Serving work does not tolerate fuss, but not when the report is on, the deadline has come and you need to do as much as possible in as little time as possible. And here comes the realization that it's high time to carry out the defragmentation procedure to make the PC a little faster.
What is defragmentation
Information on the computer is not written evenly on the hard disk. It is distributed randomly to free sectors and clusters.
Defragmentation is best done regularly, and for this, create a task in the Operating System.
This state of affairs sooner or later leads to the fact that the read heads are slower to find the desired area of the disc. At a visible level, this is reflected in the so-called "brakes". The operating system takes a long time to "digest" the request and cannot produce the desired result as quickly as an impatient user wants. In this case, defragmentation is needed to organize the data.
Impatient User Syndrome
When the computer is busy defragmenting, the hard drive is very busy. The readheads have to work in a complex mode. Find information, read it, overwrite it in a new place to make it orderly. At times like this, ideally, it's best to leave your PC alone and do something else.
Impatience is not a vice for the user, but when you work during defragmentation, the process slows down even more.
But, as you know, there is no ideal. In the real world, when defragmentation takes a couple of hours, which is not uncommon, the user may break down and start working before completing all the required operations.
And there is nothing wrong with that, if you put up with the overall slow operation of the system. The readheads of the hard drive have to spend time organizing information and fulfilling your requests. This results in slow file opening, audio stuttering and video stuttering. You will not be able to lose information in this way, unless a sharp power surge occurs during defragmentation.
It's good if you have more than one hard drive on your computer. Then you can work with files on one disk and defragment another. Then, if possible, transfer the information to the first disk, and run the second for defragmentation. This will somewhat reduce time losses and speed up the overall process.
Therefore, if you have the opportunity, then do not prevent the computer from making the system faster and do not turn it off until the operation is completed. Put defragmentation on at night and go to bed quietly. If the work does not tolerate, you can perform various actions simultaneously with the maintenance of the PC. There can be no strict prohibitions here, just recommendations.
Each of us has ever heard that defragmenting the hard disk drive (HDD) can provide performance gains. What is this - grandmother's tales or a real method?
Most of our society, be it a high-class "IT specialist" or some Vanya seven years old, knows: follow a few simple rules, and your computer will always work normally. These rules also include disk defragmentation, which we began to perform from the very moment mechanical hard drives appeared. However, does this really help keep the computer running, or is defragmentation just another myth on the “what to do with a computer to make it work better” myth?
Preparing for the test
For the purity and safety of the experiment, I used the VirtualBox program. I used it to create a 14.9 GB virtual partition running Windows XP SP3. Next, I installed all Windows updates that were in place as of February 8, 2010. Then I installed MS Office 2007 package with all updates and uninstalled it. Then I copied a lot of photos to disk, then I put some back. I deleted what was left (about 2000 photos in total), then I installed MS Office 2007 and all the updates again. I copied the photos to disk again, deleted them again. Then I used the Fragger program to fragment the space that was left (in total, according to Fragger, the disk is fragmented by 5706 MB). Then I installed the defragmenters and made a backup in VirtualBox so that all programs had the same starting conditions.
Now I needed to find a performance meter to compare. After a long search, I settled on the free HDTune program. Despite the limited functions, unlike its paid counterparts, the program will give us the 4 parameters that we need: Minimum read speed, Maximum read speed, Average read speed and Average response time.
I personally did not measure the time of each defragmentation, because I started each of them before going to bed and the time did not matter. Looking ahead, I will say that, in my opinion, this is the safest thing. Since defragmentation is a process during which it is undesirable to use a computer (and sometimes it is impossible), and which is best done about once a month, it is better to run it when, for example, you go somewhere or go to bed.
Before the very start, the thought occurred to me: what if VirtualBox will affect the test results? I checked to see if the read speed is different outside the shell and inside it. Based on the results, I decided that the inside-shell test winner would be checked by me on my HDD outside of VirtualBox (which I defragmented with MyDefrag recently) to see, firstly, if anything improves and, secondly, if there is a difference. inside and out (especially after such a full-scale preparation).
At the time of the test, the VirualBox version is 3.0.12r54655. HDD model - ST3250410AS with Windows XP installed. Where appropriate, I will also list options within the programs for maximum bang for their buck.
Defragmenters
- Windows XP Default Defragmenter
Results inside the shell
First, I measured the "control" values. I received them immediately after installing Windows XP SP3 and all updates. They will represent meanings at the stage of the "fresh" system that everyone has gone through and that they miss like a long-lost brother. The results are as follows:
As a defragmentation benchmark, I took the defragmenter built into Windows XP. The results were more than impressive. The data was even better than the "fresh" Windows XP. This gave me hope that other programs will cope at least as well, because, according to the developers' statements, they are all superior to the defragmenter built into the system.
Third party defragmenters
Now that I have an excellent set of samples, I started the rest of the tests. After each recovery, I defragmented the disk, rebooted it and took measurements. I first tested my own defragmenter, which I was using even before starting the tests. Will he remain my favorite? Let's see. Options: Monthly Defragmentation.
The results are surprising. Such a big gain in comparison with the built-in defragmenter in everything except the response time (in this parameter it turned out to be the best in the end, slightly spoiling the statistics of third-party programs).
I found the next candidate by accident while surfing slickdeals.net. Puran Defrag is one of those programs that changed its status from "paid" to "freeware". I decided to see what we were offered to pay money for. Options: Optimize the Whole System with Puran Intelligent Optimize.
The subsequent test I carried out on the program that I used before MyDefrag - Auslogics Defrag. I changed it because it seemed to me not so fast. Will the test confirm this? Options: Delete temporary files before defragmentation, Move system files to the beginning of the partition, Defragmentation and optimization.
Finally, the last program was recommended to me by a forum member from Overclockers.com with the nickname C627627. I had never heard of Vopt before, but its freeness convinced me to add it to the list of tests and test its effectiveness. Options: Tight layout, Move backup files to the beginning of the section.
Out-of-shell results
Before running a series of tests, realizing what multiple erasing and restoring fifteen gigabyte hard disk chunks would do to my disk, I ran the test outside the VirtualBox shell to check the impact of the tests on my HDD (remember that I defragmented my disk earlier with MyDefrag). Here are the results:
It can be seen that, although it is scanty (except for the Min. Reading speed - the gain here is as much as 47.4 Mb / sec!), But the effect is there. Defraggler has confirmed his victory!
Summary statistics
Min. Reading Speed (higher is better)
Max. Reading Speed (higher is better)
Wed Reading Speed (higher is better)
Response time (lower is better)
Outcomes
According to the test results, there is a solid grain of truth in the "grandmother's tale", because the result is amazing. Even using the built-in Windows defragmenter, you can achieve a huge increase in HDD performance.
It is worth noting, however, that the results on other machines, real or virtual, may differ. Even so, I can recommend two third-party programs that showed the best results with a difference of only plus or minus 0.1 MB / s.
1. What is defragmentation?
Defragmentation is moving and arranging fragments (parts) of files so that they fit compactly. After all, when writing to a hard drive, fragments of the same file can be scattered in different places, which slows down the speed of data reading and the operation of programs. And defragmentation organizes all the data, which increases the speed of the computer. You can read the publication.
2. How often should you defragment?
It depends on how you use your computer. If you only work in office programs and sometimes play with the kerchief, then defragmentation can be carried out once every few months. Because the files hardly change with this kind of computer operation.
But if you remove and install programs, games, or just add some files (movies, music, photos, etc.), then defragmentation should be done more often. And the more intensively the data changes (writing and / or deleting), the more often you need to defragment in order to keep the computer running at maximum speed. For the system disk (where windows is), you can enable background or offline defragmentation, which will be performed as needed. In general, it is best to analyze the disk by the defragmenter itself, and you will see what the percentage of fragmentation is. If it is above 10 percent, you can defragment. If more than 30% - then this state of affairs really slows down the computer and defragmentation is simply necessary.
3. What does disk defragmentation give?
Let's take a simple example. You bought a lot of things, your wife is waiting for you on the street, you are late for a movie. You go into the apartment and you need to put these things in the closet as soon as possible. You don't have time to put everything in its place, you need to do everything quickly.
This is the same when writing to disk. Write speed is the main metric, so the data is scattered in different places to make it faster. And defragmentation is the same as putting things in order in the same closet. And as soon as you point it, all things can be found faster, because they are not scattered all over the closet.
If there is little data on the computer and they rarely change, then you will not see a special effect from disk defragmentation. But if windows has been installed for a long time, during this time a lot of programs and other information have been installed, then you will directly feel the effect. All programs, and windows itself, will work faster. If we speak in the language of numbers, then an increase in the speed of the computer from 1-2 to 40 percent is possible. It all depends on how fragmented the disk is. So analyze the disk with a defragmenter and you will see the percentage of fragmentation for yourself.
4. Will defragmentation harm your computer?
Defragmentation can only harm if you use some unknown dubious defragmenter. Also, if during the process of defragmenting the disk, power suddenly goes out and the computer does not have an uninterruptible power supply, then data loss is possible. Not all of them, of course, but only those who are moving at that moment. The defragmenter cannot do any other harm to your computer.
5. How to choose a defragmenter?
First of all, determine for yourself which one you need - paid or free. Moreover, you don't have to pay for a paid defragmenter. The bottom line is this. The average commercial defragmenter will be equal in quality to the best free defragmenter. This level is quite enough for a good increase in computer speed, so read the article. And if you want the best, choose the paid one.
Next moment. There is a list of defragmenters that are best suited for your operating system. What's good for windows xp may not work in windows 7. Read the review. There will be links to more detailed articles for each operating system.
6. I have a laptop. Does it need some kind of special defragmenter?
No, it is not needed. Defragmenters work the same way for computers, laptops or netbooks. There is no difference. Defragmentation is simply the reorganization and reordering of information.
7. Will defragmentation interfere with your computer?
Yes. When you run defragmentation, files will be actively moved. This will interfere with your computer work. Everything will slow down, so to speak. So it's best to set defragmentation overnight. And if we keep in mind background defragmentation, then it will be carried out only when the computer is idle, when you will not do anything. In this case, defragmentation will not interfere with your computer.
8. Can you install 2-3 defragmenters for more effect?
It is possible, but there will be no sense from this. After all, each defragmenter will arrange the data according to its own discretion, so it will only take more time. And the effect will be almost the same (depending on which defragmenters). So it's better to pick one good one than two mediocre ones.
9. Are there any differences in how different defragmenters work?
Yes there is. The differences can be different. These are the speed of work, the presence of background defragmentation (when you are not working on the computer), the ability to defragment system files and the paging file. The more the defragmenter's functionality is, the more it can defragment, and the greater the effect of defragmentation will be. So choose the best defragmenter, they have great functionality, and the speed of work is good.
There are also differences in operating modes. For example, the best defragmenters provide a choice of how to defragment. This can be ordering by file name (speeds up the launch and operation of the operating system), free space (combines free space into one disk space), and several other modes. Simpler defragmenters often have one mode, which one - learn from the reviews.
10. Is it better to choose a free or paid defragmenter?
It depends on what you want. If the effect is maximized, then there are no better paid ones. Moreover, in our country it is possible and not to pay money for them. And if super tasks are not required from the defragmenter, then a free one will be enough. If you take the best free defragmenter and the paid mid-tier, then the quality will be the same.
11. Should you defragment a disk with an operating system more often than others?
Yes, more often. After all, there are constantly changing files. Temporary files are constantly recorded and deleted, and even more so if you install something yourself, then the fragmentation of files occurs constantly. So analyze the system disk and see the fragmentation percentage. It will also be possible for the disk on which the operating system is installed to enable offline defragmentation, which will be carried out when the computer is inactive, so that it will not interfere with your work on the computer.
12. Is data loss possible during disk defragmentation?
Yes, but only if you turn off the computer during disk defragmentation or press Reset (power restart). Then there is a chance of losing the data that is moving at that moment. You don't have to worry about the safety of all other data.
13. I do not see that the computer has become faster to work. Defragmentation Failed?
The effect of defragmentation is noticeable to the eye only when the degree of fragmentation is quite large. Did you analyze the disc before doing it? What was the percentage of fragmentation? If the degree of disk fragmentation was up to 10%, then it is clear that you cannot see the difference by eye. And if more than 30%, then you will feel the effect immediately after restarting your computer.
14. How can I check the speed of my computer before and after defragmentation?
Well, this is difficult to determine by eye. For this we need a program for testing the computer. These can be programs such as SiSoftware Sandra, 3DMark, and others. But these are the most advanced and accurate. They have a bunch of tests, so choose which speed you want to test.
15. And what is the bad defragmenter, which is already in windows, why look for another?
Who said he was bad? No, he's not bad. It's just that in comparison with good defragmenters, its speed is lower, the quality of defragmentation is worse, and it is much poorer functionally. However, the defragmenter built into windows is better than none at all.
Most users have heard the phrase disk defragmentation, including on Windows 10, but they don't know what it is and why. Actually, what is a hard drive (screw) for - everyone knows and its volume is remembered by a tooth.
The architecture of the hard drive is represented by clusters - these are small parts for storing information. Our data is sequentially divided into small chunks and placed each in a separate cluster. The smaller the file size, the fewer clusters it takes, and vice versa.
To get a better idea of clusters and how they work, let's compare them with cells in a table. By the way, this zone is the general file table, which stores records with full descriptions. And files and directories less than 1500 byte in size are completely located in the MFT (Master File Table). By deleting files, you clear the clusters - but they were stored in a chaotic order (cell 1, 15 and 23, etc.).
For example, you downloaded a movie in very good quality - about 10 Gb - it is divided into clusters and they should take their positions consistently. If there is a lot of workload, there may not be a full sequence of free space. And so he finds free cells in total and writes there - this process is called fragmentation. When accessing a file, the hard disk begins to assemble it piece by piece from different clusters - our cells - like a movie cut into pieces. Naturally, this slows down the work.
One of the most common questions: "Disk Defragmenter on Windows 10 and what is it." It is the process of optimizing clusters by creating a continuous sequence. So the logical circuit is restored -.
Do you need disk defragmentation on Windows 10?
Starting from the 8th version of the OS, this process was called optimization. It is carried out independently by the system according to the planned schedule and does not require intervention. Defragmentation may be necessary if the performance of your computer has dropped. How to read on our website.
You still need to know where to find disk defragmentation on Windows 10. You need to go to "Explorer" → "This_Computer" → select any disk → right-click "Properties" → "Service" → "Optimize".
You will be presented with the "Optimize Drives" dialog box, where you can see several buttons, including information about the previous start and the current state. First, you need to know the state of affairs. Select the drive you want (if not choosing will affect everyone). To do this, click "Analyze".
The analysis will not take very long - if the hard drive is new or defragmented earlier. After that, you will see what percentage of fragmentation. When small, there is no need to optimize.
How to defragment a disk on Windows 10
To do this, click on the "Optimize" button and a forced process will occur, it is worth noting that it is not always fast. The program runs in the background and does not require your presence.
As a result, you can see what the percentage of movement is, how many passes in defragmentation were - it is almost impossible to predict its number, there can be as many as 27 or 15, depending on:
- technical characteristics of the computer;
- hdd or ssd size;
- occupied volume;
- how effectively the information is posted;
- the number of file deletions and records;
- analysis and defragmentation frequencies.
What to do if it doesn't work
There are cases when disk defragmentation does not start in Windows 10. There may be several reasons.
- One of the reasons is SSD... It does not need this procedure, since it is solid-state and its principle of operation is different from HDD. As far as optimization is concerned, it is performed. The principle is TRIM, which is enabled by default, a command that allows the OS to report non-existent blocks in the file system and that they can be physically removed, extending their lifespan. In some cases, the defragmentation of the SSD is carried out automatically, if it is enabled in the security settings.
Decided to turn off automatic defragmentation of your SSD drive in Windows 10, but don't know how? We select "Change parameters" → and in the "Optimization schedule" uncheck the "Run on schedule (recommended)" → OK. By the way, the principle of disabling defragmentation of SSD and HDD disks is the same; disabling is also possible by stopping the service.
- Another reason why the process may not work is to install and then uninstall a third-party defragmenter. To begin with, it is worth checking the state of the system files: by right-clicking "Start" → "Command line (administrator)" → enter "sfc / scannow".
If the system files are damaged, restore them and run disk defragmentation on Windows 10. Otherwise, we continue to look for the cause.
- Let's check the status of the service: “Control Panel” → “Administrative Tools” → “Services” → in the list we find “Disk Optimization” → “Properties” → “Startup Type” → “Manual” → OK.
- Still unable to defragment your disk on Windows 10? Let's check the related services, the status is "Automatic" and they must be running:
- DCOM Server Process Launcher;
- RPC Endpoint Mapper;
- "Remote Procedure Call (RPC)".
- Still having trouble defragmenting your disk? Check the paging file settings: "Control Panel" → "Advanced system settings" → "Advanced" → "Options" → "Advanced" tab → "Change" → there should be a checkmark "Automatically select the size of the paging file" → OK.
Does not work? Check the screw for critical errors and restore the OS.
Do you need to defragment the registry
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 say that most users very rarely perform 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, while the hard disk is empty, the file clusters may be close, 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 you use your computer, how you use it, 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 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 the new Windows 10, in Windows 7 it is possible to do this) 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 the 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?
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 a standard program built into Windows does defragmentation quite efficiently (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 not much 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 are universal programs (I would call them "harvesters") that can perform complex actions to clean your PC from garbage, delete erroneous registry entries, configure your Windows OS and defragment (for maximum speed!). About one of them you can .
1) Cleaning the disk from garbage
Windows cleaning programs -
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
By the way, it is advisable to delete programs through special utilities: (by the way, you can use the same CCleaner utility - it also has a tab for uninstalling 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 from everyone who has Windows :)).
First you need to open control Panel then section system and safety... Further, next to the tab " Administration"There will be a link" Defragment and Optimize 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 section "Service".
4. In the service section, press the button " Optimize disk"(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, do not 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 defragmenting individual files 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 transfer system files (which need to provide the best performance) to the fastest part of the disk, thereby slightly speeding up your Windows operating system. In addition, this program is free (for normal home use) and can be configured to automatically start during PC idle time (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).
4) MyDefrag
Developer site: http://www.mydefrag.com/
MyDefrag is a small but handy utility for defragmenting disks, floppy disks, USB external hard drives, memory cards, and other media. Perhaps that's why I added this program to the list.
The program also has a scheduler for detailed launch settings. There are also versions that do not need installation (it is convenient to carry it with you on a USB flash drive).
5) Smart Defrag
This is one of the fastest disk defragmenters! Moreover, this does not affect the quality of defragmentation. Apparently, the program developers 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 some system error occurs, 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!