How to defragment a disk on Windows 8. How to defragment a disk in Windows simply and as quickly as possible - detailed description

Why do you need disk defragmentation on Windows 8? It is thanks to it that it becomes possible to significantly speed up your computer. The fact is that each file on the hard drive is divided into pieces, which are located in different sectors. At the end of each fragment there is information about where the next one lies. When Windows starts a file, before opening it, it first begins to build a chain of these pieces.

Particularly noticeable slowdowns in work are noticeable when opening a Full-HD movie or some other large file. Thanks to disk defragmentation, the process of reading such video files will take much faster, since all the fragments are lined up one after another. Head hard drive It’s much easier to read information in a row than to jump back and forth.

If your computer has a solid state drive, then defragmentation will not bring the desired result. This way you will not be able to improve system performance. Moreover, you, on the contrary, will contribute to the rapid wear of the disk, since the durability of such drives is determined by the number of data write cycles.

It is worth noting that on Windows 7 and later later versions The automatic defragmentation process for SSDs is disabled by default.

Using Windows components

Defragment HDD easiest way standard tools. To do this, you must perform the following steps.

First you need to right-click on the selected local disk and select “Properties”.

In the window that opens, go to the “Service” tab and click on the “Optimize” button.

Immediately after this, the “Disk Optimization” utility will open. In it you can see everything detailed statistics: Media type, last run time and current status. Select the desired section and click on the “Optimize” button.

After this you will have to wait. Defragmentation will be performed in several passes.

How larger size hard drive, the longer the process will take. In addition, at this moment it is not advisable to perform any operations with information on the selected partition.

Wait until the status says “OK”.

Automatic start

The system itself will try to launch such automation. The good thing about Windows 8 is that it chooses when it’s best to defragment. As a rule, it performs it while the computer is in idle mode. That is, you don’t work behind it, and it just stands there.

If you wish, you can configure optimization at your discretion. To do this you need to do a few simple steps.

Click on the “Change settings” button.

Please note that this function enabled by default.

Immediately after this you will see the settings window. If you wish, you can disable scheduled execution.

You can also specify the frequency of launches.

In addition, it is possible to select disks. To do this, click on the appropriate button.

If the data on any partition practically does not change, then scheduled launch on them can be disabled.

Please note: there is an option “Automatically optimize new drives”. That is, if you connect to the system new hard drive, then it will immediately be added to the schedule for optimization.

You can also run defragmentation in the console. Similar manipulations with hard drive can only be done as an administrator. To do this, you must perform the following steps.

Click on the Start menu.

Click on the down arrow icon.

After this you will have big list applications. What we need is almost at the end.

Scroll down the list until you see Command Prompt.

Right-click on the program. In the context menu that appears, you must select “Run as administrator.”

If you did everything correctly, you will see a window like this.

Dial next command. To enter, press Enter on your keyboard.

defrag

Thanks to this you will see detailed description utilities. In addition, examples will be shown.

To experiment, you can run disk analysis. To do this you need to enter the following command.

defrag C:/A

As a result, you will be able to see everything important information O this section. And most importantly, it will tell you whether defragmentation is needed.

In our case it is not required. Even if you try to force it to start, nothing will come of it. You won't see any results.

Additional software

You can also install some free software. As a rule, any such program has in its arsenal many more features than a standard utility. It is not difficult to find such applications. You can download for free in Russian a large number of such defragmenters. Let's look at some of them.

MyDefrag

You can also see a list of content that was found on this section. Please note that you can see how many fragments there are for each file.

In order to start defragmentation, you need to right-click on the desired section and select the appropriate menu item.

The duration of the optimization process will depend on the volume of data.

Wait for it to complete. Please note that the squares will then be ordered. That is, empty cells are moved to the end of the section, since they should not be somewhere in the middle.

This utility is very similar to the previous one. Just as beautiful appearance And big set opportunities.

To start optimization you need to do the following:

Check the boxes next to the required drives.
Click on the drop-down list and select “Defragmentation”.

You can also start the process through the main menu. To do this, first select “Action” and then “Defragment selected”.

As a result, the data processing process will start.

Wait for it to complete. After this, below in the statistics you will be able to see a detailed report on the work performed.

Conclusion

This article discussed what defragmentation is and how to perform it. different ways. Which one to choose is up to you. If you decide to use third party application, then try to avoid English-language software. Because when Russian is used, you can intuitively understand almost any program.

Video instruction

Those who have any questions are recommended to watch the video with detailed comments.

The computer's hard drive is a real encyclopedia where all the data on your computer is stored, starting from the usual text file and ending with music, films, games. The provided algorithm of the technique divides all files into several hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands of fragments. Over time, you begin to notice that the computer begins to “glitch” or “slow down”. As a result, a bottleneck occurs in the operation of the equipment and users ask a reasonable question of how to defragment the disk on Windows 7 so that they can “revive” the computer’s operation.

How to defragment a disk on Windows 7

If you have the Windows 7 operating system installed, you can use several options for cleaning your hard drive.

By the way, laptops most often suffer from OS overload. A regular computer user is wondering how to defragment a disk on Windows 7, because... some work processes occur in background PC operation.

You are not required to perform any action, auto mode cleaning is carried out using the task scheduler, which is available on your PC. IN in this case disk analysis, as well as starting defragmentation and setting up a schedule are carried out in one mode. Eat additional utility, which will help solve the problem of defragmentation Windows disk 7, the execution of this action is carried out through the command line and execute the command defrag.exe.

The OS will be immediately adapted to the timing of all hard disk defragmentation operations. In automatic mode, the system carries out all operations, and information will be available on how many passes there are in Windows defragmentation 7 was in previous launches and real level fragmentation for disks. It is recommended to configure automatic operation at a time slot convenient for you.

If necessary you can use manual mode settings. The “Select disks” button automatically hides the default configuration mode. If disk defragmentation does not start on Windows 7, try other options for “curing” the disk, but for the sanitization to be successful, you must follow 3 simple rules:

We download utilities and programs that are suitable for your operating system.
We promptly clean the disk from accumulated garbage.
We carry out comprehensive defragmentation.

Windows 8.1 disk defragmentation, what the user needs to know

Thanks to special programs, can be carried out effective treatment personal computer, laptop. If you are installing programs, then the best option how to run disk defragmentation on Windows 7 or 8, 10 will become CCleaner and Defraggle, which are free versions. You can order paid version, but it is suitable for those who do serious work on a personal computer.

At the disk cleaning stage, we recommend using CCleaner. There is a special “Cleaning” tab here and disk defragmentation on Windows 8 is carried out automatically by activating the corresponding button, but before that you need to go through “Analysis” to understand what kind of “garbage” will be deleted.

The program has special settings, which will help you undergo proper disk defragmentation, for example, if you want to save passwords, uncheck or check the boxes in the program.

It is recommended to close all browsers, otherwise cleaning will not work effective result. After this, we activate the “Analysis” button, you will be presented full list“garbage”, after that we activate the “Cleaning” button.

Please note that this program does not clean up “garbage” of working audio and video files. In this case, you can delete it manually. Open the “Tools” menu and activate the “Disk Analysis” option.

After this, we study the information in detail and delete unnecessary files.

Disk defragmentation on Windows 10: cleaning features

To prevent your computer, where a demanding operating system is installed, from acting up during operation, it is recommended to defragment the disk Windows components. Maximum effect can give simple tips, who will build the right tactics to clean the system of unnecessary garbage.

In order for the cleaning to be painless, you must have a certain amount free space on the computer. Experts say that the minimum volume should be 10-15% of free space. If there is a sufficient amount of free space on the computer, the cleaning will be faster.
It is recommended that before you know how to defragment a disk on Windows 10, you do not use the partition involved. In this case, do not open the files, do not move them, or do anything with them at all.
To know how many passes you can use in Windows 10 defragmentation, it is recommended to clean at least once a month. If you use your computer at an increased pace, for example, constantly downloading files, installing programs, etc., it is recommended to clean it more often, for example, once a week.

Now you know everything about how your computer works. Try to “treat” it as quickly as possible so that there are no problems in the future during operation.

It is difficult to find a person who has worked in Windows for a long time who has never heard of disk defragmentation and did not carry it out in the hope of speeding up the system. There are many myths floating around this topic; unfortunately, not everyone clearly understands what processes are behind this phenomenon. Now we will try to figure it out why disk defragmentation is needed.

As you know, data is stored on a hard drive in so-called clusters - logical cells. When writing a file, data is written to the cluster sequentially.

Now imagine this situation: we wrote a file to disk that took 10 clusters in a row. Following it, another file was written into 5 clusters. Then, after a while, we decided to add some data to the first file, for another five clusters. In this case, the clusters belonging to the first file will be separated, since it will only be possible to write to the nearest free disk space. An even worse picture occurs when a large number of files are deleted and a larger one is written in their place, which can be divided into fragments already at the initial recording stage.

This is what a fragment of a disc with recorded data will look like.

Such “fragments” with files into which additional writing occurs frequently can form in the thousands, and they will most likely be divided into significantly more long distances than neighboring clusters. In order to read this file, the disk read heads need to sequentially visit all areas and read all fragments. In this case, the speed of working with a highly fragmented file can significantly decrease.

To combat this undesirable phenomenon, a defragmentation procedure was created, during which clusters belonging to the same file are combined into sequential chains.

Fortunately, users of modern Windows versions There is no need to pay attention to performing this procedure regularly. Defragmentation in operating system Windows 8.1 is configured automatically, once a week by default.

This doesn't concern solid state SSD drives, since defragmentation of this type of drive causes premature “aging” of memory chips. In this case, Windows determines the type of disk and excludes it from the defragmentation task scheduler.

The situation is similar with USB. Flash drives, defragmentation is mostly harmful for them, since they are technologically built on a similar type of memory that has a limited number of write cycles.

However, the user can decide to defragment the disk manually at any time. To do this you need to open properties logical drive for which you want to defragment, go to the “Tools” tab and click the “Optimize” button.

The “Disk Optimization” window opens, in which you can find out the current degree of fragmentation using the “Analyze” button, as well as perform forced defragmentation by clicking the “Optimize” button accordingly.

The article would be incomplete without mentioning programs for disk defragmentation third party manufacturers, the functionality of which may differ slightly. The most popular of them (but the list does not end there) are Piriform Defraggler and Auslogics Disk Defrag. The programs are free and work great on modern versions Windows operating systems, including Windows 8.1.

The main functionality of the programs is similar - they reorganize clusters on the disk in such a way that the data belonging to certain files, were arranged sequentially and inextricably. But there are also some additional functions, which sets them apart from the built-in defragmenter in Windows 8.1.

This, for example, is a more advanced scheduler that allows you to turn off the computer upon completion of the defragmentation procedure, as well as optimal defragmentation methods that place clusters of system and most popular files (swap file and others) closer to the beginning of the disk, where more technologically high speed read-write.

Summarizing all of the above, I would like to once again clarify that defragmentation is not a cure for all ills and will help speed up the computer only if the “bottleneck” is precisely the slow reading of fragmented files, which occurs very rarely.

With modern hardware, you can ignore even a 50% degree of fragmentation and continue to work without any problems. If, even after defragmentation, the performance problem is still acute, you will most likely need to perform comprehensive diagnostics and assessment of all critical systems in order to find the weakest point.

Behind long time As the computer operates, a large amount of user data and information accumulates on it, which is periodically replaced, erased, or new information is added. At the same time, users may notice that system performance decreases, in particular, the time for processing data and reading it from disk increases. This is due to the fact that the logical structure of the drive needs to be optimized over time, since when the media is filled with files, they can be written to different areas of the drive.

This is where the need arises to defragment the drive - a procedure for “rearranging” individual data clusters in order to ensure operational access to them and organizing the recorded information

The concept of defragmentation and drive structure

As you know, all digital data consists of character sequences, which together represent separate files. This is a very strong generalization, but nevertheless it is the one that is best suited to explain the concept of fragmentation or defragmentation. Each file, when written to the media, is divided by the system into separate clusters - data packets that the OS places in the available free cells of the media. Subsequently, when it is necessary to read certain information, the system accesses the drive and “finds” each cluster that makes up the file, processing them and providing the user with the ability to work with it. Fragmentation is precisely the breaking up of each file into separate parts for more convenient recording, which is what happens when a PC is running.

Gradually, with the accumulation of a large amount of information, clusters separate files can be located in the most different areas, and searching for them will take a long time. Defragmentation is a process somewhat opposite to fragmentation and involves optimization logical structure drive for the purpose of redistributing the recorded data. Defragmenting files is changing their layout to optimize subsequent access. the main task What it does is rearrange the clusters of each file as close to each other as possible, which reduces the time it takes to read and search for it. The process for doing this is as follows:

obtaining information about the disk - free and used space;
calculating the possibility of optimizing the data structure;
transferring clusters of files as close to one another as possible;
freeing up space due to optimization of user data placement.

The need to optimize data on SSDs

Many PC users Windows platform old versions from 98 to XP when using regular hard disks, the defragmentation procedure was carried out very often. This is especially true for those who prefer to store a large amount of information on their computer. With the growing popularity and availability of solid-state drives, the question arises about the need for such manipulations.

Defragmentation of hard The disk is really in demand for frequent recording and rewriting of data, and this is primarily due to the principles of its operation and the mechanisms for recording information. Solid State Drives have different operating mechanisms and have virtually no delays when searching for information on the media and gaining access to it. Besides SSD manufacturers on hardware and program level provide optimization of the recorded data, which is why self-defragmentation by the user practically does not bring tangible results.

Each SSD from any manufacturer has a limited number of data access cycles in its cells.

In practice, this means that after a certain time of operation, individual sectors of the drive may fail. Because the SSD defragmentation does not lead to optimization of the file placement structure and, as a result, acceleration of its operation - it is not recommended.

Defragmentation is the process of writing or rewriting data, which means the media will be subject to unnecessary wear and tear and its service life will be shortened.

Optimizing disk structure on latest versions of Windows

Windows 7

Disk defragmentation on Windows 7, as one of the most common OS versions, can occur without help third party utilities. In order to defragment a disk on Windows 7, you need to follow a few simple steps.

Open File Explorer and select the required drive.
By activating right key mice context menu, select the “Properties” tab.
In the menu that opens, go to the “Service” tab.
This section contains several disk maintenance utilities.

Fig.1. We need a “Defragmentation” button, activate it

The system may display a message that the procedure is scheduled by another program. This is due to the fact that the defragmenter for Windows 7 is also a separate utility that can be called on a schedule and according to standard settings performs this operation weekly.

Fig.2. We confirm the need to perform by clicking the “Delete parameters” button

The disk management menu opens, where you can first analyze the disk to determine the need for optimization. The higher the percentage of fragmentation, the more noticeable the results of defragmentation will be. If the percentage is relatively low, from 0 to 10, then the data is placed on the medium in a structured manner and its optimization is not required.

Fig.3. Choose required disk and press the “Disk Defragmenter” button

You can defragment a disk on Windows 7 completely automatically, by setting the frequency of this procedure. Built-in system tools in the form of a separate service allow you to fully automate this process.

Fig.4. In the above instructions, at the stage of selecting a disk for optimization in the menu, there is a button for setting the frequency of running the defragmenter

It is enough to specify the time or period and the OS will independently complete it within the specified time frame.

Windows 8 or 8.1

You can defragment the disk in these versions of the OS in a similar way. The utility menu is called up according to the scheme presented above with minimal differences:

in the OS versions under review, defragmentation was renamed optimization, as indicated in the disk management menu;
If the PC has solid-state drives installed, the system will indicate that their optimization is impossible.

You can also do defragmentation on Windows 8 using the automatic mode, for which you need to set the frequency or set the time for it according to the above instructions in the “Set up schedule” menu (Fig. 4).

Windows XP

The easiest way to perform optimization in this version of the OS is as follows:

select the required drive in Explorer and call the context menu;
go to the “Properties” menu;
select the “Service” section;
activate the “Disk Defragmentation” button. The further procedure will be performed with pre-check carrier.

Using the command line

An alternative option to defragment a disk on Windows 8.1 or earlier versions is to call the command line and work with it. To do this, the user must have administrator rights. It looks like this:

Click the “Start” button and go to the “Run” menu;
in the opened command line enter the function “defrag [disk name]/[parameter]” without quotes.

This command has a large number various parameters, the application of which occurs by adding attributes to it, a list of which is displayed when entering the combination “defrag /?”

for example, entering the command "defrag C:" will activate the C drive optimization process.

Third party utilities

Although popular versions Many operating systems have built-in tools for working with disks, including their optimization, which are very common third party programs to defragment the disk. According to responses from numerous users, best defragmenter from the number similar programs is Defraggler Professional. This software is designed for comprehensive work with storage media and allows you to conveniently check the drive, defragment it and other operations.

Defraggler is no different big amount settings and options, but at the same time performs optimization very quickly and also provides visual support this procedure

Working with it is the same as in standard utilities Windows. Having selected the required disk, you can click the “Analyze” button - checking the media to determine the need for optimization, or “Defrad” - the actual procedure for optimizing it.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Just like in others Windows versions, in the operating room Windows system 8 you need to perform defragmentation. By doing this procedure at least once every few months, we will slightly improve disk performance. Before we get started, let's figure out what it is and what is its purpose?

Defragmenting your hard drive– organizing fragmented files. In simple words– this is placing files close to each other, for more quick access to them.

Let's say you downloaded some music or movies onto a disk, and they seem to be on the disk in one place, but they are most likely recorded in different parts hard drive. Therefore, it takes a little longer to launch than if they were lying very close to each other. Defragmentation in Windows 8 will help all files be written as close to each other as possible.

Before defragmenting your disk, make sure there is enough free space on it. 15% is the minimum.

I will describe in detail, but know that the process is not particularly different from previous versions. In Windows 7 and XP everything was similar.

We launch the search bar in Eight by moving the mouse cursor to the right top corner, or by pressing the key combination WIN+Q. Enter the query “ Disk optimization" and run the found program.

Here, the first thing we can do is select the disk and do an analysis, that is, find out how fragmented the files are and whether it needs to be defragmented. If 5 percent or less is fragmented, then it is not necessary to perform this procedure on the hard drive. In my case it is generally 0%.

Click the “Analyze" button and find out how much is in your case. If defragmentation is required, then click “Optimize".

By the way, if you have installed solid state drive (SSD drive), then defragmenting it is highly not recommended, as this will shorten its service life.

So how to do disk defragmentation in Windows 8 we figured it out, and finally I would like to say that in addition to standard utility There are also separately developed ones for performing this procedure. For example, Defraggler program works great with disks. In addition to its main function, it can also evaluate performance, status and do other useful things.