Sometimes, files on the Windows 10’s hard drive gets fragmented and for your computer, it is time-consuming to check the multiple places on your drive. As a result, the computer’s performance level will be decreased. In order to run Windows 10 system more efficiently, you’ll need to optimize the drive attached to your computer by defragmenting it.
Just like other OS, Windows 10 automatically chooses the optimization that's right for your drive. By default, Optimize Drives Utility, runs automatically on a weekly schedule at the time set for automatic maintenance. But you can also optimize drives on your PC manually!
How does Optimize Drives work?
When you run this utility to defrag the hard disk, the scattered files get re-arranged and occupy the space contiguously on the storage location. This orderly management of files on the hard drive will consume very less time to read and write the files. As a result, Windows 10 PC’ s performance level will be increased with the increased rate of data transfer.
After using this tool, you will notice an improvement in the startup time of files as well as applications available on the hard drive.
How often is defragmentation required for your computer?
Actually, there is no particular set of rules or number to defrag a hard drive, but it would be good if you defrag the drive when the fragmentation level in between 5-7%. Also, you are required to do defragmentation when you find any sluggishness in the operating system.
How to Defrag Windows 10 Hard Drive?
One of the easiest ways to access Optimize Drives Utility is to type Defrag in the search box and choose Defragment and Optimize Drives option.
The next method to open Optimize Drives Utility is through Control Panel.
- Open the Control Panel on your computer
- Go to System and Security option
- On System and Security window, click on Defragment and optimize your drives option situated under Administrative Tools
- Select the drive you want to defrag and click on the optimize button to initiate the process
- Don’t rush on! Let the Windows 10 to complete the process
Analyzing Windows 10’s Disk Drives
In the Optimize Drives windows, you’ll find one more option along with Optimize called Analyze. This is an alternative to Optimize, which can be used to analyze the hard drive.
On clicking this button, the Optimize Drives tool will analyze the selected drive and then you can see the percentage of fragmentation happened on that drive.
Depending on this info, you can easily decide whether to defragment the hard disk.
Scheduling the process - Disk Defragmentation
The process of Disk Defragmentation is set as once in a week by default. However, you can schedule the process on daily as well as a monthly basis with the help of Optimize Drives. To do this, first, click on Change Settings option situated in Schedule optimization section. From the next window, you’ll get the option to switch between monthly, weekly and daily options. Also, verify whether the option Run on a Schedule is turned ON. Once, you hit on Choose button, it means you have selected a drive that you want to include in Defragmentation schedule.
An important note on Solid State Drives (SSDs)!
Since SSDs have a different style of file arrangement as well as they have a good read and write speed and do not slow down like traditional hard drives, they do not require to be fragmented. Defragmentation can make them down their lifespan. Even you can include SSD drive for Optimization schedule as well.
However, if System Restore is enabled on Windows 10, the SSD drive gets defragmented automatically when it feels it has to be done. You can the Windows 10 to deal with this setting as it better knows what is good for your computer.
Like defragmentation and optimization, there is one more aspect called Formatting that accounts in speeding up your computer as well as the speed of external storage devices. Well, formatting is a good idea. But, sometimes you may lose your precious data if you haven’t taken a backup before formatting. So, maintaining backups is a wise idea!
You can also learn how to get back data from formatted hard drive with the help of Remo Hard Drive Recovery Software and get the job done in a few simple steps.
