Today I’m continuing with my top 10 list of recommended software. This time the topic is defragmentation.

Before I list my top 10 programs, it might be a good idea to explain why you should care about defragmenting. As stated in Wikipedia, ‘Defragmentation is a process that reduces the number of fragmentations in the file system. This is done by physically organising contents on the hard disk to store pieces of each file close together and contiguosly’. Basically, pieces of files are scattered over large spaces on the disk with gaps, and this can later affect the performance of the PC (it takes more time to find and access a file). 

Defragmentation takes care of this by compacting all the pieces, storing them in sequence and as close together as possible. This way, files are found easier and faster. Without defragmentation, your computer would be seriously affected and this would lead to significant performance loss. For more information on Defragmenting, please visit Wikipedia. 

You should defragment your disk regularly (about 4, 5 times a year) to optimize your disk and ensure your computer doesn’t slow down. If you don’t, eventually a full hard drive and inefficient storing of files will cause serious problems.

Both Windows XP and Windows Vista include Disk Defragmenter in the system which can do this job for you. However, some people prefer third part programs. They might offer more options, or because people just don’t trust Microsoft products :).

Top 10 list:

1. PerfectDisk
2. O&O Defrag Pro
3. Diskeeper
4. mst Defrag
5. TuneUp Utilities 2009
6. Ultradefrag
7. Defraggler
8. Auslogic Disk Defrag
9. JKDefrag
10. Abexo Disk Defragmenter