will be more superficial and will take much less time.

Additionally, the program contains a task plan that allows you to set a defragmentation schedule automatically.

Auslogics Disk Defrag

The Auslogics Disk Defrag utility also has an accessible interface, but is more extensive in its functionality. In the program, in addition to the standard defragmentation mode, you can set the selection by type of files: depending on access time (files that have been used recently will be prioritized), by date of modification (the most recently modified files will have priority), or by the Prefetch Layout parameter (operating system will determine the order of data systematization). A separate point is made about the process of optimizing removable hard drives.

The procedure for starting data processing is simple:

1. When you first open the program, you will be prompted to analyze the disk status. It is not mandatory, but to clarify the need for defragmentation, it is better to agree by clicking the corresponding button on the pop-up window.
2. Upon completion of processing, the utility will automatically display a window to start defragmenting the hard drive. The process will begin after clicking the “Defrag Now” button.

If HDD analysis is not required, then optimization can be started simply by selecting the appropriate disk and clicking the “Defragmentation” button.

MyDefrag

MyDefrag is a slightly improved alternative to the utility built into Windows 10. The program is not only easy to use, but also has better optimization efficiency. You can also control the operation of the utility through the command line.

1. After starting the program, you need to select “Analysis only” from the list of proposed processing scenarios. Then mark the required disk and start the scan by clicking on the “Start” button.

The utility will display a window in which the entire data analysis process will be displayed.

1. Upon completion, the utility will return to the initial menu. Next, you need to select the “Defragmentation Only” scenario and start processing for the required disk with the “Start” button.

Built-in defragmenter in Windows 10

If you cannot download and install special software to defragment your hard drive, you can use the built-in utility in Windows 10.

To open the program, you need to go to the main partition of the computer, which contains a list of available drives. Having selected which one will be used for defragmentation, right-click and select “Properties” from the pop-up action menu.

The system will display the properties window for the selected disk. To open the utility, on the “Tools” tab, in the “Optimization and disk defragmentation” section, click on the “Optimize” button.

A window will open, divided into two blocks. The first contains a list of drives available on the computer and buttons for directly launching analysis and optimization. In the second block, the program offers to set optimization settings according to a schedule.

As in other utilities, the first step is to analyze the state of the data. To do this, you need to select the required disk and click on the “Analyze” button.

The program will display the percentage of files analyzed relative to the total amount of data in the "Current Status" column.

Upon completion of the procedure, the percentage of file fragmentation will be displayed in the same column. The “Optimize” button will start the process of organizing the file system.

Defragmenting your hard drive makes it easier for the operating system to find the requested data faster. Both the built-in program and third-party utilities cope with optimization tasks. But if it is possible to install additional software, it is better to give preference to the second option. Since special programs have more capabilities than the Windows 10 utility.