Disk defragmentation programs are essential for any user. Without such tools it is absolutely impossible to guarantee that working at a computer will always be comfortable. Utilities can optimize the location of data stored on the HDD. Read in the article what defragmentation is, how to perform it using the built-in utility in the OS, and about some third-party tools.
Fragmentation
Why do I need disk defragmenter programs? Regardless of the file system, data on the HDD is always fragmented. The speed of its increase depends on the number of operations with data stored on the hard drive. Such operations include recording, editing, deleting files.
Information on the HDD is stored in small pieces in sectors. Parts of the first files written to disk are located next to each other. Subsequent documents cover the remaining sectors. After deleting one of the files, a void appears in a slender data series. When a large-sized document is stored on such a medium, pieces of its contents are placed in these voids. As a result, parts of the files are randomly located on the hard drive; randomness only increases with time. This is called fragmentation. Because of it, access to information is slowed down, which makes working at a computer less comfortable. In order for parts of the same file to be arranged sequentially, a special program is needed. Defragmenting a Windows disk using specialized tools is an easy task, even an inexperienced user can handle it.
Disk defragmenter
In most cases, a utility built into the OS called Disk Defragmenter is suitable for defragmentation. In it, you can view information about the level of fragmentation and perform optimization in a few clicks.
The utility can be launched in several ways:
Using the standard Start menu. To do this, just enter the text "defragmentation" into the search bar and click on the icon that appears.
Using the hard disk properties dialog. Open File Explorer. Hold down the ALT key and double-click on the icon of any HDD. On the service tab, click on the "Run Defragmentation" link. After that, the Windows Disk Defragmenter will start .
Using the Run utility. To open it, press Win + R. In the expanded window, enter the text dfrgui, and then press "ENTER".
Before the start of defragmentation in the program, you must select the section on which work will be carried out. Then it needs to be analyzed. To do this, click on the inscription "Analysis". After that, the percentage of information fragmentation on this HDD will be displayed on the screen. If the indicator is more than 15%, you must click on the "Defragment" button and wait for the end of the process.
Defraggler
The program for defragmenting a disk in Russian, Defraggler, was developed by the same programmers who are responsible for the CCleaner project. During operation, it displays a multi-colored fragmentation map. In addition, in real time, the utility displays information about files and the status of the HDD. The user can choose to defragment specific files or search for documents that primarily require optimization.
The most interesting thing is that after analysis, the percentage of fragmentation specified in the Defraggler program is always higher than in the utility built into the OS. Compared to Disk Defragmenter, the speed of Defraggler is much higher.
Auslogics disk defrag
When describing programs for defragmenting a disk, you cannot ignore Auslogics. Its interface is completely identical to Defraggler. The program in question is absolutely free. With its help, you can defragment both the entire section and specific files. In addition, the application can move system documents, and even the utility installed in the OS by default does not have such functionality. The quality of Auslogics optimization is superior to both Defraggler and Disk Defragmenter.
During the installation of the utility in the computer’s browsers, the Ask toolbar may be automatically installed. Carefully study all installer screens to uncheck unnecessary items.
Inside the program for defragmenting the disk there are several additional tools, but all the buttons lead only to the pages for downloading extraneous "software". Do not fall for the trick of developers.