Devices for recording information need so-called optimization. First of all, it concerns hard disk a computer that can contain a huge amount of content. In windows xp, the procedure for optimizing the hard drive is based on 3 whales: enabling dma mode, caching disk writes and defragmentation.

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

Process description

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

So, the above procedure has the following features. When the user starts, he assumes the result - acceleration of working with the computer and starting everyday tasks.

On the hard disk, data are recorded in small portions by sectors. The entire file or folder with files fits within one sector. But over time, with the constant addition of new content to the HDD, these very objects are displaced relative to the primary position in such a way that one part of a file or folder may be in the initial sector, and the rest in other non-contiguous sectors. This creates scattered pieces of content that take longer than usual to access.

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

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

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

We use for optimizationauslogics 5

The above set of programs is designed for windows optimization... Also included in the auslogics series 5 is a defragmenter. Here's how to defragment using it (it is assumed that this complex is already installed):

1. Launch the application using the shortcut on the windows desktop.
2. Click on the blue ball icon in the tray (near the clock).
3. With the right mouse button, sequentially use the list of submenu "Tools" - "Disk maintenance / defragmentation".
4. In the program window that opens, analyze or defragment the partitions. The utility from auslogics has advanced features when compared to the built-in system optimizer. Otherwise, its functionality is similar to the defrag.exe interface.

This is a process during which the location of files on disk is optimized. This optimization allows you to increase the speed of working with files, and therefore improve the performance of your computer as a whole. In this article, we will talk about how to defragment a disk using the tools built into Windows, as well as using strony programs.

Defragmentation tips:

• Do not defragment drives. For SSD drives defragmentation is an absolutely useless action. It only reduces the resource SSD work disk, while it does not give any gain in operating speed.
• Free disk space is required to perform defragmentation. The more free space, the faster and better the disk defragmentation will be performed. The minimum amount of available space is 15 percent of the total disk space.
• If you want to get a consistently high speed of work, then use scheduled defragmentation.
• Try not to use the disk that you are defragmenting.

How to defragment a disk using Windows

The Windows operating system has a built-in mechanism for defragmenting disks. To use it, open "My Computer" and call the properties of the section that you want to fragment.

In the window that opens, go to the "Service" tab and click on the "Run defragmentation" button.

After that, the "Disk Defragmenter" window will open in front of you. Here you need to select the disk that you want to fragment and click on the "Analyze disk" button.

After the analysis of the selected disk is completed, you will see the value of the percentage of fragmented data on the disk. If this percentage is significant, then you need to defragment. For example, I analyzed disk "E" and the percentage of fragmented data on it is zero. You do not need to defragment this disk. But after analyzing the "C" drive, it turned out that it is fragmented by 36 percent, which means it needs to be defragmented.

In order to defragment the "C" drive, select it in the list of drives and click on the "Disk defragmentation" button.

After that, the defragmentation process will begin. The time it takes to defragment a disk depends on the amount of defragmented data and the speed of the disk itself. This usually takes at least a few hours.

In addition to manually launching defragmentation, you can use scheduled launch. To do this, in the Disk Defragmenter window, click the Enable Schedule button.

After that, you will see a small window "Disk Defragmenter: Change Schedule". Here you need to enable the function "Run on schedule" and configure the schedule.

Defragmentation can be performed daily, weekly, and monthly. After setting up the schedule, close all windows by clicking on the "OK" button.

Defragmenting a disk using third-party programs

You can also defragment your disk using third-party programs. Now there are many high-quality ones. Of the free, the most popular are Piriform Defragger, Auslogics Disk Defrag, MyDefrag, IObit Smart Defrag. There are much more paid programs, the most famous of them are: O&O Defrag, Ashampoo Magical Defrag, Raxco PerfectDisk, Auslogics Disk Defrag Professional.

For example, consider the process of defragmenting a disk using the free program Auslogics Disk Defrag free.

After starting the program, check the boxes against the disks you want to defragment and start analyzing them.

After analysis, the program showed that the C drive was 46 percent fragmented. In order to defragment this disk, set the checkbox and click on the "Defrag" button.

This is all that needs to be done, it remains only to wait for the end of the defragmentation process.

Like a built-in defragmentation utility, Auslogics Disk Defrag Free allows you to defragment your disks on a schedule. To do this, open the "Setings" menu and select the "Scheduler" item.

This will open a window with a defragmentation schedule. Here you need to enable the "Defragment automaticaly" function, select the defragmentation time and disks.

After that, Auslogics Disk Defrag Free will defragment automatically at the specified time.

Disk defragmentation allows you to optimize the operation of the file system, which has a positive effect on the performance of your computer. Most Windows users prefer to defragment using the standard utility built into the operating system. However, the standard Windows defragmenter does not always cope with its task 100%, and then they come to the rescue third party programs such as Auslogics Disk Defrag.

Benefits of Auslogics Disk Defrag

Auslogics Disk Defrag is an excellent defragmentation tool and has several powerful benefits.

• The program conducts a deep and thorough defragmentation of the logical structure of the file system, optimizes the hard drive.
• Auslogics Disk Defrag has a built-in scheduler that allows the program to start and run in automatic mode.
• The program can work with disks of any size without any restrictions.
• Auslogics Disk Defrag has the ability to selectively defragment individual folders or even files on your hard drive.
• In addition to defragmentation itself, Auslogics Disk Defrag can also optimize and consolidate free disk space.

Download and install

Auslogics Disk Defrag is absolutely free program, you can download it on the official website of the developer, which is located at: Auslogics.com

At the end of the installation process, the installer will offer to install the Hamster Free ZIP Archiver as well, so if you do not need an archiver, do not forget to uncheck the corresponding box.

Working with Disk Defrag

Auslogics Disk Defrag has an English-language interface, but since there are not so many functions in this utility, it will not be difficult to understand it. In the upper part of the program window there is a list of logical partitions of the computer, indicating the size, free space and type of file system. Having checked the necessary disks, you should select the desired action from the menu located just below: analysis, defragmentation, defragmentation and optimization, or quick defragmentation. Also, if you wish, you can check the box for the function of shutting down the computer after the defragmentation process is finished (it can be especially useful if you decide to defragment it late in the evening).

This will be followed by the execution of the specified task. By the way, before defragmenting disks, it is always advisable to perform an analysis first - the program will penetrate the disk and draw up a file system map indicating the level of file fragmentation. Then you can decide whether it's time to defragment or not. The defragmentation process itself looks like this:

Auslogics Disk Defrag Settings

To enter the settings of the Auslogics Disk Defrag program, you need to open the menu Settings and go to item Programm settings.

General settings of the Auslogics Disk Defrag utility are located in the section General... Here you can specify whether to minimize the program to the system tray, whether to start with operating system, you can also add the Disk Defrag item to the Windows context menu.

Several Yet useful options can be found in the section Algorithms... Here you can configure automatic deletion delete temporary files before defragmenting, skip fragments larger than, move system files to the beginning of the disk, and defragment in VSS-compatible mode (defragment in VSS compatible mode).

Defragmentation Scheduled

The Auslogics Disk Defrag program allows defragmentation not only manually, but also automatically, on a schedule. To set up an automatic defragmenter schedule, go to the menu Settings and go to item Sheduler.

Check the box on the item Defragment automatically and select the time when defragmentation will run:

• When PC is idle.
• Daily.
• Weekly.
• Monthly.

You should also specify which partitions of the disk should be defragmented on a schedule, whether to defragment when the laptop is running on battery power, and whether to generate a report on the defragmentation performed.

Defragment individual files and folders

If you want to defragment only some folders and files on your computer disk, then you need to go to the menu Action, go to section Advanced and select the desired action: Defrag file (defragment the file) or Defrag folder (defragment the folder). Then, in the window that opens, specify the location of the folder or file and click OK.

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 of temporary and junk files, defragment it).

In general, I can download that most users very rarely carry out defragmentation, and in general, do not pay due attention to it (either out of ignorance, or simply 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, bye HDD empty, then the clusters of the file may be nearby, 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 may 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?

Quite a common question, but it is difficult to give an unambiguous answer. It all depends on how often your computer is used, how it is used, what disks are used on it, 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 new windows 10, in Windows 7 - it can be done) 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 disks, and after defragmenting, you will not notice any increase in the speed of work.

4) Do I need to defragment a 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 speed of work 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 advisable (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 built-in Windows utility, 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 interfering with you, defragmented the disk at this time).

But, in principle, even the standard built-in Windows program, does defragmentation pretty well (although it does not have some of the "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 only store movies and music on it, then there is little 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 is universal programs(I would call them "harvesters"), which can perform complex actions to clean up your PC from junk, 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 click 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 screenshot below).

3) Start defragmentation

Consider launching the Windows built-in disk defragmenter (since 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 properties of the disk, 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 easy to use 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 the 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 paying attention to it to everyone who is tired of remembering defragmentation and doing it manually ...

3) Auslogics Disk Defrag

This program can carry system files(which need to provide the fastest performance) to the fastest part of the disk, due to which your Windows OS will run somewhat faster. In addition, this program is free (for regular home use) and it can be configured to automatically start during PC downtime (i.e. by analogy with the previous utility).

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

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

This is one of the fastest disk defragmenters! Moreover, this does not affect the quality of defragmentation. Apparently, the developers of the program 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 any system error, 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 start the defragmentation process again.

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

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

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:

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. can be defragmented separate 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 - Simple free program for quick assessment and defragmentation hard drives... The arsenal of the utility has 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 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 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 performance in general);
3. it is possible to work in the background, as invisible to the user as possible (so 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 disks 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. There is no such option 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 load level of the PC (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 feature-rich utility for optimizing hard drives. It can work with many file systems (FAT, FAT32, NTFS, NTFS5), arrays, Volume / Stripe Sets, supports background mode, work on a schedule, 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 very novice users can figure it out);
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 algorithm PIOZR). 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 limit work during CPU loading 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 say, 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 defragmentation of 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 the speed of loading the system;
7. it is possible to defragment individual folders / files from context menu conductor;
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!