Here is a list of 5 Free software that can easily defragment hard drive. As mentioned in Wikipedia:
..defragmentation is a process that reduces the amount of fragmentation in file systems. It does this by physically organizing the contents of the disk to store the pieces of each file close together and contiguously
Defragmenting a hard drive improves the performance of the hard drive, as it reduces the time taken to fetch the data from the drive. As we mentioned in earlier article about How to Improve Performance of Hard Drive, Defragmentation is one of the most important things that you can do to keep your hard drive optimized.
Windows comes with an easy to use Defragmentation utility that can be accessed from Start –> Accessories –> System Tools –> Disk Defragmenter. However, this tool is quite basic in nature.
There are many free defragmentation software available in the market that does the job of defragmentation well. Here is a list of 5 such free defragmentation software.
1) UltraDefrag
UltraDefrag is a free and open source disk defragmentation software. Unlike other disk defragmenters, UltraDefrag can defragment even those files that are locked during normal operation of Windows.
UltraDefrag also comes with fast disk optimization. It rearranges all the data, and places that to beginning of disk. This helps in quicker retrieval of data in many cases.
UltraDefrag also lets you defrag individual files and folders, so if you have recently installed a game, you can quickly defragment it to get a better gaming experience.
UltraDefrag comes with the feature of auto shut down. So, if you have a rather large disk, you can start UltraDefrag before going to bed, and UltraDefrag will shut down your PC once the defragmentation is complete.
UltraDefrag works on both 32 bit Windows, and 64 bit Windows. It also comes with a separate version for 64 bit Windows running on the latest Intel Itanium processor.
2) Auslogics Disk Defrag
Auslogics Disk Defrag is another good free defragmentation software.
Here are some of the features of Auslogics Disk Defrag:
- Optimizes file system by moving system files to faster part of disk.
- Merges free space on disk to form contiguous blocks of free space. This prevents further fragmentation.
- It can defrag automatically whenever system goes idle. Auslogics Disk Defrag also supports scheduled defragmentation.
- It can also defrag a single file or folder like UltraDefrag does, and can shut down system after defragmentation is complete.
Auslogics Disk Defrag is completely free for home users.
3) Smart Defrag
Smart Defrag is an intelligent defragmentation software that shares lot of features with Auslogics Disk Defrag. However, the major advantage that Smart Defrag carries is that it is free of cost for both personal use, as well as commercial use.
Makers of Smart Defrag claim that Smart Defrag has world’s fastest defragmenting engine.
Smart Defrag runs in the background, and intelligently analyzes when does hard disk needs defragmentation, and automatically defragments that.
4) MyDefrag
MyDefrag is a simple to use Disk Defragmentation software. It uses the built-in defragmentation features of Windows, but uses its own logic to defragment and optimize hard disk.
- It moves the files to beginning of disk for faster access.
- Files that are accessed more often are placed in the front.
- Files that are accessed together are placed together.
- Removes any files from MFT area.
- Leaves some free areas for creation of temporary files by running programs, so that they can be accessed quickly.
5) Defraggler
Defraggler is a light weight and fast free defragmentation software. Defraggler gives you option to defragment entire disk, or just a few files and folders. Defraggler also comes with an option of quick defragmentation. You can schedule regular defragmentation with Defraggler.
Defraggler comes from makers of CCleaner, Speccy, and Recuva.
All these free disk defragmentation software are quite easy to use, and performs the task of disk defragmentation very effectively.