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Fast defragmentation. The best programs to defragment your hard drive

Before choosing the best defragmenter, you need to understand what its main function is. Files that end up on the local disk of a computer are located rather chaotically. Over time, this can cause the system to work slowly, since, having accumulated in a large volume, various data will interfere with fast reading. This process is called fragmentation. To correct the situation and organize the files, defragmentation is used, which redistributes information, freeing up space and reducing the processing time of the system.

Windows 7 is currently a very popular system with a beautiful design and more ease of use than its predecessor. However, it is also prone to fragmentation, which makes it very relevant to consider how to choose the best defragmenter for Windows 7. Looking at the main contenders, we can single out the top five leaders.

First on the list is Diskeeper, which has proven itself well on Windows XP. It not only copes well with its main task, but also complicates the fragmentation process in the future, which has a positive effect on the speed of the system and its programs. According to many experts, Diskeeper is the best defragmenter for Windows 7. It has one very characteristic feature. Even 1% of free disk space is enough for its work. By comparison, any other application will need at least 5% clean space to start functioning.

The disadvantages include the low speed of work. In fact, it is the slowest defragmenter. And besides, it only works with whole disks, so you won't be able to speed up the work of individual sectors.

The O&O Defrag application from German developers is also familiar from Windows XP. One of the recognized leaders in the segment. Has a number of distinctive abilities that allow him to act as efficiently as possible. Compresses system files, MFT areas and Works with any file system, copes well with very large disks. It's safe to say that O&O Defrag and Diskeeper are the best defragmenters.

Among the disadvantages of this application are high system load, which makes it difficult to use it on weak computers. It is very rare, but still sometimes there is a hang during operation and offline defragmentation fails.

The Raxco PerfectDisk defragmenter has proven itself well. It works quite fast, has several modes and can defragment not only entire disks, but also individual files. A big disadvantage, especially for novice users, is the complex interface.

Ashampoo Magical Defrag. Pretty good defragmenter, but nothing more. It performs its main function better than the standard Windows tool, but it does not stand out in anything special and is much inferior to the applications described above. Unlike the top three, the program is absolutely free.

Auslogіcs Dіsk Defrag. This is arguably the best defragmenter for Windows 7 that you don't need to pay for. You can use both the installed version of the product and the portable one. Demonstrates the speed of the system before and after defragmentation. The disadvantages include the relatively low functionality of the program, especially in comparison with commercial versions, but the high speed and efficiency of its work allowed it to become widespread.

Each user must decide for himself which defragmenter is better, since each of them has its own weak and

Tip: Windows has a built-in defragmentation program, but in most cases, dedicated programs do their job better.

Defraggler

This program is simply one of the best. It allows you to defragment data or free space on an internal or external drive. There is also an option to defragment individual files and folders. Defraggler allows you to start defragmentation at boot time, check disks for errors, empty the trash before defragmentation, exclude selected files from the process, move rarely used files to increase the speed of disk access.

Defraggler is also available in a portable version for flash drives.

Smart defrag

Smart Defrag is great when it comes to scheduling automatic defragmentation as it has some specific advanced options. The program supports the launch of defragmentation when the computer enters an idle state or manually on a schedule. You can use Smart Defrag to run boot-time defragmentation and remove fragments of locked files.

Smart Defrag can also exclude files and folders from the defragmentation and analysis process, replace the defragmentation program Windows, start defragmentation of applications only Windows or skip files larger than the specified size during defragmentation.

Auslogics Disk Defrag

Auslogics Disk Defrag served as a regular program requiring installation, however, it can be used in portable mode on removable media.System files, which tend to be used frequently, can be moved to faster areas of the disk to improve startup time and overall system performance.You can also check the disk for errors with chkdsk, optimize your hard drive, exclude files and folders from the defragmentation process, and delete temporary system files before starting the process.

Unfortunately, Auslogics Disk Defrag cannot start defragmentation at boot time and cannot defragment empty space.

Puran defrag

The program has a built-in intelligent optimizer that allows you to intelligently move files to speed up access to them. Like many programs on this list, Puran Defrag can defragment folders and files from Windows Explorer right-clicking on the context menu, delete user folders and files before starting defragmentation, and start the process at boot time.

There are several scheduling specific options available in Puran Defrag. For example, automatically running defragmentation every few hours when the system goes to sleep or when a splash screen appears.You can also schedule a permanent defragmentation schedule at boot time. This can be every first start of the computer on a day or a week, or even a month.

Disk Speedup

Disk Speedup is another free defragmentation program that can defragment not only the entire disk, but also individual files and folders. You can configure automatic defragmentation to start if the system has been idle for a certain period of time. This program has very specific parameters. For example, you can disable defragmentation of files with parts smaller than 10 MB, or files with more than 3 parts, or files with parts larger than 150 MB. And all of these values ​​are customizable.

You can configure Disk Speedup so that the program regularly moves large, unused (or rarely used) files and / or files of a certain format to the end of the disk, then small files will be located in faster areas, which will increase system performance.

In addition to the above, this program can also exclude files and folders from general defragmentation, start the process during system boot, shutdown the computer after defragmentation is complete, and also run defragmentation or optimization on any disk on a schedule: every day, week or month.

Toolwiz Smart Defrag

Toolwiz Smart Defrag is a small program with a really simple and minimal interface that installs pretty quickly. They claim that this program is 10 times faster than the one preinstalled in Windows defragmenter, and also knows how to archive files to another part of the disk in order to increase the speed of access to regular files. You can see the number of fragmented files in the analysis, and the defragmentation process starts really quickly.

However, you will not be able to see the level of disk fragmentation or schedule defragmentation at a later date.If you are looking for an easy-to-use program without a huge number of buttons and settings, then Toolwiz Smart Defrag is perfect for you.

O&O Defrag Free Edition

UO&O Defrag Free Edition has an organized and easy-to-use interface. It supports the typical functionality you find in similar software, such as optimizing the disk, viewing a list of all fragmented files, checking the disk for errors. In addition to running a scheduled defragmentation every week, you can configure O&O Defrag Free Edition to start automatically. defragmentation when the screensaver appears. If necessary, you can run the quick configuration wizard and easily set up a schedule or immediately start disk optimization.

UltraDefrag is suitable for both beginners and advanced users, as this program has both general functions that everyone understands and special options for making certain changes to the program. General functions such as recovery, defragmentation and disk optimization are as simple as in any other programs. However, if you want to make changes to the program, then you need to know how to handle the BAT file.

MyDefrag

MyDefrag can run both simple and complex complex defragmentation depending on what you need. It works by loading and running scripts on one or more drives. Some scripts are included and installed with the program. For example, defragmentation on a schedule, disk analysis, free space consolidation. The default settings are suitable for general users.Advanced users can create their own custom scripts, the online tutorial has all the information they need to create scripts.

Ashampoo WinOptimizer Free

Ashampoo WinOptimizer Free - this program consists of a set of mini-programs called modules, one of which is designed to fragment hard drives.

You can configure defragmentation to start when the computer is idle and even determine the percentage of CPU usage you want. There are also regular scheduling options: daily and monthly defragmentation.

Before starting defragmentation, you will need to select a mode: fast, normal, or smart. You can also run defragmentation at boot time to defragment files that are usually locked. Windows.

In contact with

Program overview

Defragmentation- the process of optimizing the structure of a logical disk by storing files in a continuous sequence of clusters.

Defraggler able to defragment both the whole disk and individual files in normal or fast mode. Defragmentation in normal mode can take more than 2 hours, and in fast mode - in a few minutes.

Note! By default, the program interface is in English. For Russification, you need to run Defraggler, open the "Settings" -> "Options" menu, select the "Russian" language from the "Language" list. Now the Defraggler interface is in Russian!

System requirements

  • System: Windows 10, 8 (8.1), Vista, XP or Windows 7 (32-bit / 64-bit).
Features of the program
Preparing for defragmentation
Presentation of information about the state of the hard disk.
Assessing disk performance. During the evaluation, the program will display the number of fragmented files, fragments and disk read speed (MB / sec).
Search for files by name and size, including unfragmented files.
Search and elimination of errors on the disk.
Disk analysis
Analysis of the logical disk structure and collection of the necessary information about fragmented files, excluding files with system restore points and hibernation files.
Disk Defragmenter
Defragment selected files, folders or an entire disk. In addition, you can defragment files by criteria: empty, unfragmented, fragmented, swap files, writable files, readable files, or files in the MFT area.
Defragment free disk space.
Supports fast, regular and full defragmentation. In the program settings, you can specify the size and number of fragments that should not be defragmented.
Automatic defragmentation of system files at computer startup.
Other
Task scheduler support. In it, you can specify the disk, frequency (for example, daily or at computer startup), type and other conditions for defragmentation.
Adding folders and files to the list of exclusions.
  • Fixed a bug due to which the scheduled defragmentation was interrupted.
  • Improved SDD detection.
  • Now the program warns about an attempt to defragment the SSD drive.
  • Updated user interface.
  • Bugs fixed.
Screenshots of the program

One way to improve the efficiency of a modern computer is a disk defragmenter, an application that efficiently distributes data across a storage device.

With its help, even an inexperienced user can speed up the computer.

And, if their size has increased, it may turn out that the new information will be placed not in a neighboring sector, already occupied by other data, but in another part of the hard disk.

As a result, access to the file takes longer, and the total program launch time increases.

All this happens gradually, but if the disk has not been defragmented for a long time, the operating speed may drop by 10-20 percent or even more.

Defragmentation is a process that allows you to move parts of files so that they are located contiguously.

This simplifies program access by reducing the distance traveled by the hard disk readheads.

Useful information:

Defraggler

IObit SmartDefrag

The fast Russian program provides one of the best placement of files, as it uses the most efficient scripts.

Data is placed on the fastest disk sections, and the system is significantly faster.

The main advantages of the application include a high degree of file security, which is not threatened even by a sudden accidental shutdown of the computer while SmartDefrag is running.

In addition, defragmentation can be performed in three modes (simple, deep and optimized).

O&O Defrag

A well-known program - if not the best, then at least one of the most popular.

It is often used by advanced users to move parts of files to places where they can work with maximum efficiency.

With the help of O&O Defrag, the performance of a desktop computer, a laptop, and a workstation can be restored.

The advantages of a defragmenter are:

  1. Special installers for embedding custom scripts;
  2. Automatic configuration of defragmentation mode;
  3. High speed of analysis and optimization;
  4. Process charts;
  5. Extended functionality when working on the network;
  6. The presence of a multilingual interface (there is also a Russian version);
  7. Supports all types of Windows, starting from XP and Vista;
  8. Automatic selection of bitness (32 or 64) for better performance in the corresponding operating system;
  9. Special mode for mobile PCs (netbooks and laptops).

Windows Tools

If for some reason (for example, there is no Internet access, Windows is protected from installing third-party applications, or there is a possibility of a virus infection) you cannot download the defragmentation utility, you can use the standard program that is built into the operating systems.

To access it you need:

  1. Open the "Start" menu;
  2. Start typing the word "defragmentation" in the search bar;
  3. Go to the corresponding utility that appears in the search results;
  4. Run disk defragmentation.

The same can be done if you first find the "standard" item in the "Start" menu, and then "service".

This method is suitable for Windows 7 and XP. And for Windows 8 and 8.1, you can open the search bar even faster by pressing the Win + Q combination.

Then the defragmentation utility is located in the same way and the process starts.

Need for manual defragmentation

Manual defragmentation is not always advisable on some operating systems and modern hard drives.

So, for example, SSD media not only does not need optimization, but even wears out from the frequent use of this process.

Moreover, such disks will not work faster even after defragmentation.

In Windows 7 and later versions, the ability to defragment SSDs is excluded by default, and the standard utility starts automatically from time to time, which is quite enough to optimize the system.

Older versions of Windows require manual defragmentation. Although this problem can be solved by updating the system.

If this is not possible, you will have to use either built-in software or third-party software - preferably one of the most popular and free ones, since paid applications do not give any advantage.

The hard drive is one of the most important components of a computer, but not all users pay due attention to it. If the processor, video card, RAM and other components fail, they can be replaced quite simply, while with a breakdown of the drive, the owner of the computer will lose all his data, which obviously no one wants. To avoid a hard drive failure, you must carefully monitor it and regularly defragment it.

What is Disk Defragmenter

The defragmentation process is very simple and very important, but many people forget about the need to carry it out. It organizes the files on your hard drive so that the operating system can access them more easily and quickly when requested.

During the work of the hard disk, new information constantly appears on it. The user downloads files from the Internet, installs programs and games, creates new documents and performs a number of other tasks. When information is stored on a hard disk, it occupies a certain number of free clusters on it. At the time of deleting, changing, copying files, the clusters are cleared, but free space is formed between one and another file on the hard disk. Disk defragmentation is necessary to organize the files on the disk, and they were sequentially going one after the other, and there were no free clusters between them.

Disk defragmentation on Windows must be performed because:


Some users are aware of the need for defragmentation, but do not perform it. This is due to the fact that this process is very lengthy, and it can take up to ten hours to organize files on a volume drive. At the same time, the procedure time can be significantly reduced, for this it is enough to perform it on a monthly basis, as recommended by the manufacturers of hard drives. The more often you defragment, the less data on the drive will have to be moved, and therefore the process will be faster.

Important: Defragmentation is only necessary on rotating head hard drives, whereas it is not needed on SSDs. Defragmenting a solid-state drive will only reduce the number of write cycles to it, but will not give a performance gain.

How to defragment a disk

To defragment a disk, you need to start the appropriate process. The Windows operating system contains a special tool that allows you to defragment your hard drive. Unfortunately, it is not perfect, and in most cases it is more convenient to use third-party utilities. Different programs contain their own algorithms for defragmenting the drive. Below we will give an example of several such applications and show you how to do the job of organizing clusters using the system tools.

Defragmenting your hard drive using Windows

If you are wondering how to defragment a disk in Windows 10 or earlier versions of the operating system, then this is quite easy to do. To run the standard defragmentation tool, you must:


Please note that in this menu item you can also configure the "Scheduled optimization". When choosing the appropriate item, it is necessary to set the frequency of the process and the hard disk / disks that will be subjected to it. After that, the system will automatically defragment the drive according to the selected schedule.

Hard disk defragmentation software

There are dozens of applications that allow you to defragment your hard drive. Each of them has its own pros and cons. Some are better suited for large hard drives or storage drives that are installed on servers, while others are better for home use. Below we suggest looking at a couple of free hard drive defragmenter programs.

The simplest and most convenient application for defragmenting your hard drive on your home computer is Defraggler. The free version of the program, which can be downloaded from the official website of the developers, does not have wide functionality, but it copes with its main task.

The application is officially localized into Russian, and it allows you to defragment not only the entire disk, but also a separate program or folder. The program also provides an option with fast disk defragmentation.

Auslogics Disk Defrag Free is a free version of the application of the same name from Auslogics. You can also download it from the official website of the developers. The application is a little more functional than Defraggler, and it does not have a Russian language, which makes it more difficult to work with. At the same time, the program has a number of functions that are not available in the official hard disk optimization tool from Windows and in the Defraggler application.