There are many parameters that affect the performance of the system as a whole. This and specifications hardware, and the number of programs running and running, and the size of the hard disk and its performance. But the latter depends not only on the rotational speed of the plates. To a large extent, the performance of the disk, and therefore the system as a whole, also depends on how the files are placed on the disk. If files are written to disk in sequential sectors, then reading them will take less time than if they were written in chunks to various free disk locations at the time of writing.
Statistics say that if the number of fragmentarily recorded files on the disk does not exceed thirty percent of their total number, then the operating conditions of the disk and its performance are close to optimal values. If up to half of the files are defragmented, then the speed of working with the disk slows down. With a higher percentage, the disk begins to work in harsh conditions, it takes more time to read the files. The result is a noticeable slowdown in work.
There is, of course, a way out of this situation. And it consists in periodically checking the disk for fragmented files and optimizing their placement. To perform this work, programs from different developers are used. One of them, O&O Defrag, is offered by O&O Software. The company offers two versions of the program - Professional Edition and Server Edition. The first option is designed to run on a local computer and does not have a network management console, but it can act as a client for a server solution. The server version has a console for managing the program over the network. It can be used both on servers and on workstations, which allows for administrative control and monitoring of the defragmentation process on computers. 
Modern Windows systems have their own defragmentation systems, but while they are running, it is extremely difficult to continue performing any tasks on computers. In this regard, the O&O Defrag program has a significant difference: its ActivityGuard component allows you to track the execution of tasks on a computer and take this into account when working. What is it about? For example, if a screen saver is running on a computer, this means that other tasks are performed on it to a lesser extent and, therefore, at this moment, you can set a higher priority to the defragmenter or start a work that is suspended during a high computer load. The component takes into account the load on the processor and at its low load (for example, during your break in work) allocates more resources to the defragmentation process than at other times. ActivityGuard also takes into account the capabilities of laptops - when running on battery power, the program pauses, which reduces power consumption.
When installing the program, you can choose to use it instead of the standard defragmenter. In this case, the program call is built into the standard interface for working with disks. In addition, during installation, you can select the automatic disk defragmentation mode. The O&O OneButtonDefrag module provides disk health monitoring and automatic start defragmentation programs in the background if necessary. (This mode can be turned off and on again at any time.) 
The program offers five defragmentation methods. Each provides an efficient file defragmentation process so you can keep working with other applications. The methods differ with the resources used and the principle of placing files on disk during the defragmentation process. The least resource intensive method is STEALTH. His distinctive feature is a negligible requirement for used memory and additional disk space used for work. This provides the fastest defragmentation process. Recommended to use for file servers with a large number of files, as well as with very large disk resources (more than one terabyte).
The SPACE method is very close to the previous one, but it provides a better defragmentation of files and maximum reduction of free space into a single zone. This method is recommended for disks with a significant amount of fragmented files. The method is less efficient than the previous one. Therefore, it is recommended for processing disk arrays with a volume of more than one hundred gigabytes or with a number of files exceeding one hundred thousand (the previous method works well with the number of files that are several times larger).
The following methods are a variation of their base type, COMPLETE, but differ in the way they sort the files on disk. The method requires more resources than the previous ones, but provides maximum system performance after defragmentation. The first variation of the method is sorting files by the time they were last accessed. The most rarely used files are placed at the beginning of the disk, those that have been accessed recently - at the end. This reorganization of files allows you to spend much less time on defragmentation in the future, since the most "mobile" files will be located at the end of the disk. The method is recommended for use on servers where you need to provide the best performance for data access. 
The following method sorts by the date the files were last modified. Files that have been modified recently are placed at the end of the disk. The oldest ones go to the beginning. This strategy is recommended for defragmenting database servers. Finally, the COMPLETE method sorts files by name. This method is most useful for system drives and drives that contain rarely changed files. It should be noted that the last three methods are not recommended to be mixed with each other, nor with methods that do not perform structural reorganization of the file system. Having chosen one of them, you need to this disk use it exactly.
A few notes on performing defragmentation. As noted, additional disk space is required to complete this process. And it should be the larger, the larger the size of the files to be defragmented. You should also remember to try to avoid changing or moving files during defragmentation. The O&O Defrag program calculates the best positions for the files it moves before and during operation, and any change will affect these calculations. The consequence is an increase in the time to complete the operation due to additional recalculations. 
If you set the option automatic execution defragmentation process, you can set the minimum response threshold (percentage of file defragmentation), before which the process will not start. Generally speaking, performing disk defragmentation on a regular basis is a significant factor in increasing performance. For this purpose, a task manager is built into the program. With its help, you can create an unlimited number of disk defragmentation tasks with individual settings for each of them. For each disk, you can set its own time for defragmentation, select the required method, the threshold. In addition, the program has the ability to automatically determine the moment when it is required to perform defragmentation. When this option is selected, the program will automatically determine the time of the next launch based on heuristic methods. The more fragmented the disk, the more often the program will run. When this condition is eliminated, the program will be launched less often.
Defragmentation tasks can be fine-tuned to suit your needs. So, you can choose one of four levels of recording information in log files (differ in the degree of detail). You can specify files that should not be defragmented. It is possible to perform a disk check before starting defragmentation. For partitions located on different media, you can set up parallel defragmentation. If the sections are located on the same physical medium, they will always be processed sequentially, in alphabetical order.
The defragmentation process is running and not in automatic mode... In this case, the sequence of actions is set by the user. First, the disk is analyzed (and before it, you can run the verification procedure). As a result, a report is generated that gives a detailed view of the status of the disk. The report window has four tabs. The first shows general information disk - total space, file system data, and cluster usage. The second tab shows a list of defragmented files and the number of separate fragments for each. The third is a list of files that cannot be moved even if they are defragmented. The last tab shows a summary of the disk analysis results. The most curious users can also see which specific files are occupying a particular cluster. For this, the main window of the program is used, which shows the clusters of the disk under study. To view it, just select the cluster you are interested in and poke over it with the mouse pointer. In the window that opens, there will be a complete list of files that have fallen into this cluster. 
In addition to the information that can be viewed through the program interface, you can generate an external report. It contains practically all the same data, but it can be saved (it is formed in the form of an html page), printed, sent to someone.
In general, the program is very interesting and convenient. The ability to run from the command line allows you to embed it in various scripts. And the network version is of particular interest to the system administrator.
»I have already touched on the topic of disk defragmentation. O O Defrag Professional is a very effective and functional software for defragmenting hard drives, flash and solid state drives.
The main advantages of O O Defrag Professional edition are the following:
- five defragmentation methods.
- Completely defragment your hard drive almost anyway.
- Work with external USB drives.
- Support for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows versions 7, Vista, XP.
- Convenient, intuitive interface.
- The ability to obtain a large amount of information about the disk, related to defragmentation.
- Ability to run defragmentation as scheduled.
- Possibility of parallel and sequential execution of operations on disks.
- Disk Defragmenter at Boot operating system.
- Automatic disk optimization.
- Flexible settings for excluding files from defragmentation.
- Activity monitoring.
There are many opinions about the importance and necessity of disk defragmentation. Considering a large number of factors (drive type, file system, cluster size, size of stored files, operating system, disk usage frequency, and so on) hard disk defragmentation will have a different "usefulness" character. Now (mid-2011) there is an active transition from drives to hard disk drives to solid-state drives (SSD). Flash drives are the most popular devices for "carrying information in your pocket." For hard disk drives, fragmentation has a more detrimental effect on performance than for solid state drives and flash drives (memory cards). However, for solid state drives, disk defragmentation plays a "wear-and-tear" role. Many articles have already been written about this.
It is worth noting a specific area of the "hard drive" - the Windows registry. To check and defragment it, I recommend the TweakNow PowerPack system utility.
The review will include the last, at the time of this writing (07/19/2011) stable English version O O Defrag Professional 14.5.543 x64 (Operating system - Microsoft Windows 7 Maximum SP1 (Build 7601), x64).
System requirements for O O Defrag Professional 14.5.543 x64. O O Defrag Professional edition has no special system requirements for the system. If your PC answers system requirements operating system installed on it, then O O Defrag Professional will work.
- 50 MB of free disk space for installation.
- Access right at the Administrator level.
- Supported operating systems: Windows 7, Vista, XP. Both 32 and 64 bit versions are supported.
Main window O O Defrag Professional
The main window of O O Defrag Professional (picture below) can be roughly divided into three areas.
- Menu.
- Disk table.
- Disc information.
The menu area is visually divided into five groups.
- Defragmentation.
- Reports.
- File system.
- Options.
Region Disk table contains twelve columns by default.
- Disk. Volume letter.
- Name. Volume label.
- Act. The status of the action being performed on the disk is displayed.
- Status. The percentage of the action completed.
- Total files.
- Fragmented files.
- Fragmentation percentage.
- The size. Disk size.
- Free. Volume free space on disk (in gigabytes).
- File system.
- Current file or folder. The full name of the file (folder) that is currently being acted upon.
- Time left. The time until the completion of the operation.
It is possible to sort in forward or reverse order by any of the columns, arrange the columns in a convenient order for you. If necessary, you can hide or add some columns (figure below) or reset the disk table settings to default. And also specify the alignment of the contents of the disk table (left, right, center).
To the area Disc information(figure below) hard disk defragmentation is presented in a visual form.
Contains five tabs.
- Cluster type.
- Tasks. Tasks will be discussed in detail below in the article.
- Reports.
- Disk status.
- File status.
Tab Cluster type(picture above) contains a graphical representation of the disk file system and a color legend. You can change any of the legend colors if you want. The Legend of O O Defrag Professional edition contains the following items:
- Free.
- Compressed.
- Defragmented.
- Fragmented.
- Reserved for the file system.
- System.
- Report files.
- Blocked.
- In the process.
- Directories.
All of them reflect the belonging of a particular place on the disk to various types of files (or directories). You can customize the display of the graphical representation using the following options.
- Classic cluster representation... Will remove the gradient from the clusters. Will make them one color.
- Shadow... Adds or removes the shadow cast by each cluster.
- Cluster size... You can change the color cell display size (diagonal in pixels) to 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 18.
With a smaller cluster size, you get a more detailed view of the volume's file system structure. Since, for example, with a color cell size of 18 pixels (picture below), one fragment can contain many different types files. Information about the content of a specific colored cell can be found by double clicking on it.
The picture above shows the display of cells in a non-classic form, with a shadow, gradient and size of 18 pixels. For example, I will give in the figure below the display of cells in the classic form without a shadow and a gradient of 3 pixels in size. I will also give information about the content of one such cell.
In the tab Reports(picture below) all available volume reports are displayed.
An example of viewing one of the reports in a browser is shown in the figure below.
Tab Disk status(picture below) displays brief information about the selected disk.
Tab File status(picture below) contains a table with information about disk files.
It is possible to filter the list of files according to the following criteria.
- Fragmented files.
- Large fragmented files.
- Fragmented system files.
- Large system files.
- Fragmented locked files.
- Large locked files.
- Large files.
You can sort any of the filtered lists in forward or reverse order by the following columns.
- File name.
- File size.
- Fragments. The number of file fragments.
- File fragmentation percentage.
- Initial cluster. The cluster number where the beginning of the file is located.
O O Defrag Professional has options to customize the program window display style (colors), font size, text direction (right to left), and window transparency for Windows 7 and Vista.
Toolbar
Defragmentation
Option Fast start(figure below) will allow you to schedule defragmentation and / or start immediately.
You can specify automatic disk optimization (in the background), disk optimization during system idle time, or optimization time (day of week, hour, minute). You can specify a monthly or weekly defragmentation flag. It is possible to instruct O O Defrag Professional to check the disk file system for errors before defragmenting.
Analysis allows you to perform a forced analysis of the state of the selected disk. Before starting defragmentation O O Defrag Professional will analyze the selected volume. After the analysis, you will have access to a graphical representation of the cluster map.
In O O Defrag Professional edition 14.5.543 x64, you can choose one of five methods of disk defragmentation.
- High-speed.
- Space.
- Full / Name.
- Full / Date of changes.
- Full access.
I took the description of defragmentation methods from the help file (in English) installed with the program. The translation is not literal with its own comments and interpretation.
The high-speed method uses a smaller (compared to other methods) volume random access memory... It gives good results even on computers with a small amount of RAM and little free disk space. The method attempts to fragment and merge files in order to optimize free space. This method is recommended in the following cases.
- Initial defragmentation of your system hard drive.
- Servers with very large disks (for example, more than 4 terabytes).
- Computers with a very large number of files (more than 3,000,000 files).
Method Space... Combines its data so that the amount of contiguous free space is as large as possible and reduces the likelihood of further fragmentation. This method is recommended in the following cases.
- Initial disk defragmentation of your system.
- Computers with "weak" hardware and little free disk space.
- Servers with large disks (for example, more than 1 terabyte)
- Computers with a lot of files (more than 100,000 files).
Method Full / Name previous ones. However, it provides a larger percentage of the file system performance gain. Besides defragmentation, it reorganizes the file structure. The files are sorted in alphabetical order from the beginning to the end of the disk, and this leads to quick access to the files in the reference. When Windows boots up, most of the system files will be read in sequence from the WINDOWS and system32 folder. This will reduce system startup time. This method is especially recommended for computers on which files are rarely changed. This reduces the rebuild time that is required for each defragmentation. This method is recommended in the following cases.
- All kinds of servers and workstations.
Method Full / Date Modified... The method is more demanding on hardware resources and takes longer in execution time than High-speed and method Space... However, it provides a larger percentage of the file system performance gain. Besides defragmentation, it reorganizes the file structure. Files are sorted according to the date they were last modified. Files that have not been modified recently will be placed at the beginning of the disk, and recently modified ones will be placed at the end. This method is good for file or database servers that contain files that have never changed (such as system files) and files that change frequently (such as database files). This method allows future defragmentation to run as quickly as possible, as only some files need to be checked and defragmented. This method is recommended in the following cases.
- For regular defragmentation.
- Computers with "strong" hardware and plenty of free disk space.
Full / Access Method... The method is more demanding on hardware resources and takes longer in execution time than High-speed and method Space... However, it provides a larger percentage of the file system performance gain. Besides defragmentation, it reorganizes the file structure. Files are sorted by the date they were last accessed. Files that are rarely accessed are placed at the beginning of the section. Files that are accessed frequently are at the end. Rarely used files are defragmented and not moved in the future. This method allows future defragmentation to run as quickly as possible, as only some files need to be checked and defragmented. This method is recommended in the following cases:
- Maximizes file system performance on servers.
- For regular defragmentation.
- Computers with "strong" hardware and plenty of free disk space.
- All kinds of servers and workstations.
DO NOT use different defragmentation methods on the same disk! This can significantly slow down the defragmentation process, increase the load on the computer hardware and lead to undesirable consequences of file system fragmentation! It is especially NOT recommended to run different defragmentation methods for automatic background optimization and scheduled scans!
As noted earlier, O O Defrag Professional 14.5.543 x64 has the ability to create jobs to automatically perform the defragmentation procedure. For this, the program has a large number of options. When creating a task, a window will open in front of you (figure below), containing eight tabs.
- The main one.
- Schedule.
- Disks.
- Files.
- Activity monitor.
- Settings.
- Actions before defragmentation.
- Actions after defragmentation.
Let's take a closer look at these tabs.
In the tab The main(picture above) You set the name, description and action with the computer after completing all the tasks. For example, turn off.
Tab schedule(picture below) You set the schedule for this task. You can select a single execution (indicating the time and day), weekly (indicating the day \ days of the week, the period from \ to and the start time of the task) and the task execution at the start of the screen saver (it is assumed that you are not working at the computer).
It is possible to specify the maximum duration of the task and repeat the task later if it did not work at the specified time.
In the tab Disks(figure below) it is possible to specify for each disk separately the defragmentation method, the percentage of data defragmentation at which the task should be performed for this disk, assign defragmentation at boot and add disk files to zones (zones will be discussed later in the article).
Files... This tab (picture below), in turn, is divided into three tabs.
- Excluded files... Files that do not need to be defragmented.
- Files to defragment.
- Files by size... To reduce the time for disk defragmentation, you can specify the file size (select from the drop-down list from 100 MB to 5 GB), which will be excluded from defragmentation.
Tab Activity Monitor(Figure below) allows you to configure system busy tracking for a job. It is very convenient! For example, you have scheduled a complete defragmentation of all disks with a file system check before and after defragmentation. And they forgot for it. But for, for example, half an hour before the start of the task, you left the computer turned on with Pinnacle running, in which a large movie is saved. If you run the task, despite the PC booting, then defragmenting the hard disk and saving the movie can take a very, very long time.
Activity Monitor contains settings in which you specify the percentage of processor and hard drive load, at which the task will not be started. It is also possible to specify the name of the program, when it is active, the task will also not be launched. You can specify that the task cannot be started if the computer (laptop) is running on battery power. O O Defrag Professional edition 14.5.543 x64 provides an option to "wake up" the computer from sleep or hibernation mode.
Tab Settings(figure below) contains general options for the job. Such as the:
- Consider removable media.
- Consider external media.
- Special disk defragmentation for solid state drives.
You can specify the generation of reports (their number) and the degree of detail.
Tabs Before defragmentation(picture below) and Actions after defragmentation look the same. In them, you can import a special file with commands for actions before and after the task is completed.
The created task is displayed in the main window O O Defrag Professional on the tab (picture below).
There you can also delete, run and edit the task.
I took the description of defragmentation zones from the help file (in English) installed with the program. The translation is not literal with its own comments and interpretation.
Partitioning a disk into zones allows you to logically separate data into critical and non-critical. A special algorithm checks that after defragmentation, the data on the disk is optimally organized. It also checks the location of files in zones, depending on the settings. For example, system files that need to be accessed frequently and as quickly as possible are separated from other data, such as movies and music. This will reduce the percentage of file fragmentation, shorten the defragmentation time and reduce the load on the system during defragmentation. O O Defrag Professional edition 14.5.543 x64 already has several configured zones. They are optimal for most users. However, you can create your own (picture below).
Setting up O O Defrag Professional edition
The O O Defrag Professional settings window (picture below) is divided into five tabs.
- The main one.
- Defragment the disk at boot.
- Automatic optimization.
- Files. This tab is discussed in more detail above.
- Activity monitor. This tab is discussed in more detail above.
The main... This tab (picture above) contains the following settings:
- checking the disk for file system errors before defragmentation and canceling defragmentation if an error is found.
- Optimizing multiple physical disks in parallel.
- Optimization according to the peculiarities of the disk file system.
- Consider removable media.
- Consider external media.
- Dedicated defragmentation for solid state drives.
- Distribution of files by zones.
- Enable / disable automatic optimization.
You can specify the generation of reports (their number) and the degree of detail. It is possible to display the O O Defrag Professional icon in the taskbar near the clock.
Defragmentation at boot. On this tab (figure below) you can set disk defragmentation when the operating system boots (at each boot, only at the next).
Tab Automatic optimization(figure below) contains settings that will help you schedule defragmentation (and a method for each disk separately) in the background.
It is a little inconvenient that administrator-level access rights are required to run the program. Unfortunately, the official website does not support the Russian or Ukrainian language for the interface and / or the help system. A small drawback is the fact that when O O Defrag Professional is open and a new medium is connected to the computer, for example a flash drive, this medium is not displayed in the program. To add it to O O Defrag Professional, you have to restart the program.
As you can see from the review, O O Defrag Professional edition 14.5.543 x64 has a lot of possibilities for defragmentation. The developers have worried about the owners of laptops, and about the owners of "strong" workstations and servers, and about the users of "office" computers. For system administrators the job function in O O Defrag will be useful. When installing O O Defrag Professional 14.5.543 x64, it offers to install a proprietary screen saver into the system, add a defragmentation call to context menu Explorer (to defragment a specific file at the user's request) and install O O Defrag Professional edition with the default defragmentation program on the system. O O Defrag Professional also has the ability to check for version updates from the developer's website.
As promised, we are starting a cycle of computer software reviews. The topic is wide, so first we will focus on defragmenters and optimizers for Windows. We ask you to adequately indicate errors so that the reviews are as objective and interesting as possible. Let's start with this.
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First, a little about disk fragmentation itself. Simply put, this is a mess with files when moving and copying them, in other words - splitting the file into fragments of different sizes for recording in different (non-sequential) areas of the hard disk. The process is used when it is necessary to write a large file to disk, where there is not enough continuous space, but there is enough total free space (for example, due to deletion of previously recorded files).
Defragmentation puts things in order on the disk, laying out clusters on the shelves. As a result, the "hard drive" starts to work faster, because its head moves in the case and not so often, which allows you to save the resource of the device and provide more quick start programs. As for SSDs, it is not necessary to defragment them for obvious reasons, however, some applications optimize them, but more on that later.
One more point - since there is nothing to compare O&O Defrag with yet, let's compare it with the Windows system solution. And in the very last article of this series, I will traditionally summarize, compare all programs and choose the best one. Once again I ask you not to judge strictly, because this is the first such article. I hope you enjoy it.
The following equipment was used for testing:
- Laptop Lenovo G50-70 (OS Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit; Dual Core AMD E1-6010, 1347 MHz; AMD Radeon R2; 2 GB DDR3-1600 DDR3 SDRAM, WDC WD25 00LPCX-24C6HT0 (250 GB, 5400 RPM, SATA 6 Gbps).
- Desktop OEM assembly (Windows 10 Pro 64-bit; Gigabyte GA-970-Gaming; AMD FX-6300 (4200 MHz); Sapphire RX 460, 4 GB; Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3-1800, 8 GB; SSD Kingston, 128 GB , WDC, 1 TB).
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O&O Defrag Professional 21.0 Build 1115
The program is quite popular and has existed for Windows for several years. It works quite quickly, contains additional tools, is easy to operate and fully Russified.
True, there is one drawback - O&O Defrag is shareware, which somewhat diminishes its capabilities, since there are free system utilities on the market with a built-in defragmenter. In this case, only high efficiency can help, which I will now check. The developer himself promises an increase in disk performance by 5-8 times.
Key features of version 21.0:
- The product can be used in the network in combination with the O&O Enterprise Management Console 2;
- Uses less space compared to the previous version;
- Automatic configuration after installation on a computer;
- Faster defragmentation of hard drives compared to the previous version;
- Automatic background monitoring of disks for immediate system optimization;
- Advanced networking functionality combined with O&O Enterprise Management Console 2.
Interface
It is fully consistent with the concept of Windows 10 (naturally, not Fluent Design). 
There are seven tabs in total: you can visit the defragmenter window, open the system cleaner, statistics window, scheduler, additional tools, settings and view information about the program.
Through the space of immense networks, wires, air, gossip of immortals
old ladies are increasingly talking about changing the king of drives. On the
SSD replacements come with solid-state, expensive flash SSD screws with their own speeds,
reliability and other bells and whistles. But the last battle of technology will take place oh
how not soon. Therefore, we save our hard drives until the Day of Judgment, Armageddon, as
apple of an eye! The loyal servants of the monarch, defragmenters, will help us!
In addition to testing the utilities directly, in today's test using the example
a couple of simple tests will also show undeniable benefits
defragmentation as one of the methods for taking care of your hard drive.
So, in the le-e-e-th corner of the virtual ring - an old-timer of computer
gateway Seagate ST380013AS with parallel information recording. In pra-a-avo-ohm
corner - still quite a youth, but already an inveterate bully Western Digital
WD1600YS-01SHB1 with perpendicular information recording. Let's see how it affects
defragmentation at the speed of reading / writing "pancakes". Let them judge "Crystal
Disc Mark "!
Defragmentation again
Recall that all infa stored on the hard drive is not recorded
sequentially, cluster by cluster, and chaotically, in fragments, based on
availability of free sectors. Hence the definition of defragmentation.
Defragmentation is the process of logical, sequential ordering of data
in clusters, which increases the speed of reading and writing information (due to
less erratic recording head movement). As a consequence, the speed
downloads of applications are also increasing.
Parallel and perpendicular recording
Information in hard drives is stored on a special magnetic layer
(metal sputtering on the plate). Some minimum possible for
ensuring the recording and storage of a unit of information, the area of the magnetic layer,
is called a magnetic domain and is equal in area to HDD with parallel recording
about 70-100 particles. When recording, the electromagnet in the HDD head orientates
magnetic moments of particles in the domain in the direction of or against the travel of the head. When
When data is read, the domain forms a magnetic field in the head sensor,
direction of which the bit value is determined: if the magnetic moment of the domain
coincides with the direction of movement of the head, then we get 0, if vice versa -
unit. The minimum domain size is determined by the phenomenon of paramagnetism, when
under the influence of neighboring domains, some particles can be reoriented.
The domain size determines the density of the recording on the platter. Currently
the technological limit of the recording density for parallel technology is practically
achieved.
With perpendicular recording, the magnetic domain occupies much less
disk surface area. Its stability is achieved due to the fact that
the magnetic moment in it is directed perpendicular to the plane of the disk (up or down
respectively), and due to an additional layer, a soft substrate. Discs with
perpendicular recording have a significantly higher recording density
information.
Crystal results
So, after the announcement of the list of participants and brief overview technologies we will move
to the tests. Using the Crystal Disc Mark utility, the readings of devices were taken before
defragmentation and after. The test results, of course, did not increase significantly, but
after converting fragmented files, disk write / read is undoubtedly
changed for the better: approximately 6 MB / s for WD and 12 MB / s for its
opponent. Crunching "pancakes" after the utilities have become less, that is, noise
decreased markedly. Note also that for a laptop, such an optimization
characteristics of the HDD will entail an increase in battery life
batteries. Based on the test results, we can conclude that the older hard drive
defragmentation is needed more than a more modern device from WD, because
"Barracuda" starts to work much faster after all the procedures.
This does not mean that the WD 1600YS-01SHB1 with perpendicular recording does not require
attention, - the developers recommend defragmenting at least one
once every 10-15 days.
Testing algorithm
If you click on the "Start" button, and then go to the "Standard" menu ->
"Service" -> "Disk defragmentation", then you will directly fall into the "clutches" of the built-in
Windows defragmenter. Then a question for filling: “If there is already a defragmenter,
why install another one? " To answer this question, analogs
(especially paid ones) should have some undeniable advantages. Let's try to find them!
For the test, a 1 GB local disk [H] was created. With the help of cunning
manipulating the keys with your fingers (Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V, Ctrl + X, etc.) it was filled
mp3 files, pictures and small software. Naturally, some of the data
fragmented.
Soft was asked:
- analyze and defragment this disk;
- analyze to identify the "hack" of the built-in defragmenter,
which found eleven fragmented files (reference value at
comparison); - to be comfortable, "light" and make excellent coffee ...
After running the utility under test, the disk state returned to its original state.
state from backup. Defragmenter speed - indicator
relative. If the CPU is strong, then everything will go quickly and smoothly. On test
double headed AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ (Windsor, 2048 KB) @ 3.0 GHz core all
tests passed quickly enough.
IObit Smart Defrag
Distr - 987 Kb
Status - freeware
The IObit Smart Defrag program is the first to enter the “cutting table” (the fifth
beta version). After an elementary installation, a new "resident" settles in the tray
(you can disable autoload only through the "Options" menu), while occupying
swap file 3.5 megabytes (not so much). On performance
the computer will not be particularly affected. Looking ahead, I will say that the "weight" of the utility and its
the functionality is simply amazing (only 987 kilobytes!). In addition, it is free and
the nobility of the developers cause only the most positive feelings in
heart muscle (hopefully the basic version will also remain free).
With all its black design, the utility shows that it is ready to work with Windows.
Vista. IObit's main window, Defrag Now, shows the available local drives
HDD. When you click on the Analyze "loaf", a picture will be displayed in the same window,
showing the status of the drive. Choose an action: "defragment" or "defragment
+ optimize "files, - and press the" GO "button. About file optimization
I will not say anything - I did not notice her. After some time in the View Report
all detailed information about the work done.
In addition to the Defrag Now window, there are three more: Auto Scan, Schedule Task and Option.
The first is responsible for the congestion of the "stone". If the processor is "busy" higher than some
level (by default - 40%), then defragmentation will not be performed. Schedule
Task allows you to "clean" at a convenient time (you set
number, time and logical drive). The third window Options is responsible for automatic
update and startup options. There is also a tracking function
laptop battery. If it is discharged, and this feature is enabled, then the automatic
no defragmentation will be performed. Cool stuff, by the way!
On the experimental disk, out of 236 files, as many as 12 fragmented were found.
Press "GO" and everything is optimized. After the standard defragmenter, our hero
found nothing.
The program does not know how to "speak" Russian, but general impression- "Ice!"
Piriform defraggler
Distr - 501 Kb
Status - freeware
Another program from the category of "compact". A distribution kit of 501 kilobytes is very
quickly installs everything you need to work. Directly Microsoft for Microsoft!
In terms of sophistication, Defraggler is noticeably inferior to the creation from IObit. In addition to
the main window, in which all information about the disks of the magnetic media appears,
fragmentation mosaic and three "buds" (Analyze, Pause, Stop), there is a File tab
List. After analysis, you can select files to be defragmented
separately (put a tick in front of the "guilty"). I don't know why they did it
such a thing, because in an amicable way you need to defragment the entire disk partition.
In the Action / Advanced tab there is a function checking hard disk on
errors (Check for Errors). No problems were found on the test HDDs.
So, select the disk, click Defrag - a window appears with a
doubts with the expression "Are you sure?" (if the developers are not sure, then where to go
user?) - and, observing the change in the cubes in the mosaic, we wait until the software
"Get rid" of fragmented files.
Piriform found 10 objects and naturally dealt with them. After
Our bastard found nothing of the built-in defragmenter.
Auslogics Disk Defrag (BoostSpeed)
Distr - 1.36 (4.11) Mb
Status - freeware
The next contributor is a free program from Auslogics. Distribution size
finally exceeded one megabyte. In general, this defragmenter is part of
the BoostSpeed package (by the way, translated into Russian, which cannot be said about
our hero). After starting, we are offered to select a local disk, but on the contrary
"Price list", a watermelon diagram is displayed (analogy with color patterns
suggests itself), below - information about the file system and fullness
hard with all kinds of junk.
The software will not waste time on any analyzes there - the process begins immediately
defragmentation (though on local disk requires at least 50 MB of free
places). I must say, Auslogics Disk Defrag is one of the fastest in our
today's test. But the quality of the work let us down. The report on
the work done turned out to be 12 fragmented files, and defragmented
- only 10 (the defragmenter could not "clean" two files). Built in
the Windows defragmenter that was launched afterwards did a great job with them.
In addition to the main one, Auslogics Disk Defrag has several functions that accelerate
computer operation. They can be found in the Settings section (Defragmentation tab).
Remove temporary files before defragmentation will allow us to remove all temporary
files before starting the defragmentation process. Display removable drivers will
defragment system drivers at your own risk. When data is turned on
I have not received any visible increase in performance checkboxes. You can also
set the maximum processor load: from Low to Highest, which is also neither
which was not affected. I hope that in new versions of the program there are all the shortcomings and errors.
will be fixed.
O&O Defrag 10 Professional Edition
Distr - 12.2 Mb
Status - paid, ~ 1000 rubles.
Before us is a whole manufactory for optimizing information in clusters (the most
"Bold" distribution from all tested). Installation of the program is delayed
due to automatic update old version... Colors and rounds in
upper left corner, as well as O&O bookmarks looks a lot like Microsoft Office
2007. Well, okay, it will be more accustomed to work.
Click on the program shortcut, and in the window that appears (the "Defragmentation" tab)
we contemplate local drives, as well as a tray icon. The program takes over
needs about 18 megabytes of RAM. Now every time you start OS Defrag
will be on guard of order in the information on the HDD. A quick "physical" can be done
using the Analysis key (the familiar mosaic appears at the bottom). Also
you can check the hard drive for stability, find out the detailed
drive information and view the file report ("Cluster Inspector"). Options
defragmenters are very similar (in composition) to IObit's.
Having decided on the choice of disk, click Start. A window appears with five (!)
defragmentation methods, each of which meets its own parameters
system performance. Then the utility organizes the information
(there were 12 fragmented files). No complaints about the work of O&O
arose.
In addition to the Defragmentation tab, there are three more: Job and Reports, View and
Help. In the first, all sorts of manipulations with the schedule are carried out, be it
automatic defragmentation or updating. Write special about the second bookmark
nothing - the program shows the whole truth about your hard and its "torment". On the menu
"Help" can be called help in English and automatically updated.
There are nice little things, such as changing the geometric parameters
cubes-clusters in a mosaic, full information about the hard drive in the form of blue
Pacman and the Quick Access Toolbar button.
Excellent "junk", for which it is not a pity to give a thousand wooden rubles. A little
didn’t forget: the program categorically refuses without an Internet connection
work.
Perfect disk defrag
Distr - 1.36 Mb
Status - paid, ~ 950 rubles.
The appearance of Perfect Disk Defrag is almost one-to-one, like that of O&O Defrag. Who have
who borrowed the graphical shell and the set of functions is a mystery.
Everything that was written above in terms of functions, one hundred percent applies to "Perfect
Disk ”, so we will not repeat ourselves. One of the few differences is
independence of the program from the Internet and its "weight" (almost 9 times lighter).
The program icon appears in startup (this "glutton" takes away from
RAM 30+ megabytes in the paging file). Perfect Disk found 20
fragmented files on disk [H] - the largest result of all
"Experimental". In addition, after defragmentation by means of the software built into the OS
Perfect Disk Defrag found another file and organized it.
In our opinion, Perfect Disk Defrag is the most hardworking of all
tested today "comrades".
Spee defrag
Distr - 1.15 Mb
Status - freeware
When you turn on the program, a small window appears in which you
offer to select a local disk and the type of termination of the utility (reboot
or turn off the PC). After installing the checkboxes and pressing the "Start" button
the operating system is reset. Then the familiar light glows for a very long time.
the message "Welcome" and the computer restarts again, or, as already
it was said to turn off. It turns out that this is a Spee Defrag "shaman" with files and
turns off the computer. Given the active Windows work with disks, this approach can
be acquitted.
Unfortunately, no report is displayed after defragmentation. Built in
Windows program package nothing on the tested local disk after "Sleep"
found. Perfect Disk too.
Vopt
Distr - 3.21 Mb
Status - paid, ~ 950 rubles.
At first it may seem that this defragmenter is very simple and
is not very functional (only the "bars" of analysis, defragmentation and status are visible, and
(See also mosaic of clusters). What developers ask for 40 dead American
presidents? But in fact, there is a reason. One has only to press the "screwdriver and
hammer ", and you will see the functionality of the program, which is not inferior to at least IObit
Start Defrag, and maybe even superior to O&O itself.
At startup, section [C] will be analyzed immediately. To change disc or
section, press Volume (you can also set defragmentation in the Tools settings
the entire hard drive at once). As for the tested disk, it turned out to be 12
fragmented files that Vopt handled quickly and easily. After
improving the condition of the HDD by means of win-defrag, our ward discovered two more
file. Great job!
The program has additional features. I'll just list by
order: Resource usage monitors CPU and memory utilization (does not recognize
multi-core processors, but as an excuse I will say that the utility is very
undemanding to PC resources); IP configuration - network configuration
connections; Ping - check the connection. In a word - super!
JkDefrag
Distr - archive 224 Kb
Status - freeware
The utility does not have a distribution kit, and is downloaded from the official site in the archive, in
which contains four exe files. The file is responsible for defragmentation itself.
the name of the utility. We launch exe'shnik. Acid appears in the small window
color chart, changing in the course of work Jk. The program starts
defragment disks in alphabetical order. For those whose hands itch
exists command line... I advise polyglots to visit the site
developer - there
you will find all the information you need about the product and how to work with it. On the
the main page of the site flaunts a cool cuckold - the coat of arms of the program and a hint
to support the Linux operating system. Using JkDefragCmd.exe one can set
several defragmentation options: for example, defragmenting individual
local drives, folders and even files. In general, a flexible utility, but it will do
far from all users.
Good day, dear readers. Today I want to share with you instructions on how to apply to probably the best free program for defragment hard disk.
Unfortunately, few people take the need to defragment a hard drive seriously. For those who still do not know what defragmentation is and why it is needed, please.
Many on the forums write that this is generally harmful to the hard drive and defragmentation can destroy it.
In fact, defragmentation is like cleaning an apartment. If you do it regularly, then your apartment will be clean and tidy.
If you do not do it, then everything will be scattered all the time in your apartment and you will have to look for your things longer and the process itself will only be annoying.
The same is with defragmentation, so that the effect is tangible and the possibility of harming the hard disk is minimal, it is better to defragment regularly using special programs and not BUILT-IN inWindows... However, read the article (link above) and you will understand everything.
Now we will consider the once paid and now free program for effective defragmentation -O&O Defrag Free .
We pass on.
Here we uncheck the box (about site news notifications to the mail) and drive in anye-mailaddress like[email protected] after which we pressNext .
On the next page, select the version of the program for 32 or 64bit Windows.You can find out the bitness of your operating system in the system properties.
And press the buttonDownload 32 or 64bitdepending on the bit depth of yourWindows.The download of the file will start.TOyou know the difference 32bitfrom 64bit Windows? Not. Then after, you will use the performance of your processor to the maximum.
O&O Defrag Free Have you downloaded it? Excellent. Install the program and go to the main settingsO&O Defrag Free - Settings. We remove and put one tick at a time.
These settings will allow you to perform an initial check of the disk for errors, so as not to injure it in case of physical damage., also, the program will not automatically generate error reports that we do not need. After setting the checkboxes, click OK.
Everything is now ready to start defragmentation. To do this, select the disk partition and clickStart .
We carry out such a defragmentation on each disk partition.
After we put things in order on the hard drive, it will be much easier for it to serve you for more than one year.
Today we have learned how to defragment usingO&O Defrag Free. That's all for today. Liked the article!Subscribe to blog updates to keep abreast of new and useful articles. Good luck and smile more often, at least like this 🙂